Single

A single company is going to buy 20% of all the footwear manufactured in Mexico. Their goal: confront China

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These are not easy times for the footwear industry in Mexico, a sector that generates tens of thousands of jobs, moves million-dollar investments and has its headquarters in the state of Guanajuato. main bastion. In a market highly conditioned by Asian competition, the local industry has experienced setbacks and job lossstaying far below of its production capacity. With this backdrop, the sector has received curious news: a single Mexican company is willing to buy 20% of all national production. Shoe addict. Grupo Coppel is a heavyweight in the Mexican economy. He holding companywhich a year ago announced its plans to invest almost 700 million of dollars in the country throughout 2025, has a long experience in the financial services and retail sector, with hundreds of points sales distributed throughout the country. All in all (and despite its enormous size), it is surprising the advertisement what it just did: in 2026 the company plans to buy no more and no less than 42 million pairs of shoes produced in Mexico. That’s a lot of shoes, right? Yes. To be precise, this is one million more pairs than those already purchased in 2025. However, the figure is striking for another reason. With this enormous volume of purchases, Coppel will account for a fifth (about 20%) of all formal national footwear production. The operation is part of a “strategic alliance” reached with the Chamber of the Footwear Industry of the State of Guanajuato (CICEG) and, according to calculations from the firm itself, will allow “contributing to the livelihood” of the more than 100,000 families that depend directly on the footwear industry in Guanajuato. “This alliance promotes the growth of our companies and strengthens the Mexican footwear industry in an environment of legality, transparency and respect for market rules. By choosing the formal national supplier, you contribute to the construction of a more solid and competitive sector,” celebrated a few days ago Juan Carlos Cashat, president of CICEG. For shoe manufacturers in Guanajuato, the news is a valuable breath of fresh air. Footwear ‘made in Mexico’. His output It is far from that of countries like China, India or Vietnam, but Mexico is a prominent footwear manufacturer. In fact there are rankings that place it as the tenth worldwide and second in Latin America, only behind Brazil. In 2024, the country’s companies produced around 214 million of pairs of shoes, which explains why the sector contributes million dollars to the Mexican GDP (especially in Guanajuato, the heart of the sector) and also maintain thousands of jobs. Despite this footprint, the sector has not had easy years. “The impact of the pandemic was severe. Before 2020 we had 64,000 jobs registered with the IMSS. During the pandemic that figure fell to 49,000,” recognized two years ago the CICEG. Since then the situation has changed, but the sector stay away to be at 100%. Beyond market fluctuations, the industry has had to deal with competition from low-cost merchandise from Asia. Click on the image to go to the tweet. The Government, to the rescue. The data quoted by the local press are eloquent. In 2022, Mexico imported 136.4 million pairs of footwear valued at 1,843 million dollars. Two years later, the Import Trade Balance showed that this flow had already reached 185.5 million pairs with a value of 2,163 million dollars. On average each pair cost $11.6. The problem was not so much the arrival of products manufactured in Asia as the competition it exerts on national firms, especially due to suspicions of price manipulation. To clear up doubts, the authorities responded with an investigation antidumping and in September 2025 they decided to impose a system of compensatory duties on imports from China. It was not the only support from the Government to the industry. In November the Executive advertisement a Textile and Footwear Promotion Plan to finance small and medium-sized businesses. The objective: inject around 6.5 billion dollars to improve the competitiveness of the industry and reactivate 50,000 jobs, recovering part of the lost production muscle. How does the future look? Optimistic. At least that is what the CIEG recognized in December. “Despite a challenging economic and commercial environment, the industry in Guanajuato is beginning to show signs of recovery, especially in terms of employment and productive capacity,” indicates the sectorwhich recalls that between the month of September and October it registered a small rebound in employment. The increase was modest (256), but it is the first recovery “in many years.” The employers’ association also detected a change in the international market. “Total imports remain high, with more than 141 million pairs imported from January to September 2025, although relevant progress in the fight against unfair practices stands out,” celebrates CIEG“Imports from China, corresponding to tariff items with quota, decreased by 81%.” Images | Irfan Simsar (Unsplash) and Phil Desforges (Unsplash) In Xataka | Mexico City is already noticing the economic effect of the World Cup: it is losing homes and gaining Airbnb apartments

Delaying the closure of a single plant forces us to redesign the entire energy map of Spain

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Right in the middle of a relentless political and business battle to extend the life of the Spanish atomic park, the harsh reality of the market has imposed itself. While top executives discuss the long-term future, the present has hit the table: the owner of the Almaraz II nuclear power plant notified the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) of an unscheduled shutdown of its reactor and its decoupling from the electrical grid. The alarms did not go off due to a security problem. In fact, the incident was classified as level 0 (no significance for security) on the international INES scale, to which we have had access. The real reason was purely economic and motivated by causes related to the electricity market. As explained The Extremadura Newspaper, The recent succession of storms triggered renewable production —sinking electricity prices— which, added to an “unaffordable tax burden” that represents more than 75% of its variable costs, made it completely unfeasible to keep the reactor on. The recent pulse: from disconnection to extension This disconnection collides head-on with the intense corporate movements of recent weeks. At the end of October, Iberdrola, Endesa and Naturgy presented to the Executive a formal request to postpone until June 2030 the closure of Almaraz, whose two reactors were scheduled to be disconnected for 2027 and 2028. But the ambition of the sector does not stop in Cáceres. According to Five Daysthe president of Iberdrola, Ignacio Sánchez Galán, has confirmed that they will request the expansion of other plants in the future, ensuring that “most of them can reach 60 and even 80 years.” This position is supported by technical and logistical arguments from the industry. As detailed in The Economistthe CEO of Endesa, José Bogas, aspires to prolong “in round numbers about 10 more years” the entire Spanish nuclear park. Bogas argues that it does not make logistical sense to proceed with the complex dismantling of two groups of the same plant on different dates (2027 and 2028). Meanwhile, the CSN is already analyzing the documentation to issue its mandatory report, foreseeably in summer, as reported in a press release from the regulator itself. The possible extension of Almaraz has opened a huge gap between two irreconcilable visions of the energy transition. In the block of those who defend extending atomic life, economic and labor arguments set the pace. According to the statements of Ignacio Sánchez Galán collected by Vozpópulinuclear power plants are a key element in reducing the price of electricity. In fact, the president of Iberdrola recalls that European countries that lack this type of energy, such as Italy and Germany, pay “about 20 euros more” per megawatt hour for electricity compared to Spain and France. Added to this defense of competitiveness is the warning about the direct impact on the final consumer’s pocket. A recent report from the OBS Business School alert that if Almaraz closesthe inevitable dependence on gas would increase the electricity bill by around 23% for households – between 150 and 250 euros more per year – and up to 35% for industry. Beyond the receipt, there is the territorial factor. The College of Industrial Engineers, in statements to The Energy Newspaperremember that this plant not only generates 7% of the electricity in all of Spain, complying with the highest international safety standards (WANO 1), but is also a vital economic engine to sustain 4,000 direct and indirect jobs that stop depopulation in the region. However, against this position stands a solid wall of detractors who see the extension as an imminent danger for the green transition. A joint investigation by the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), prepared on behalf of Greenpeaceconcludes that extending Almaraz for just three years would mean “momentary relief, structural damage.” Researchers calculate that this decision would cost consumers a cumulative extra cost of 3,831 million euros between now and 2033 and would stop up to 26,129 million euros in investments destined for new clean energies. From Greenpeace they also point to the so-called “plug effect”: since nuclear is an inflexible technology that produces fixed gear regardless of demand, it often forces us to disconnect or waste renewable energy—free and clean—in times of high sun or wind. This situation generates a climate of enormous concern in the green sector. In an interview with InfoLibrePedro Fresco, general director of the Valencian renewable employer association Avaesen, warns that granting a “mini-extension” of three years would be the worst possible scenario. In his opinion, this movement would send a message of total uncertainty to investors, threatening to stop the development of future renewable projects in its tracks. The “Domino Effect”: rewriting the energy map The true background of this battle is that Almaraz is not an isolated piece. As several experts warn he Vigo Lighthouse and andl Newspaper of Extremaduradelaying the closure of the Cáceres plant would unleash an unstoppable “domino effect” throughout the national territory. If Almaraz is delayed to 2030, its closure would coincide in time with that of Ascó I (Tarragona) and Cofrentes (Valencia). The electricity companies assume that the Government would also have to postpone these closures to avoid overlapping the gigantic and complex work of dismantling four reactors simultaneously. This would also force the closures of Ascó II, Vandellós II and Trillo to be pushed well beyond 2035, blowing up the current National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). The final decision is in the hands of the Executive, which for the moment maintains its position. The Government has marked three non-negotiable red lines to accept any change: that it guarantees radiological safety, security of supply and, above all, that it does not cost consumers an extra euro or imply tax reductions for electricity companies. And this is where the circle closes. As Galán insists on Vozpópulithe plants bear an enormous tax burden of “30-35 euros per megawatt hour.” Without a tax reduction, electricity companies threaten economic viability; but without profitability, it is the market itself that, as … Read more

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

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

In Mejorada del Campo there is a cathedral built from scratch by a single man. Now it has closed due to lack of permits

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There are crazy projects and then there is the one undertaken 65 years ago by Justo Gallego on a plot of land in Mejorada del Campo, a town in 25,000 inhabitants of the Community of Madrid. In October 1961 Justo, a farmer and former monk without the slightest experience in architecture, embarked on the titanic task of building a temple from scratch. At first it was going to be a hermitage, but over time the project aimed at something much more ambitious: a Christian cathedral. A cathedral built without formal plans and with more will than means. Against all odds the temple is a reality today. In fact, it has not been the technical or logistical challenges that have complicated the dream of Justo, who died four years ago. Their big problem is municipal permits. The same ones that have now led the Mejorada City Council to close down the building. What has happened? That the one known as ‘Justus Cathedral’ has had to close its doors. The City Council of the municipality in which it is located, Mejorada del Campo, has ordered the cessation of all public use of the building, a veto that will be maintained in theory until its current managers (the Messengers of Peace organization) obtain the permits that it now lacks. What does that imply? The news has advanced it The Worldwhich clarifies that the Madrid City Council has made the decision after verifying that the building was operating without permits. On their website, Messengers of Peace confirm that the cathedral “will remain closed while waiting for the license to be processed.” Until then you will not be able to receive visitors or engage in any other public use, including the distribution of food for vulnerable people. The NGO has already contacted Cáritas to use its Mejorada del Campo facilities and that the municipal veto does not stop the work that was being carried out in the cathedral. Why now? The ‘Justus Cathedral’ is not new, it has been a popular icon for years (in 2005 it appeared in an Aquarius spot) and Messages of Peace took over the premises five years ago. So… Why is it closing now? The explanation must be sought in municipal offices. A few weeks ago a foundation consulted the City Council about the necessary permits to organize an artistic exhibition in the temple. By doing so, he launched the administrative machinery that ended up leading to the closure order. And what is the reason? That in reality the temple does not have the necessary permits. “Urbanism confirmed that the cathedral lacks licenses and that there was no processing in progress, which prevented the activity and led to the opening of a file that concluded with the closure order,” they explain from the Town Hall The World. The decision was transferred a few days ago to Messengers. In reality, the NGO had already moved to regulate the situation of the building, but did not present a key document: an architectural project endorsed by the Official College of Architects of Madrid. The Europa Press agency clarify Once this administrative requirement is met, the City Council will review the closure. The NGO already anticipates that it will deliver “as many documents as are required.” Why is it news? That a temple ceases its activity due to lack of municipal permits is curious, but it would not have made it past the pages of the local Madrid press. If the closure of the ‘Justus Cathedral’ has awakened so much interest It is because it is not just any cathedral. In fact it is not a ‘cathedral’ as such. Last September the NGO itself I remembered that in reality the building houses a “social center” that does not have official recognition by the Catholic Church as a cathedral. It has not even been consecrated as a temple. “It is a community space that welcomes social, cultural and spiritual initiatives,” needed then Messengers of Peace. The clarification was not free. It arrived shortly after skip the controversy for the opening of a mosque in the building. The decision generated such a stir that the NGO founded by the media Father Angel had to clarify that it is a “inter-religious prayer space” located in an annex at the request of the Muslim community. Are there more reasons? Yes. Beyond its religious status or uses, the Mejorada temple generates interest for his story. After all, it is not every day that you see a cathedral building built basically by the efforts of a single man, a farmer with no experience in masonry who in 1961 began building it to fulfill a religious promise. Without plans. With more will than means. In the 90s the temple was already so advanced that it began to arouse curiosity beyond Madrid: in 2004 Justo received an invitation to participate in an exhibition in New York, in 2005 he starred in an Aquarius campaign and in 2017 it reached the pages of The New York Times. The former monk died in 2021 and the property was passed to Messengers of Peace for completion. Images | Messengers of Peace, Wikipedia and M. Peinado (Flickr) In Xataka | It has been difficult but he has achieved it: the Sagrada Familia has just become the roof of Christianity in the world

A report has set off alarm bells in Europe. Russia’s shell production is meaningless for a single war

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When Russia crossed the Ukrainian border in 2022, Europe reacted as it had not done since the end of the Cold War: massive sanctions, accelerated rearmament and a political unity forced by urgency. During these years, the European debate revolved around a seemingly simple question about kyiv’s resistance, as the conflict lengthened, became normalized, and ceased to be a “temporary” war. Now, with the front stagnant and the calendar moving forward, in the European capitals it is beginning to prevail another concern. What will Russia do when this war is no longer the center of the board? It’s not just the front. Yes, as the conflict in Ukraine approaches its fourth anniversary, it is beginning to take hold in Europe a different reading And more disturbing: Russia is not acting like a country trapped in a war of attrition, but rather like a power that uses the conflict as, perhaps, a preparatory phase. In the last few hours, a piece of information has appeared on the old continent: the massive increase in its military production suggests that Moscow is not only thinking about supporting the current front, but about setting up a later strategic scenarioin which having reserves, industrial capacity and room for maneuver will be as important as any territorial advance achieved in Ukraine. The figure that triggers the alarms. The data that most worries the European intelligence services is the Russian production of ammunition, which has exceeded the seven million projectiles annually, a figure 17 times higher to that of the first stages of the invasion. According to the Estonian intelligence service Välisluureamet, this jump is not explained by a simple intensification of combat, mainly because it makes no sense, but by the construction of new industrial plants and the will to rebuild strategic reserves in the long term. For Europe, the implicit message is clear: no one manufactures at that rate if they are only thinking about surviving the current conflict. Resist and prepare. This rearmament occurs despite the Russian economic deterioration, enormous human cost of the war and the increasing difficulties for recruit soldiersreinforcing the idea that the Kremlin prioritizes material accumulation over internal well-being. The support of North Korea, which has come to supply a substantial part of the ammunition used in Ukraine, has allowed Moscow to gain time and rebuild arsenals. For Estonia, maintaining these reserve levels is a central element of planning possible future conflictsnot simple insurance for the ongoing war. The north enters the radar. we have been counting in recent months. That fear of what comes next is not limited to the eastern flank. Now Norway has warned openly that a Russian move to protect its nuclear assets in the Arctic, concentrated on the Kola Peninsula, a short distance from its border, cannot be ruled out. This is not a classic ambition of conquest, but rather an aggressive defensive logic: ensuring the ability second nuclear attack in case of an escalation with NATO. The Ukrainian War has forced Nordic countries to plan for scenarios that a few years ago would have seemed unlikely. Tactical peace for strategy. The Guardian said this morning that, while increasing its military capacity, Russia deploys calculated diplomacy that seeks to buy time and divide the West. Estonian intelligence describes opening gestures toward the United States and negotiating rhetoric as a maneuver to reduce pressures, exploit cracks between Washington and Europe and consolidate positions without giving up the underlying objectives. In parallel, Moscow intensifies influence operations and hybrid warfareaware that the Ukrainian post-war can be as decisive as the war itself. The disturbing scene. In short, the combination of mass production of ammunition, possible nuclear planning, hybrid pressure and instrumental diplomacy seem to paint a panorama most uncomfortable for Europe: one where even when the weapons end fading in Ukraine, Russia will remain an actor ready to act. From that perspective, it is not only the end of a war that is worrying European capitals, but the beginning of a stage in which Moscow, industrially reinforced, could decide when and where to tighten the chess again. Hence, what comes after Ukraine is precisely what generates the most fear. Image | Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Vitaly V. Kuzmin In Xataka | The question is no longer whether Europe “is at war”: the question is whether it is willing to defend itself In Xataka | First it was Finland, now the US has confirmed it: when the war in Ukraine ends, Russia has a plan for Europe

A third of the planet’s ships depend on a single Norwegian company. And they have chosen Alicante for their global expansion

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In the world of shipping, there is a silent giant whose technology is responsible for ensuring that a third of the world’s fleet is not lost at ocean or collided in port. This is Kongsberg, the Norwegian conglomerate controlled mostly by its State, which has turned the province of Alicante into an indispensable piece of its global chess board. Today, more than 30,000 ships they are capable of plowing the seas thanks to systems that are managed, maintained and repaired from offices located between La Vila Joiosa and the NOBO business center in the capital of Alicante. A strategic divorce to conquer the stock market. The news that has shaken the foundations of the industry this year is the segregation of the matrix. According to the company itselfKongsberg Gruppen ASA has decided to split into two independent entities to gain agility: on the one hand, the Defense and “Discovery” division (fishing and research); and on the other, Kongsberg Maritime, the jewel in the crown dedicated to navigation systems, which will begin trading separately on the Oslo Stock Exchange on April 23, 2026. This financial independence is backed by solid figures on Spanish soil. According to the newspaper The Informationthe Spanish subsidiary invoiced a total of 31.7 million euros in 2024, with a profit of more than five million. It is not surprising that Lisa Edvardsen Haugan, future CEO of the new independent company, claim that they are “unitarily positioned for value creation in the global maritime sector.” Why Alicante and not Vigo or Algeciras? The story of how a Nordic power ended up installing its nerve center in the province of Alicante has a component that is as human as it is strategic. In 1995, the company was looking for a headquarters in Spain. Although ports like Vigo or Barcelona seemed logical options, the executive in charge of the expansion opted for the coast of Alicante. The reason was the existence of a historical and consolidated colony of Norwegians in municipalities such as La Vila Joiosa or Altea. However, what began as a small delegation for the fishing sector—under the name Simrad Spain— has mutated into something much more ambitious. After the purchase of the maritime division of Rolls-Royce, the structure became too small. Today, the move of Kongsberg Maritime to the NOBO business center in the capital of Alicante responds to a need to attract talent. Miguel Ángel González, general director in Spain, points out that this change seeks to increase the attractiveness of the firm to retain engineers and software developers, in addition to reducing emissions due to staff travel by 30%. The brain of the autonomous boat. Alicante is not a simple administrative office; It is one of the only three resource hubs that the group has on the planet, along with Poland and Norway itself, capable of serving ships around the world thanks to its strategic position between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. As explained by the company itselfnaval autonomy is not new — they have been developing Dynamic Positioning Systems (DPS) for 40 years that allow a ship to remain stationary at an exact point in the ocean without using anchors — but now the technology has reached a “critical mass.” Yara Birkeland: The world now look in amazement to the world’s first fully electric, autonomous and zero-emission container ship, developed by Kongsberg together with YARA. Reach Remote: This is a series of unmanned surface vessels (USV) that are controlled from a remote center. According to senior designer Erik Leendersthis allows a single captain to control several ships at once from dry land. The “Jewel in the Crown”: The DPS system is what allows that Sasemar (Maritime Rescue) oil platforms or rescue ships operate with extreme safety on the high seas. The horizon. The future of navigation involves electric motors that generate your own energy with the rotation of the propellers. To manage this complex flow of data, the firm Kognifai has launchedan Artificial Intelligence platform that optimizes ship operations. Although the technology is ready, the company’s technical report warns that the biggest current challenge is not engineering, but legislation. As the firm warnswe are in “uncharted territory” and the IMO still needs to define the rules for these ships without humans. What was born in 1995 as a fishing office in La Vila has become in 2026 the command post from which Norway and Alicante dictate the rules of the future of global trade by sea. Image | Kongsberg Xataka | The ships of the oil “ghost fleet” turn off their GPS to avoid being detected. Malaysia is going to hunt them with drones

single person tables

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Eating alone outside the home has its own particular casuistry and I know this because I have had to travel without companions many times, enough to develop a filter of places that do and others that don’t. Among those running for office, there is no shortage of leaning on one side of a tavern bar to have a quick pintxo at a small table at Starbucks, passing by a more or less discreet table at McDonalds for a quick refueling. I want to eat my burger alone. About looking for a small table or one little corner It has its logic: eating has its intimate and shameful part reinforced by the feeling of “not wanting to bother” because well, although in theory any restaurant is suitable for a person to eat, in practice they may not be interested in having a table of two or four wasted with only one diner. On the other hand, you can also enjoy your food at your leisure. In the McDonalds of China those individual positions are already They are among the most valued. The provision itself is not new (and not necessarily It has to feel like a punishment.) nor does it have to go hand in hand with those seats shaped like a bike seat nor of reduce them to a minimum to save space, but rather high tables with a screen that gives a feeling of false intimacy for solitary diners. The phenomenon has been widely reported on social networks such as Xiaohongshu or Weibo, the counterparts of Instagram and Twitter: Shanghai news outlet Kankan News collect some of the best in one video. The McDonalds screens. Kankan news What false intimacy hides. In short: these screens make it very easy for you to avoid having to act Swedish to avoid the uncomfortable situation of meeting an acquaintance and having to greet them until you meet them. You sit there discreetly and eat without interaction. The Shanghai media reports testimonies from psychology professionals that explain the phenomenon: social interaction is risky for them compared to chats, where you can edit or delete what you say; and as a refuge after the inevitable social exposure after work, where they have the obligation to be friendly and smile due to social imposition. To the youth Chinese society ignores social interaction. China Youth Daily interviewed to 2,000 people between 18 and 35 years old and the result was overwhelming: 64% feel lost when they meet people offline. The percentage is even higher in this 2023 survey conducted on 1,438 Chinese people born between the decades from 1980 to the 2000s: more than 80% reported feeling anxious in social interactions. Time Magazine has put it into perspective because the phenomenon is much more than eating alone: ​​Chinese society has gone from traditionally living with family nearby (even sharing a roof) to the younger generations embarking on their lives alone after leaving their homes in rural areas to work in big cities. The maximum and most tragic expression is the success in downloads of the app “Are you dead?”. The McDonalds screens, part two. Kankan news The economics of social phobia is here. China has seen a dramatic shift in the number of people living alone, with more than 100 million single-person households, according to annual report from the National Bureau of Statistics of China 2024. In 2030, they estimate that the figure will rise to 150 – 200 million. And the economy is adapting to this paradigm shift: according to research firm iResearchthe economy of social anxiety in China already moves approximately 172 billion dollars in initiatives such as carts with “Do not disturb” signs so that product promoters in Freshippo supermarkets (owned by Alibaba), gyms and 24-hour stores without staff where everything is managed with QR codes without crossing a word with anyone, do not approach. In Xataka | The future of delivery lies in group orders with your neighbors: China is already experiencing it In Xataka | China is filling up with “quadricycles” that do not require a driving license. And they are a problem for road safety Cover | Bruna Santos

The richest people in the world in 2026, grouped in a single graph

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If 2025 has left us anything, it has been a concentration of wealth in a few hands that had never been observed before. a report Oxfam Intemón estimates the growth of these great fortunes at 16% in 2025, this represents growth three times faster than the annual average of the last five years. The joint assets of the 20 largest fortunes in the world adds a total of 3.8 trillion dollarswhich represents a figure higher than GDP of most countries of the planet. That is, the fortune of the people who occupy the top 20 on the Forbes list would equal in wealth what countries like France (with a GDP of 3.36 trillion dollars and 68.6 million inhabitants), Italy (with 2.54 trillion dollars and 59 million inhabitants) produce in a year. To show the dimension of these fortunes in a more visual and easy to understand way, in Visual Capitalist have created a graph of the 20 richest people in the world of 2026 based on data extracted from the Forbes list of millionaires. The graph allows us to see a clear pattern: the AI is making gold to whoever touches it. The unbeatable Musk If there is something that stands out at first glance, it is the enormous wealth difference that separates the largest fortune in the world from the second. As of January 6, 2026, the date on which the “photo finish” was made to create this graph, Elon Musk’s estimated net worth was $714.2 billion. If we go back just five years ago, in 2020 the richest person was Jeff Bezos with a net worth of $145 billion. That is, the Musk’s current fortune is five times what it was in 2020 just five years ago the richest person in the world. That It’s not the only record that has marked Musk’s fortune in 2025. The businessman of South African origin has been the first person to have exceeded 700,000 million dollars, and is among the most likely candidates to become the first billionaire in history. Musk’s fortune in 2020 was “only” $24.6 billion, in a year in which the millionaire began to reap the benefits of the good sales results that the Tesla Model 3 were beginning to give, which had already surpassed your production problems. That represents a capital growth of 2,804% in just five years. Artificial intelligence: King Midas of the 21st century Five years ago, the “Top 10” of the largest fortunes was dominated by the founders of social networks, electronic commerce platforms and, among them, the undaunted Warren Buffett. On the other hand, today, the wealth of the world’s biggest millionaires is determined by their involvement in the development of AI. A good example is found in the leading role in that negotiation of the millionaires who occupy the first six positions. Leaving Musk aside, in second position is Larry Page, co-founder of Google and its parent company Alphabet, which thanks to the latest movements in the industry, have turned Gemini into the Apple native AI and in one of the models most influential in the industry. In 2025, Alphabet shares have appreciated by 63%which has had a favorable impact on the fortunes of the company’s founders. His partner, Sergei Brin, occupies fifth position, although in recent days he has climbed to third position. Given such a wealth boost, Jeff Bezos he had no choice He had to give up positions, leaving his 251.7 billion in third position in the ranking, although the recent boost in the fortune of Google’s founders has dragged him to fourth position, which to date was occupied by Larry Ellison, with an estimated fortune of 242.6 billion dollars. Ellison’s rise to the top of this list as one of the biggest fortunes of 2026 is another example of the level of enrichment and power that has provided AI to these millionaires. To put it in context, in just a few days, the founder of Oracle increased his fortune at 102 billion dollars. The arrival of AI caught Meta immersed in the metaverseand his latest decisions have not been the most applauded by investors. This has caused Mark Zuckerberg’s personal fortune to fall to $226.5 billion in 2026. However, if we look at it with perspective, the founder of Facebook had a net worth of $68.8 billion in 2020, so its increase has been 229% in just five years. Special mention in this section dedicated to AI goes to Jensen Huang, who occupies eighth position on the list of greatest fortunes thanks to the price of NVIDIA shares. However, Huang’s case is especially revealing of the link between AI and wealth growth of its main architects. In 2020, the CEO of NVIDIA declared $4.7 billion. In 2025, That fortune is estimated at 162.5 billion dollars. At the current value of his company, Huang stands to lose the equivalent of his fortune in 2020. in a single morning. There are millionaires beyond AI We have to reach seventh position on the list of the biggest fortunes in the world in 2026 to find the first millionaire who, at least a priori, is not involved with AI. This is Bernard Arnault, who since losing his throne as the richest person in the world in 2023 has lived a real roller coaster of rises and falls in the valuation of his fortune due to the crisis of LVMH’s luxury liquor and spirits divisions and the drop in sales in China of his Louis Vuitton flagship brand. In ninth position we find Warren Buffett, a veteran investor who has been able to read the markets to surf the wave of stock market swings to remain at the top of the list of the greatest fortunes in the world during the years. last 20 years. However, and to the envy of the S&P 500, the profitability of his fortune in the last five years has been 98.5%, going from $73.4 billion in 2020 to the $147.5 billion at which his current fortune … Read more

Make the “most mysterious book in the world” with dice and cards. How we are understanding the Voynich manuscript without deciphering a single line

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Voynich is an old acquaintance of this house: for years, we have been tracking (and gutting) each of the attempts to decipher the “most mysterious manuscript in the world.” They have all been unsuccessful and that includes, of course, the attempts to some of the sharpest minds of history. Now, however, we have a new idea. And, despite not solving absolutely anything, it sounds very good. What is the Voynich manuscript? Let’s start at the beginning: Between 1404 and 1438someone somewhere started writing a book in a language or code that no one has been able to decipher. A book that, since its rediscovery in 1912, has baffled everyone and especially cryptographers. Overall, this is an extraordinarily strange piece (full of illustrations of rare or non-existent plants, astrological symbols, strange creatures and naked women) about which we know only a handful of things. We know, for example, that it is a natural language (or a code related to a natural language) because complies with Zipf’s Lawan empirical regularity that only occurs in natural languages ​​and that describes the frequency of appearance of words. Invented languages ​​(especially languages ​​invented in the 15th century) do not comply. We have known this since the 60s, but little else. And people are still trying to figure it out? Yes, absolutely yes. The Voynichians are a group of people who are extremely passionate (and ‘insistent’) about their manuscript and, in fact, have members in almost every social strata in the wide world. An example is today’s protagonist. A few weeks ago, the magazine Cryptology public a job of Michael A. Greshko in which a new and very interesting idea was proposed. Greshko is a renowned science journalist, he is an editor at Science and has worked for media such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, Nature, Scientific American and National Geographic. He is someone who is risking part of his prestige on this, come on. And what does he propose? Greshko has exposed something called “Naibbe cipher”. Basically, it is an encryption system that allows languages ​​such as Italian or Latin to be transformed into a pseudo-writing that preserves properties of ‘voynichés’ (the ‘language’ of the manuscript). Respect, for example, things like glyph frequencies or word lengths. All this, with plausible cryptographic tools for the 15th century. And that’s precisely what’s interesting: Greshko doesn’t try to “read” the book; It attempts to demonstrate that, at that time and starting from a common language, a text similar to that of the manuscript could be constructed. How to make your own Voynich at home. According to the work of Cryptologiathe Naibbe method does things like break words into blocks (splits ‘gatto’ into ‘g’, ‘at’ and ‘to’), uses random systems (like dice or card rolls), and generates a homophonic cipher (ciphers specially designed to “counter the main deciphering tool for monoalphabetic substitutions, frequency analysis”). So, have we solved the problem? Not even close. As I said, Greshko has not deciphered the manuscript. He has simply looked for ways in which that manuscript could have been produced. For years, artificial intelligence algorithms have failed in the translation of the Voynich and, as the author explains, this may be because they do not know very well what to look for. Systems like Naibbe draw constructive possibilities that expand the options among which we can search. And in that sense, yes: Voynich is still much smarter than us. Although we don’t know for how long. Image | Gunnar Klack In Xataka | No, no “artificial intelligence” has deciphered the Voynich manuscript

the Ukrainian drone that stopped Russia for six weeks with a machine gun and not a single human soldier

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On the Ukrainian front, where every meter conquered or defended is paid for with a human cost that is increasingly difficult to assume, ingenuity is has become a resource as valuable as ammunition. In this context of extreme wear and constant adaptation, some units are experimenting with little visible solutions that, without attracting attention, are beginning to change the way a battle line is held. When there are no soldiers left. In a war marked by a shortage of infantry and the extreme lethality of maintaining forward positions, Ukraine has begun to test a solution that until recently belonged to military science fiction: leaving the front in machine hands. During 45 consecutive daysa Ukrainian unit maintained front-line sectors without direct human presence, entrusting the defense to a single land vehicle unmanned, a bet that summarizes the crude logic of the current conflict: if something can receive enemy fire, it better not bleed. The doctrine. The experience was reported by the NC-13 Strike Company, integrated into the Third Corps of the Ukrainian Army, a unit created specifically to operate unmanned ground vehicles. Its commander, Mykola “Makar” Zinkevych, explained that the idea was radically simple: “robots don’t bleed,” and the ground drone was the only element present in the position, carrying out constant suppressive fire missions to deter Russian advances and force the enemy to confront a defense that could not be psychologically worn down or eliminated with human casualties. The droid TW 12.7. The system used was the Droid TW 12.7developed by the Ukrainian company DevDroida small tracked vehicle armed with a heavy machine gun M2 Browning .50 caliber. Far from being an isolated prototype, the drone was displaced between different positions at the request of local command posts, acting as a mobile punishment platform that turned each attempted Russian advance into a costly and risky operation. The Droid TW 12.7 Wear and tear… also for machines. Although the robot could remain in place for days, it needed withdraw every 48 hours for maintenance, resupply of ammunition and recharging of batteries, tasks carried out by a team located several kilometers from the front. The process, initially four hours, is reduced by half thanks to the purchase of additional batteries paid for by the soldiers themselves, a detail that illustrates the extent to which the Ukrainian war continues to depend on local initiatives and improvised financing even when talking about advanced technology. Limited autonomy. DevDroid affirms that the Droid TW 12.7 can operate at distances of up to 15 miles and has artificial intelligence-assisted navigation functions, although it is unclear to what extent it can act autonomously in combat. Even so, the simple fact that a single UGV has held positions for six weeks demonstrates that the value of these systems lies not only in their sophistication, but in their ability to replace human bodies in tasks where survival is minimal. From experiment to military doctrine. After this experience, the Zinkevych unit plans to expand the use of UGVs in both defensive and offensive missions, relying on new variants equipped with grenade launchers already approved for official use. The demand, recognizeis very high, but so are the costs, to the point that development continues to be partially financed through crowdfunding campaigns. The future of the front. If you like, the case Droid TW 12.7 It is not just a technological anecdote, but a sign of where to go war is headed modern in Ukraine: a battlefield where every meter can be defended with sensors, steel and algorithms instead of flesh and blood, and where the strategic value of a soldier begins to also be measured by his ability not to be physically there. Image | Tank Bureau In Xataka | Russia has reminded the planet that the war in Ukraine is a ticking bomb. And for this he has pressed a nuclear button: Oreshnik In Xataka | Ukraine has become an animal slaughterhouse: Russian soldiers appear with horses and drones blow them up

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