rest

Spain turns in the opposite direction to the rest of Europe. Form part of a geological plan: closing the Mediterranean

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Spain and Portugal are dancing to a different rhythm than the rest of Europe. They are moving clockwise and the consequence is clear: a long-term closure of the Mediterranean that connects the Iberian Peninsula directly to North Africa. The convergence between continents is slow, a few millimeters a year (so we will continue needing the tunnel between Spain and Morocco), but one thing is clear: another Pangea is on the way. And the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco will be a unit. In short. Continental plates move. Some separate, others collide, and that continental drift has caused the emergence the Pangea Ultima theory. In 250 million years, there will only be one continent. There is a long way to go for that, but now, some researchers from the University of the Basque Country have analyzed geodetic data that allows them to affirm that the Iberian Peninsula is rotating clockwise. This east-west rotation is driven by the convergence between the Eurasian and African plates, and the conclusion is clear: both are moving between four and six millimeters closer each year. This information is not new, but the researchers’ discovery is to specify the processes that take place at the diffuse boundary of the two western Mediterranean plates. Thanks, Gibraltar. Although the boundaries of other plates are well defined, this does not occur in the Western Mediterranean. There, the processes are much grayer, and there is something called “Gibraltar Arch” which plays an interesting role in this tectonic dynamic. To the east of the strait, the crust absorbs the deformation caused by the collision between the Eurasian and African plates. This ‘Gibraltar Arc’ acts as a buffer, but it has a consequence: in the west of the strait there is a direct collision between the plates, while in the east it is absorbed by the Gibraltar Arc. This lack of buffering from the southwest is what causes the clockwise rotation. Rotational strain rate field. Positive values ​​correspond to clockwise rotation, while negative values ​​refer to counterclockwise rotation. Active and potentially active faults are marked with solid and dashed gray lines, respectively. Double analysis. The researchers combined two types of accuracy analyzes to obtain these results. On the one hand, those of satellite deformation through GNSS system (Global Navigation Satellite System). Analyzing the data, they measured surface displacements with millimeter precision, relying on both permanent and occasional GPS markers. On the other hand, they also analyzed information from recent earthquakes that allowed them to determine the tectonic “stresses” in the area. They are independent data sets, but by crossing them they were able to draw a series of ‘lines’ that have allowed them to better specify the boundary between the plates. So that? Well, to better understand which sectors are in direct collision between plates and which are still more protected by the Gibraltar Arc. And the neighbors? The problem is that, although they claim that it is a rapid tectonic movement, this is true in geological terms. For us it is invaluable, but it also comes into play that we only have satellite data since 1999 and detailed seismic data since the 1980s. Even so, if with such a short range of data we have reached that conclusion in the annual approach, it is because the phenomenon is not in a hurry, but it does not pause either. And the most interesting thing is that this only affects the Iberian Peninsula. It is not that we are going to separate from France, since we ‘drag’ the rest of the continent thanks to the effect of the Gibraltar Arc, but we are not turning in the same direction as other neighbors. Italy, for example, experiences a counterclockwise rotation that exerts pressure in the alpine zoneand in the anatolian plate (where most of Türkiye is), there is also this counterclockwise rotation. Hello, Morocco. While in Turkey the consequence may be more earthquakes or mountain formations, this current speed of between 4 and 6 millimeters will cause, at some point, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco to unite. This continental collision would close the Mediterraneanbut there is a lot left for it. How much? About 100 million years. They estimate that for 20 million years we will continue at the same speed, but within about 50 million years, things will gain momentum, accelerating the process and turning the region into one of the most active volcanic and seismic areas on the planet. It’s… foolish to worry. present utility. Now, beyond curiosity, the most immediate implication that the researchers point out is a better identification of active faults or areas in which previously unidentified tectonic structures could exist. Asier Madarieta-Txurruka, one of those responsible for the investigation, explains This information indicates where to look for these structures and boundaries to determine what type of folds and faults there may be. Thus, we can anticipate the type of earthquake that there will be and its magnitude in areas such as the Western Pyrenees or the region of Cádiz and Seville in which we know that there are numerous places with significant deformationbut we do not have well identified the active tectonic structures that cause them. And, although there is still a long way to go before the Alps and a new mountain range are founded across the peninsula and all of North Africa to Arabia, knowing better what we have right under our feet is much more useful. In Xataka | We knew that Africa was going to split in half. What we didn’t know was that it would happen so quickly.

If there is finally peace in Ukraine, Russia has a surprise for the rest of Europe

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The talks in Berlin have revived the idea of ​​an agreement to end the war in Ukraine like never before, to the point that Donald Trump has assured that peace is “closer than ever” after prolonged contacts with both European leaders and Vladimir Putin. If this horizon occurs, Finland has just sounded the alarm. The peace that appears. The United States has put on the table a plan that, according to its own negotiators, would solve around 90% of friction points and that includes a ceasefire supervised by Washington, security guarantees powerful and a central role for Europe in the stabilization of the country. kyiv admits real progressalthough he emphasizes that the territorial issue remains the most painful core of the negotiation, with Russia demanding concessions in the Donbas that Ukraine is reluctant to accept. Still, the general tone is contained optimismwith the feeling that, for the first time since 2022, there is a minimally viable political architecture to stop the fighting. Security guarantees. The key element of the plan is a package of security guarantees described by US officials as the most robust ever offered to Ukraine, with explicit parallels to NATO’s Article 5. Europe is ready to lead a multinational force on the ground, a “coalition of the willing” that would help regenerate the Ukrainian armed forces, protect its airspace and guarantee maritime security, always with political and operational support from the United States, although no US troops deployed in Ukraine. Furthermore, Washington would assume supervision of a ceasefire and an early warning system for possible violations, while European countries would legally commit to act in the event of new aggression. For kyiv, these guarantees are the essential condition to accept any freezing of the conflict, even leaving aspirations such as membership in NATO on hold, something that Zelenskiy has come to openly raise. The hidden price of peace. However, beneath this apparent diplomatic advance lies growing unrest on Europe’s eastern flank. Finland has issued a warning as clear as it is uncomfortable: peace in Ukraine will not mean the end of the Russian threat, but very likely its geographical displacement. According to Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Moscow would take advantage of the end of hostilities to redeploy forces towards NATO’s borders, especially in the Baltic and northern Europe, strengthening its posture vis-à-vis the Alliance in a period of just three to five years. From Helsinki, it is insisted that Russia would continue to be a revisionist power and that interpreting peace as a general de-escalation would be a strategic error of the first order. The eastern flank prepares. The most exposed countries already act accordingly. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are on track to spend more than 5% of its GDP in defense, well above the traditional objectives of NATO, while coordinate common capabilities in air defense, drones and ground forces, and are working to accelerate the movement of troops and weapons across the continent. Finland, with its historical culture of preparation against Russia, maintains bunkers, strategic reserves and training programs civil, despite going through a serious economic crisis. These countries fear that a peace agreement will lead some European partners, further away from the front, to relax their attention and their military spending just when, in their opinion, the threat would be reconfiguring and not disappearing. Europe and a decision. The debate comes in a critical week for the European Union, forced to decide whether to support financially to Ukraine in the long term, unlocks the use of frozen Russian assets and assumes that your future security It depends less on Washington and more on its own deterrence capabilities. Orpo has been explicit by warning that Europe cannot afford to just talk about peace, but must act quickly and resourcefully, because there is no credible alternative plan if support for kyiv fails. Thus, the paradox is strongly imposed: the advance towards peace in Ukrainefar from closing the chapter on European security, could open another equally delicatein which Russia, freed from the Ukrainian front, once again strains the continental chessboard and forces Europe to finally face the strategic consequences of a conflict that never was only from Ukraine. Image | Ministry of Defense of Ukraine In Xataka | Something unprecedented has happened in North Korea: a video has revealed that they are sending their soldiers in Ukraine to the “slaughterhouse” In Xataka | The drone war in Ukraine is complete nonsense: the manuals that were useful two weeks ago are a death trap today

that of the US trying to find it before the rest of the powers

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What could perfectly be the beginning of a work of fiction framed in a novel or a film, is taking place right now in some remote part of the planet. The episode of the GBU-39a bomb of American origin, lost somewhere in Beirut, has sparked a silent race between Washington, Lebanon and, potentially, Russia, China and Iran. The loss that can alter a strategic balance. What, on the surface, might seem like a mere failure to detonate a guided bomb becomes a matter of the highest strategic priority when the device in question belongs to one of the most important families of precision munitions. studied, valuable and restricted of the American arsenal. According to JPostthe bomb fell during the attack that killed Hezbollah’s military commander, Ali Tabatabaiand when it did not explode, it was made available to anyone who managed to access it before the American or Israeli teams. Washington solicitous immediately to the Lebanese Government for its recovery, aware that, if it reached the hands of Russia, China, Iran or even Hezbollah, the loss would be much greater than a simple lost device. It would be a direct access to decades of researchadvanced composite materials, guidance algorithms and electronic architecture whose reproduction could transform the ability of various powers to counter or replicate the American model of surgical strike. These types of incidents, in fact, it’s not newbut its context (a capital burned by regional tensions and the active presence of actors with the technical capacity to exploit the discovery) makes it an exceptional threat. A small bomb with huge implications. The GBU-39 is a glider bomb small diameter designed to combine range, penetration and millimeter accuracy within a compact body. just 110 kilos. Its operational concept is simple but devastating: when launched, it deploys wings that allow it to glide up to about 110 kilometers even without an engine, keeping the launching aircraft out of enemy defensive range. Its GPS and inertial guidance achieves errors of less than a meter, which reduces the number of ammunition needed for an attack and increases the survival of the device. The relationship between weight and damage generated is what has made it a benchmark: thanks to its highly efficient warhead, it can destroy reinforced structures without having to resort to much larger bombs. Its size allows an F-35 transport up to eight in its internal hold without compromising its radar signature, and for a single aircraft to carry out multiple attacks in a single sortie. That’s why the United States strictly controls its export, limiting it to close partners and technologically reliable family members. Loading a Gbu39 Washington’s fear. The American concern lies not in the explosive (easy to replicate), but in what the bomb hides: miniaturized sensors, lightweight and resistant composite materials, navigation and data fusion algorithms, microelectronics designed to survive thermal and vibrational stress, and a guidance system robust against interference. All this represents billions in R&D accumulated over two decades. Whether Russia or China could examine an intact GBU-39 would mean accelerate your capacity to improve anti-radar systems, develop countermeasures against precision attacks or even integrate equivalent technologies into their own arsenals of gliding bombs, which are advancing today but still lack American refinement. For Iran or Hezbollah, access to the bomb would have a additional value: would allow studying how to degrade American precision in an electronic warfare scenario, or even replicate part of the design in local munitions. A race against time. The United States has already experienced similar episodes that fuel its current reaction. In 2022, after the crash of an F-35C In the South China Sea, the Navy mobilized an urgent deep-sea recovery operation to prevent the device, with its AESA radarits distributed sensors and its stealth coating, will end up in the hands of Beijing. China itself denied interest, but the precedent from 2001 (when an American EP-3 made an emergency landing in Hainan and its equipment was inspected for months) made it clear that every opportunity for technological dismantling is taken advantage of without nuances. The possibility of a perfectly good bomb resting in a Beirut neighborhood, accessible to state and non-state actors, reproduces this pattern in an environment much more chaotic and close to the territory of pro-Iranian groups. Geopolitics of a lost artifact. For Israel, the lost bomb represents a direct operational risk: its technology in the hands of Hezbollah would allow the design of local countermeasures adapted to its mode of attack. For the United States, the problem is much broader: the proliferation of sensitive knowledge that can fuel Russian military modernization in the midst of a war of attrition, accelerate the Chinese transition towards highly efficient guided munitions or reinforce the Iranian reverse engineering ecosystem. For Russia, China or Iran, however, the discovery would be a capacity multiplierespecially in electronic warfare and in the development of long-range gliding munitions, key in future conflicts. And for Lebanon, caught between American, Israeli and Iranian pressures, the return or not of the GBU-39 becomes a deeply political actalmost inevitably interpreted as a gesture of alignment on a board where every piece counts. Strategic consequences. He incident reveals an inconvenient truth: in modern warfare, a single unexploded device can be equivalent to thousands of pages of classified documentation. The proliferation of gliding bombs (from Russia to China via Türkiye or Iran) means that competition is no longer just about launching ever more precise ammunition, but about preventing the adversary from understanding how to do it the same. If the lost GBU-39 ends up recovered by the United States, the episode will likely remain an anecdote. But if not, its impact could feel in development of new interference systems, in stealth attack doctrines, in the precision of Chinese gliding bombs, in the resilience of the Americans or even in the behavior of the Israeli air defense. Image | Master Sgt. Lance Cheung, Ministerie van Defensie, Picryl In Xataka | No one has seen Israel’s atomic arsenal. And that’s because Israel has an … Read more

Christmas lights begin in a town in Andalusia that sells them to the rest of the planet: Puente Genil

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Every year, while cities like vigo boast of their light shows and countries like Venezuela either Portugal compete to light Christmas before anyone else, there is an Andalusian municipality that, discreetly, has been setting the real rhythm of that calendar for decades. Although few know it, this is where Christmas really begins. A light by chance. The story begins in Genil Bridgea town that, before becoming a global benchmark for festive lighting, already had an intimate and almost genetic relationship with electricity. At the end of the 19th century, its flour and electricity factory “La Alianza” turned on some of the first electric streetlights in Andalusia. From that early love affair with light would later arise a seemingly minor moment that would end up changing everything: an electrician named Francisco Jimenez Carmonaowner of a small appliance store, decided to build a wooden star with light bulbs to decorate his window one post-war Christmas Day. What could have been just a nice gesture of local commerce unleashed a collective fascination. The neighbors gathered, the City Council asked to illuminate entire streets, the nearby towns demanded the same, and without anyone being able to foresee it, a company had just been born that would end up illuminating half the planet. The birth of a giant. Decades later, that initial spark transformed into Iluminaciones Ximénez, today Ximenez Groupa group capable of designing and manufacturing lighting installations for more than 600 cities in 40 countriesfrom Madrid or Vigo to Dubai, passing through New York, Moscow, Sydney or Malabo. An expansion that maintains, however, a deeply artisanal root: all the lights are They manufacture in Puente Genilwhere every Christmas campaign more than 180 workers produce millions of LED points day and night that will then travel to the five continents. The company operates like a bright boutique that adapts each project to the culture of the destination, from the amber warmth of the Nordic countries to the explosive colors of Latin America, passing through the classic tones of the United States or the monochrome designs of some Spanish cities. To your catalog collaborations are added with renowned designers and projects as imposing as the largest Christmas tree in Europe or the tallest in Central America, or even giant tunnels in Moscow capable of transforming entire avenues into immersive scenarios. Puente Genil as a secret laboratory. Although the lights travel so far, everything always begins at home. Puente Genil has become a testing ground open, a space where the most risky and innovative proposals are experience before traveling to Vigo, Brussels or New York. La Matallana and Paseo del Romeral function as a technological gateway where new structures, lighting patterns, immersive tunnels and shows synchronized through pixel mapping appear every year, capable of converting entire streets into changing audiovisual surfaces. This 2025 the town will deploy about two million LED pointsa forest of illuminations that extends through villages, avenues, streetlights, squares and facades, accompanied by a cultural program of almost thirty events which turns the city into a first-rate Christmas epicenter. And more. But the hyperbole goes beyond the visual spectacle: Puente Genil, located between Seville, Córdoba, Málaga and Granada, preserves a unique industrial heritagefrom its old power plants to its modernist palaces, and a festive life that transcends even Christmas, with an Easter (the “Mananta”) so unique that it has rituals and processions impossible to find anywhere else. Economic impact. The success by Ximenez Group It not only lies in the ability to dazzle visually. Their projects have become real economic drivers for the cities that hire them: they attract tourism, increase sales, reactivate entire neighborhoods and generate local identity through decorations designed to dialogue with each culture. In Sydney they designed an interactive maze that changes color according to human movement, in Moscow they built an enchanted forest and a 200-meter tunnel, in Seville they synchronize Three Wise Men’s crowns with light and sound, in Vigo they deploy monumental digital trees, and in New York they provide engineering, design and pieces manufactured in Andalusia. The crux. The key, they countis in the fusion between tradition and avant-garde: a family business founded in a small store in Córdoba that today produces shows with its own low-consumption technology, advanced LED systems and intelligent motors capable of rescheduling shows in a matter of hours, as if the streets were gigantic living screens. Homemade star in global phenomenon. Despite driving more than 40 million euros annually and project a 50% growth In the next decade, the company continues to have the soul of a workshop and memory of origin. Three generations have given continuity to that first star burning wood in Puente Genil, transforming it into an industrial model combining craftsmanship, innovation and a deep understanding of what it means to illuminate as a business. Perhaps for this reason, Puente Genil is not only a global supplier: it is, in its essence, the place where Christmas is rehearse every year, where ideas are born that will later shine in giant cities like New York or Dubai, and where technology and tradition come together to demonstrate that some of the most universal stories begin, almost always, with a gesture as simple as turning on a light bulb… in a remote municipality in Andalusia. Image | Ximenez, Vigo Tourism In Xataka | The hidden cost of Christmas in Spain: how spending on lighting has overflowed in just a few years In Xataka | Abel Caballero had his enemy at his doorstep: Portugal’s plan to beat Vigo for Christmas

It’s bad news for the rest of the city.

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Like any big city in the world, in Barcelona there are quieter neighborhoodsothers in which cultural and leisure activities live in constant effervescence and, then, far from the madding crowd and prying eyes, they are the wealthiest neighborhoods. At least that’s how it was until not long ago. Now the rich already They don’t want to live isolated in the neighborhoods that were traditionally inhabited and are beginning to abandon historical enclaves of the wealthy classes of Barcelona, to settle in neighborhoods with more economic, leisure and cultural activity. This is bad news for the residents of those neighborhoods. Goodbye to the isolated upper area. Traditionally, neighborhoods in the upper area of ​​Barcelona, ​​such as Pedralbes, Vallvidriera or Bonanova, were the natural habitat of the richest Barcelona residents: large houses with gardens, stately apartments with separate entrances for the staff, lots of privacy and international schools next door. The average income data per person in 2022 for these neighborhoods already revealed that 52% more wealth is concentrated in them than the Barcelona average. But now, that tranquility seems boring to the wealthiest in Barcelonawho prefer the energy of the city. “Hiding in the mountains of Barcelona is no longer so fashionable,” assured to The Vanguard Joan Rubiralta, real estate expert and co-founder of Luxline Real Estate. According to the expert in the luxury real estate market, instead of isolating themselves, the rich of Barcelona now seek to integrate into the cultural and commercial bustle, letting those high areas lose a little of their exclusive shine. Eixample, the top neighborhood now. The Eixample has become in the new favorite place of the best of the Barcelona elite and the ultra-rich attracted for the Mediterranean and cosmopolitan life that Barcelona offers. The reason: it mixes stately apartments and the comfort of being much better connected to the center. “Luxury today is defined more by the quality of the experience than by ostentation,” assured to The Vanguard Sven Odia, executive president of Sotheby’s in Spain. The most sought-after properties in this neighborhood are spacious renovated apartments of between 120 and 140 m2. The modernist style buildings and the high ceilings of their apartments have contributed to the sale price of these apartments exceeds 8,000 euros/m2placing the average at 6,299 euros/m2 for the neighborhood. This represents an increase of 11% in the price in just one year, standing out from the rest of the city which is around 5,000 euros/m2. Offer price m2 in the Eixample of Barcelona in 2025. Source: puntohabitat.es The million euro apartment. As and as they pointed out in Open Metropolisthis growing demand for apartments in Barcelona’s Eixample has made housing that meets the demands of this buyer profile scarce, which has caused a shortage of supply. This makes it difficult to find these days. a luxury three-bedroom apartment in that neighborhood for less than a million euros. In 2026 everything below two million will have been liquidated. It is urgent to activate mechanisms that generate new supply. “We have no product,” warned Albert Milián, managing partner of the Barnes luxury real estate. It begins to spread to other neighborhoods. The new fashion among the rich of living in central neighborhoods, is also spreading to other neighborhoods in the city, putting Diagonal Mar and Poblenou in the spotlight for price increases. These neighborhoods are characterized by having become the technological heart of Barcelona, ​​with large companies and startup incubators, which makes them the preferred destination for international millionaires who took the opportunity to buy apartments already on the horn of the end of the “Golden visa”, which gave them access to residency in Spain in exchange for an investment of more than 500,000 euros. In these neighborhoods, for the same million euros that you would pay in Eixample for a 3-bedroom apartment, you get about 140 m² with all these extras. This situation won’t last long. Rubiralta confirmed that these areas “have experienced a notable increase thanks to their consolidation as the new technological and creative hub of Barcelona, ​​with the arrival of multinationals and international talent.” In Xataka | The list of the richest people in Spain in 2025: many changes in the figures, but not in the protagonists Image | Unsplash (Logan Armstrong)

This is how rest days are calculated

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The workplace is regulated by a series of laws and regulations that put in black and white the bases of the employment relationship between companies and workers. He Workers Statute It is the place that answers many of the questions that, at one time or another arise to the workers. Knowing how many vacation days you are entitled to by law is one of the most common. He calculation of vacation days It varies from one company to another depending on the sector, whether there is a collective agreement that regulates it, the type of working day and even seniority in the company. To clear up any doubts, we will tell you how many days of work rest you are entitled to by law and how to calculate them. How many vacations correspond per month worked: what the law says He article 38 of the Workers’ Statute is in charge of drawing the master lines for the right to rest. This article establishes the right to a minimum period of 30 calendar days of paid annual leave, not replaceable by financial compensationexcept as provided in the agreement or end of the employment relationship. That is, all workers have the right to rest for a minimum of 30 calendar days included in their salary. These days, under no circumstances, can be compensated for additional remuneration and can only be compensated for other days of rest on a different date. This is the legal minimum per calendar year of work and each year generates its own paid holiday entitlement. The Workers’ Statute establishes that they must be enjoyed in an agreed manner within the corresponding annual period, except for agreed or justified exceptions. In addition to agree jointly between the company and employees, workers have the right to know the vacation dates that correspond to them, at least two months before the start date of the rest. This way the employee can plan your vacation. How vacation days are calculated The Workers’ Statute clearly establishes that workers They have 30 working days a year. But how are your vacation days calculated if you have only been working at that company for a few months? The most commonly used practical rule to obtain the proportional part when the entire year has not been worked is to start from 30 calendar days and prorate them by months worked. Don’t panic because they exist vacation day calculators. In any case, its calculation is not complicated. The usual thing in companies is to use the value of calendar days, so it is enough to divide the number of calendar days by the twelve months of the year and multiply it by the months worked. The result returns the number of calendar days of work rest. On the other hand, if they are specified as working days, the calculation must be made by replacing the 30 days indicated in the Workers’ Statute with 22 working days. Difference between business days and calendar days The difference between a working day or a calendar day is important for the calculation and choice of vacation days. Calendar days: all calendar days are taken into account, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. That is, when calculating vacation days, all days of the chosen period are taken into account. This makes it more favorable for the worker to start the vacation on a Monday and end it on a Friday, since in this way neither the previous nor the following weekend are counted as vacations. Working days: as their name indicates, they are those days on which you would usually work, these being usually Monday to Friday, excluding weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and national holidays. This makes it irrelevant whether the first day of vacation is a Monday or Wednesday, since any weekends or holidays in between will not be counted.Besides, at a legal levelthere is a subtle difference between business days and business days. In both cases, Sundays and holidays are excluded, but in some cases, Saturdays may be considered working days, but are not considered business days. Is it 22 or 23 business days? As we have pointed out, the Workers’ Statute only establishes a legal minimum of 30 calendar days of work rest, but does not specify its equivalent in working days. If the company uses the workdays metric instead of calendar days, the calculation of the number of vacation days per month will also change. The most common conversion is to 22 working days, that is, days in which you would usually have to work. But It is not a universal figure for all companiesbut an average that can change from one company to another. The collective bargaining of some industrial sectors or the collective agreements of each company can include improvements to these conditions by increasing the number of vacation days and increasing those 22 working days to 23 days or even more. Therefore, it will be necessary to consult with the company or review the collective agreement that applies to know if the scale of calendar or working days is used to calculate vacation days. A practical example Nothing better to understand How does the calculation of vacation days work? We have to see it with a practical example. Imagine that you have started working in a company on March 1 and you want to take a few days of vacation the first week of September. How many days of vacation would you get? In that case, and taking into account the formula that we have indicated before, the calendar days of vacation would be calculated as follows: 30 (calendar days by law) / 12 (months) = 2.5 days of vacation per month worked 2.5 calendar days of vacation generated per month x 6 months of work = 15 calendar days of vacation If we apply the metric of working days, and assuming that the agreement (or the company) establishes that there are 22 working days, we would have: 22 (working days) / 12 (months) = … Read more

while the Madrid-Barcelona AVE goes at 350 km/h, the rest of the network languishes

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The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, has announced the tender for two feasibility studies with one objective: to carry out actions to improve the high-speed line (LAV) between Madrid and Barcelona to increase the speed of this corridor to 350 km/h. This will allow the journey between both cities to be made in less than two hours, but the problem is with the state of the railway network in the rest of the country. All focus in one line. Puente has explained that the reasons for focusing on this route are that “we need more capacity due to the increase in passengers on this line which, when it started, moved 2.2 million users and today there are 15 million, which means that 85% of the passenger share uses the train in this connection between cities and can still grow.” Vibrations. The modernization of the line that has already been carried out on the Madrid-Seville route is now urgently needed for the one that connects Madrid with Barcelona: it is already close to having been in service for 20 years and reports have appeared that point to an increase in vibrations between Madrid and Calatayud. Air traverses. For the renewal of the line, use will be made of a “unique Spanish technology in the world”, the aerotraviesa, which according to ADIF reduces the aerodynamic load in the space immediately above the ballast bed by 21%. This allows the operating speed of the train to increase by 12%: the aerodynamic load caused at 330 km/h by the current crossing would be equivalent to that generated by the aerocross at 370 km/h. New stations. The plan also includes new access variants to both cities and the construction of two new high-speed stations in Parla (connected to the Madrid Cercanías network) and in El Prat de Llobregat. A new access to the Chamartín station from the east and south is also proposed as an alternative to the existing tunnel. that connects this station with that of Atocha. In this way, the minister indicated, the capital will be provided with an alternative route to the existing tunnel for trains coming from throughout the Mediterranean and Andalusia. Impact on other lines. The Parla station will also have another purpose: to allow a connection with Madrid for all those services of the Madrid-Seville LAV and the Madrid-Levante LAV, with destination Madrid, in case of eventual incidents at the stations or in the standard gauge tunnel. Giving room for maneuver for the future. This action, the Ministry states, will improve the current capacity of the Torrejón de Velasco junction—through which more than 250 trains circulate daily—and absorb the increases in traffic expected with the entry into service of the Madrid-Extremadura-Portuguese Border High Speed ​​Line. the planned growth on the line between Madrid and Seville. The studies also include the construction of a new railway access that allows services to be provided from Lérida with origin and destination in Barcelona and without the need to circulate through Camp de Tarragona. sticking out chest. Minister Óscar Puente stated in the announcement that with this improvement Spain will become “the only country, together with Chinawhich has an infrastructure of these characteristics.” Not only that, it has compared the costs with that is supporting uk: “They have 40,000 million and do not have a single kilometer of track installed. There is talk of a project that will cost 100,000 million pounds for 250 kilometers. We will have invested, from the beginning (of high speed) until the end of this year, in 4,091 kilometers, around 70,000 million euros. We have the lowest cost per kilometer in the world.” Where can you travel in five hours by train from cities like Gijón, La Coruña or Badajoz? To Madrid, almost certainly… and little else. Source: Chronotrains. The problem is the rest of Spain. The improvement plan makes sense from the point of view of the growing demand on that route, but it once again penalizes the rest of the railway network, which does not have high-speed lines… or even lines. We already talked about how from Chronotrains It is possible to see how from Gijón, La Coruña or Badajoz (in the image) in five hours the train coverage is very poor, and the problem is repeated everywhere. The connection with Madrid is normally well covered: the problem is the connection between cities other than Madrid and Barcelona. Supply and demand. Here there must be a balance between supply and demand, and criticism is logical among those who see how other routes, even having a certain demand, they are neglected again and again. Platforms like “Soria NOW!” they manifested recently claiming that “the only train that passes through Soria is the one of excuses”, and the same thing happens with others like Teruel Exists or the concentrations that for years They demand a “decent train” in Extremadura, although in the latter region there is somewhat more hopeful newsand the AVE to Galicia is also proving to be a real success. Image | Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility In Xataka | The great Valencian “obrón” bears the name of Adif. Their last names: gas leak and fed up neighbors

which cars can circulate and which rest on November 15

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The time has come. That’s right, Hoy No Circula Saturday returns for another week. As usual every Saturday, motorists subject to this program must comply with the measures established by the CDMX Environment Secretariat (SEDEMA) to improve air quality in the metropolis. The basis of these measures lies in reducing the number of vehicles circulating on public roads. Naturally, this means that certain cars must remain parked. These regulations, as you already know, are implemented in the 16 municipalities of the Mexican capital and in the suburban municipalities of the State of Mexico, which are detailed below: 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 What cars and license plates does Hoy No Circula Saturday affect? Considering the above, how can we prevent a penalty for traveling irregularly? Without a doubt, the fundamental aspect is to be familiar with the regulations that are implemented. You can consult these regulations in the image that appears above. Each of these days has specific characteristics. While the regulations are precise, Saturdays experience subtle variations. The truth is that it is not always up to the drivers themselves to leave their vehicles parked. Briefly, during a Saturday the following situations can occur: Cars that can circulate every Saturday Cars that have to rest every Saturday Cars that rest every other Saturday These restrictions, however, are not in effect throughout the day. During night hours they are not considered and, consequently, they operate from 05:00 to 22:00. This means that during the night period we will have freedom of movement without worrying about possible violations. Having clarified these notions, what other aspects should we consider? The main thing is that Hoy No Circula Saturday does not work uniformly. It is necessary to check the calendar since Saturdays do not always restrict the same vehicles. The numerical termination of the plate will be the determining factor. Vehicles with hologram 2 are effectively obliged not to circulate. However, for example, vehicles with holograms 0 and 00 are not required to stop driving at any time. The latter enjoy total freedom of transit because they represent the automobiles with the lowest polluting impact. Now, what happens with hologram 1? On a Saturday like today, November 15, 2025it is appropriate that vehicles with hologram 1 and license plate ending in an odd number remain parked. The reason is that this Saturday represents the third Saturday of the month of September and, consequently, coincides with an “even week.” Next Saturday, the situation will be reversed and odd numbers will not be able to circulate. Even so, there are certain exceptions that are important to consider given that these vehicles will have permission to travel without restriction: Those that run on electricity, natural gas or are hybrids Those who have a disabled license plate All those dedicated to urban transportation services (includes funeral homes) Those that offer school or passenger transportation Those intended for public safety and/or civil protection If these provisions are violated, the economic penalty will range between 20 and 30 times the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA), which represents 1,924.40 pesos and up to 2,886.60 pesos. Photo | Baron In Xataka | Pollution is not only making you live less and worse. It’s also making you dumber

which cars can circulate and which rest on November 8

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The second Saturday of the month of November arrives. Once again we face the restrictive measures of Hoy No Circula on Saturday. As happens periodically, the obligations to keep certain vehicles parked remain in force to avoid financial penalties if yours is affected by these provisions. What is the reason behind this system? This is the Hoy No Circula program, an initiative promoted by the CDMX Environment Secretariat. (SEDEMA) aimed at improving the quality of the air that the capital’s residents breathe. How exactly does it operate? What points are essential for any vehicle owner? The fundamental principle is that by reducing the number of vehicles traveling on the roads, air pollution levels in the region are inevitably reduced. Although these measures may be uncomfortable for drivers, the objective is clear: parking the car as a measure of collective environmental protection. Naturally, this restriction applies only in specific areas. In which places does this regulation apply? In all of the 16 municipalities that make up Mexico City, added to the peripheral municipalities of the State of Mexico that appear in this list: • 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 What cars and license plates does Hoy No Circula Saturday affect? Considering the above, what are the specific limitations? Why do Saturdays involve specific additional considerations? Indeed, different restrictions are implemented on weekend days. To determine the restrictive measures and their application mechanism, these are based on the hologram assigned to each vehicle, an element that determines its travel capacity. There are cars that must remain idle every Saturday, while others rotate their restriction. In conclusion, these restriction modalities are presented: • Cars that enjoy free circulation every Saturday • Cars forced to rest on all Saturdays • Cars that alternate restrictions, resting alternate weeks It should be noted that these limitations do not apply 24 hours a day. Its validity is limited between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.. That is, after dusk it is possible to circulate without any restrictions. What happens if your car is in this restricted category? So the alternative is to stay at home if you want to avoid economic consequences. To do this, it is essential to clearly identify which vehicles can move and which remain immobile. In this way, the owners of Hologram 2 are forced to leave their units at rest every Saturday, without the possibility of movement. The situation is different for those with hologram 0 and 00, who enjoy total freedom of movement during any Saturday, without restriction. On the contrary, those who have hologram 1 must carefully evaluate whether they can travel. The answer depends entirely on the phase of the month we are in. Since we are on the fourth Saturday of the month of November, in the Saturday November 8, 2025 Drivers of cars with hologram 1 whose license plates have an even number ending are prevented from driving. In the next week, corresponding to the first day of May, owners of vehicles with hologram 1 whose license plate ends in an odd number will be forced to keep their vehicles parked. However, there are certain categories of vehicles that are completely exempt from these restrictions: • Those that operate using electric propulsion, gaseous fuel or hybrid technology • Those who carry accreditation for people with reduced mobility • All those linked to the provision of urban passenger transport services (including the funeral branch) • Those intended for the transport of minors of school age or passengers in general • Those assigned to public safety and emergency management duties In case of violation of these regulations, a penalty equivalent to 20 and 30 times the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA) is imposed, a figure that ranges between 1,924.40 pesos and 2,886.60 pesos. Photo | Sebastian Olivos In Xataka | Pollution is not only making you live less and worse. It’s also making you dumber

which cars can circulate and which rest on November 1

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The weekend arrives again with the activation of the vehicle restriction program that Mexico City implements every Saturday. Today No Circula on Saturdays implies a different operational complexity than that applied on weekdays, since the restriction criteria constantly vary depending on specific factors that can change our availability of mobility from one week to the next. In general terms, this is an environmental policy measure promoted by the CDMX Environment Secretariat. (SEDEMA) with the aim of reducing air pollution levels in the region. The strategy requires motorists to know exactly what the applicable requirements and restrictions are, under what criteria they operate and what consequences arise from non-compliance. Only in this way is it possible to avoid administrative penalties that could result in unexpected expenses. This program is executed in the territory of the sixteen municipalities that make up Mexico City, as well as in the adjacent municipalities of the State of Mexico that make up the metropolitan area: • 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 What cars and license plates does Hoy No Circula Saturday affect? The implementation of the Saturday restriction program does not uniformly affect all vehicles circulating in the area. On the contrary, it generates clear differentiations according to specific characteristics of the car, particularly considering the assigned environmental hologram and the numerical series of its license plate. The system works fundamentally from the environmental hologram and the final digits of the license plate. Although in principle it would seem like a simplified scheme, the reality is that the Saturday Hoy No Circula presents additional complexities that differentiate it from the weekday restriction program. Under the Saturday restrictions scheme, three different modalities operate: • Vehicles authorized to operate without limitation on any Saturday • Vehicles subject to permanent restriction on all Saturdays • Vehicles subject to alternating restriction in successive weeks The validity of these restrictive measures is limited to the period included between 05:00 and 22:00. During night hours, the restriction system is suspended, allowing circulation without regard to license plates or vehicle classification. In order to correctly anticipate restrictions, it is essential to accurately identify two components: the environmental hologram number assigned to the vehicle and the terminal digits of the license plate. Those owners whose vehicle displays a classification 2 hologram face a situation of constant restriction: their cars remain immobilized on all Saturdays of the month. On the contrary, owners of vehicles identified with a 0 or 00 hologram do not experience any limitations and enjoy freedom of movement every Saturday without exception. Drivers of vehicles classified as hologram 1 find themselves in a dynamic situation. These cars operate under a weekly alternation scheme, with their restriction conditions changing from one Saturday to the next. On the day of Saturday November 1, 2025which corresponds to the first Saturday of the month of November, vehicles classified with hologram 1 whose license plates end in an even number are under circulation restriction. Subsequently, on the following Saturday, when we have entered the fifth Saturday of the month of May, the vehicles with hologram 1 and license plate ending in an odd number will be the ones that must keep their units parked. There are, however, specific categories of vehicles that are completely exempt from these limitations and can move freely: • Automobiles powered by electric energy, compressed natural gas or hybrid propulsion systems • Vehicles provided with official reduced mobility documentation • Units intended for urban public transportation service, including funeral services • Units dedicated to the transportation of minors in an educational context or to passenger transportation services • Vehicles assigned to public security agencies or civil protection entities Failure to comply with these provisions carries quantifiable financial consequences. The administrative penalty is established between 20 and 30 times the value of the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA), which translates into a range of 1,924.40 pesos as a minimum to 2,886.60 pesos as a maximum penalty. Photo | Glauber Sampaio In Xataka | Pollution is not only making you live less and worse. It’s also making you dumber

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