Spain

Congress was regulated by food waste in Spain. And it has ended up approving wolves hunting

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The Wolf It sneaks In Congress. Again. And this time with such resounding consequences and after such an unexpected turn that has even called attention of the foreign press. Yesterday the lower house He endorsed That the wolf loses the armor he had achieved in 2021 and can be funded again north of the Duero, something that the PP had tried In 2024. Moreover, Congress has also opened the door that if the community legal framework changes (and in Brussels They already work so that it is) the protection of the wolf is reduced to the south of the river. The curious thing is the shortcut that has been used to retouch the wolf’s legal framework: The law on food waste. What happened? That the wolf has begun to lose its legal armor in Spain. Or what is the same, it will fallen again. At the moment north of the Duero, although once changed The community regulatory framework (Something what He already works the European Commission) its protection could also be reduced to the south. The key step for this regulatory modification was given yesterday in Congress thanks to the votes of the PP, Vox, Junts and PNV. What exactly has changed? The legal framework. Yesterday, during the processing of the food waste law, the lower house gave green light to several amendments centered on the wolf and basically return the species to the situation in which it was before 2021when It was added to the list of wild species in special protection regime (Lespres), What in practice vetoed his hunt north of the Duero, something that already happened to the south of the river. To be precise, yesterday the Congress voted Several thingsnot always with the same distribution of support (Junts abstained in an amendment and backed others, for example). The most important points are basically two. The first is A change In the Royal Decree developed by Lespres to eliminate the protection of the populations of wolf north of the Duero, allowing autonomies to decide on their hunt. And the other modification? The second change looks beyond, both in the calendar and territorial level. During the vote of yesterday the Congress He opened the door that the protection of the wolf can also be reduced to the south of the Duero if the legal armor of the wolf is modified at the community level. Maybe it sounds like something distant or abstract, but it is not. The EU has already activated its Administrative machinery To reduce the status of the species now and go from “strictly protected” to “protected.” In December the CE itself He informed that his proposal had brought the support of the Permanent Committee of the Bern Convention. And once that initial obstacle has not surpassed, it has not taken long in get to work To retouch the habitat directive. How have they achieved it? In Spain the wolf has been starring in political chronicles for some time. That is not new. In April 2024 the Congress already gave A first step In the same direction so that the species cease to be untouchable. The really curious thing about yesterday’s movement, beyond the bottom, is the form. How it has been done. The PP took advantage of the new Loss prevention law and food waste to incorporate its amendment on wolf hunting during the previous process in the Senate. The turn is so curious that it has even caught the attention of The international pressalthough the popular amendment has managed to connect both issues: the food waste and the legal status of the wolf. Its main argument is that with their attacks on sheep and cows directly affect the sector, generating tons of waste. “They suppose an impact on the generation of livestock foods of four million kilos of meat, since there were more than 14,000 dead cattle between calves, cows, foals and sheep,” collect the amendment. Before even the vote in Congress, the Association for the Defense and Study of the Iberian Wolf (ASCEL) already labeled “offensive” and “abuse of power” that the legal status of the wolf is addressed in a law dedicated to waste. Have there been reactions? Yes. In every way. For the PP the objective is “End the nightmare” that thousands of farmers live. The minister for ecological transition, Sara Aagesen, sees it differently and He warned Wednesday that lowering the protection of the wolf in Spain would be a “precipitated, reckless” movement and “contrary to science.” Outside the political arc, the measure has generated different reactions. Yesterday the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC) celebrated A decision that, in his opinion, will help “the conservation” of the species and its “coexistence” with livestock. In another release Much harder environmentalist in action spoke of “hate” and “killing”, and warned: the amendment “turns its back on science.” What do the figures say? Recently Juan Carlos Blanco, an expert in the species, explained to The country that right now in Spain there are between 330 and 340 herds of wolves, which would result in some 2,300 animals. The vast majority (95%) are distributed in areas affected by the normative change endorsed by Congress, in Castilla y León, Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria. The Ministry for Ecological Transition warned These days that you are collecting data precisely to advance in its “responsible management.” If the wolf has sneaked into the political debate, both Spanish and European, it is for another aspect: its impact on rural and livestock. Just a year ago The PP warned that communities such as Cantabria or Galicia are giving “subsidies for the protection of their livestock” because “there are 35 attacks on average.” Moreover, he estimated that since the wolf had legally armored the number of lost animals exceeded the million. Now, once the new modification was published in the BOE, it will be the autonomies that will determine how many wolves may be hunt. Images | AR Higher School of Environment (Flickr) and Rjime31 (Flickr) In Xataka | You … Read more

The success of goal AI in the US has been limited, but now they want to try in a country addicted to WhatsApp: Spain

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It is late, that sure. The question is whether he will achieve what he has not achieved in the United States. There they can use Goal AI Integrated on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram for almost a year, but it does not seem that these options have managed to convert this platform into a success. Will they do so in Spain and other countries in Europe? Goal AI sneaks into your chats. The Meta AI announcement in April 2024 raised A very different approach to that of chatgpt. Instead of considering as an independent chatbot that one can use in a web browser, he invited us to use it as part of WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram. He sneaked into our chats And in our social networks, and the question was if that strategy would work. Modest options. We could Test goal AI Thanks to the use of a VPN when it appeared in the US, and its options seemed decent, but of course not striking in front of the competition. In order to focus, it was still the integration of the service into its social networks. Many users … After all this time the adoption of this AI platform has been remarkable according to those responsible. Susan li, cfo in the company, indicated To investors in January 2025 how Meta AI already had 700 million active monthly users – who have used it at least once a month -, compared to December 600. Growth seems striking, but talking about monthly users is very different from talking about weekly or daily users. … but with apparent little use. In fact, David Curry, from the Business of Apps consultant, indicated in CNBC In December that the Meta AI website generates only 10 million visits per month, much less than great services such as Chatgpt or Gemini, and even that less popular services such as Anthropic Claude. Of course, what matters is that users use it within the platform, but their success at WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook is an unknown and it is not easy to measure it. Goal does not want us to get out of WhatsApp. A priori the idea seemed suggestive and promising: WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook are already applications in which people spend hours a day, so trying to offer an AI directly in them seemed logical. However, the personal character of these applications collided with that more general use of AI. Ask an AI inside WhatsApp for a recipe or a summary of some data does not seem so natural for that more personal function, and although the option is useful, it does not seem to have set among those who have tried it. Users complain. Some of the users who have tried it in the US They simply hate her and warn how to use it that data is collected and can be used to give them to advertiserswhich means another threat to privacy. Others ask why it cannot be deactivated or eliminate from your apps. In fact, one of the debates around the goal strategy is precisely at that point: the company He has forced To users to have a goal AI in those applications without having requested it. Will we chat with goal AI in Spain? The adoption of WhatsApp is particularly high in Spain, and this may be a good opportunity to know if the idea of ​​goal works here. In the US that option does not seem to have been a success, which makes you doubt its success in other regions. In the company, yes, they seem to be preparing for that eventuality. But now they want to bet on an independent app. Although goal AI has Web versionthat option is still not available in Spain or in other countries of the European Union. Integration into their social networks does not seem to have been the success they expected, because now the company is determined to Offer an independent application to the chatgpt style. Mark Zuckerberg I had already warned of that intention at the beginning of the year, in fact. After the appearance of the news, even Sam Altman joked indicating that perhaps it was time that in OpenAi they began to create a social network. Goal AI Plus. Everything points to what goal will offer both a free version of its service – as the one it already offers – as a payment. That “goal ai plus” would adopt the subscription model and thus compete with Chatgpt plus and other similar services. Here the challenge is precisely to offer more striking options than those of other services, something that for now does not seem to happen. Well in Open Source, regulate in the rest. Calls, THE OPEN SOURCE OF METAit is excellent for developers and for those who want to use AI at home, but their benefits compete with those of increasingly striking models, and a goal, for example, does not offer reasoning model that competes with Deepseek R1 nor has he announced news on very fashionable land such as AI agents or search engines. In Xataka | We already know how much spending on AI by companies in 2024 has grown. An absolute barbarity

The Basque ball is living a historical schism. One that threatens to leave Spain outside the International Federation

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The Basque ball is news. Although not in the sports sections of the newspapers, but in those of judicial and political chronicle. The decision of the International Ball Federation (FIPV) to recognize as a full member to Euskadi in the late 2024 and consecrate in passing to his selection, opening the doors of the official tournaments, he has generated A huge hangover that reaches far beyond the pediment and shakes Sport (and politics) national. The stage has been complicated over the last months that the pelotari face an unusual scenario right now: The rupture between the FIPV and its Spanish counterpart (Fepelota) and the possibility that this spring will be held in Gernika participate in the Cup of Nations Basque representatives, but not Spanish. To understand the earthquake that is shaking the Basque ball inside and outside Spain you have to go back a few years ago. Enough. Recently Javier Conde, the new president of Fepelotahe said to brand that we would have to look at 23 years ago and the departure of the Basque Federation (EEPF) of the Spanish (fepelota), which right now brings together A dozen of regional organizations and a delegate. A decision with hangover It is not necessary to go back so back. The spark that has lit the controversy among the pelotaris is much more recent, of the December 28, 2024when the International Federation (FIPV) decided to recognize the EEPF as a member, formalizing the Basque team and allowing its participation in official tournaments. Among other sites, the news It was celebrated In the PNV offices, but all Spanish sport (and politics) did not like. The Spanish Ball Federation did not take long to cross out what happened “Nationalist outrage” and accused the FIPV of breaking its own regulation. In A statement Rotundo denounced that the agreement was “vitiated in full” and was managed with “a irregular and opaque procedure“. Among other issues they denounced that Spain had been excluded in a” irregular “way, through” hurried disciplinary sanctions “that allowed the doors to be opened to the EEPF.” Otherwise they would have found a strong opposition. “ Fepelota did not stay in the words and complaints. In the same statement it advanced since it would resort to “ordinary justice” and the Arbitral Sports Court (TAS), a step that It soon gave. Today at the head of the Spanish Federation there are A new presidentJavier Conde, former head of the Navarrese organism; But the situation has not been weeding. On the contrary. Throughout the last months he has taken more firewood. A few days ago Conde He showed his desire to build bridges, but among its plans it does not happen (at least for the moment) Remove the complaint presented before the arbitral tribunal. “The CSD has asked me to paralyze the challenge in the TAS and accept a measurement, but many half truths are being said.” “Joxemari Mitxelena, New President From the EEPF, he says that the Spanish has denounced the Basque, but it is not true. If the TAS says that the agreements approved by the FIPV on December 28 are adjusted to the law and there will be any problem, ” Count wield. “The resource that we present in Lausana what it questions is the validity of that assembly because we believe there were serious irregularities.” “If the statutory modification that allows Basque to participate in international competitions is within the law They don’t have to be afraid to the resolution of the TAS. Maybe they know that it has not been done correctly “, He slipped The person in charge of Fepelota. In the same interview he claimed to be willing to withdraw the resource, but warned: “Before you have to sit down to talk. What they cannot pretend from the Basque and international is to press us before and mark our strategy.” The scenario is so complex that Count himself (in the presidency for just a few months) acknowledges that he has encountered a hot potato that can have an unexpected outcome: with the Spanish federation outside the FIPV at the gates of the Nations League which will start on May 31 in Gernika-Lmo, an appointment that could be developed with the absence of Spain and the participation of the Euskadi team as a full member. “I have been recorded, threatened, insulted and blackmail as the head of the Spanish Federation, which now has A threat of expulsion of the international ”, He confessed count Earlier this week. Everything indicates that we will not have to wait long to know how the case develops. Yesterday a meeting was scheduled between the International Federation and the Spanish with the mediation of the CDs that It ended up suspending Because there were no expectations of advances. And today the situation could be further complicated with a snack movement of the International. The FIPV plans to gather its board of directors on Thursday and address the conflict. What could be the result? According to brandone of the options is the expulsion of the Spanish Federation. Can the thing be further complicated? Can. The controversy around the Basque ball transcends the strictly sports or institutional scope and the politician plays fully. After all, one of the keys to the case is the Sports Law which entered into force in 2013. In its article 48.2 it is clarified that to participate in international tournaments, regional sports federations must “necessarily” integrate “into their respective state federations, although with a very significant exception. “The Autonomous Sports Federations may participate directly in the international sphere if the corresponding International Federation contemplates its participation, in the case of sports modalities or specialties, with historical and social roots in their respective Autonomous Community,” The norm requires. Of course, it also clarifies that before the regional body must have the CSD OK. That coletilla leaves part of the ball on the roof of the Superior Sports Council and has put its president under the spotlights, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, who already … Read more

Mexico has decided that bullfights are without blood. Spain already tried it in the Balearic Islands and did not go well

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In 2022 there were A first conato. In Mexico, a nation whose strong tradition to bullfights is equated with Spain, “the holidays” were prohibited. However, the Supreme Court revoked the suspension and returned. Solution? In an unprecedented event in La Nación, Mexico City has decided that there will be no blood in the runs. In Spain similar initiatives have been carried out, although with discouraging results. End to deaths. As we said, in a historical decision, the Congress of Mexico City approved by an overwhelming majority of 61 votes to 1 the prohibition of traditional bullfights, eliminating the possibility of hurting or killing To bulls during these events. The legislation, promoted by legislator Xóchitl Bravo Espinosa and backed by the Head of Government Claudia Sheinbaumwill allow the realization of runs without violence or blood, in which they will only be used CAPOTES AND WITHOUT STAQUES No flags. The prohibition marks a milestone in the city with the largest bullring on the planet, The Plaza Méxicowith capacity for 42,000 spectators and epicenter of a tradition with almost 500 years of history in the country. Of course, the bullfighting sector has reacted with indignation, announcing legal challenges and protests against the measure. An intermediate measure. Unlike a total prohibition, the reform will allow a version of bullfighting in which bullfighters can only use the cape and the red crutch, with a maximum duration of 15 minutes per bull and a limit of six bulls per event. According to Bravo Espinosa, this measure seeks balance animal welfare With the economic protection of those who depend on the industry, such as sellers, bull breeders and employees of the squares. The problem? That the defenders of bullfighting consider that the new regulation completely distorts the essence of tradition. The Plaza México described the reform as “A clear threat to one of the most entrenched cultural traditions in the country”, while bullfighting groups have declared that they will legally fight to reverse the prohibition. Context of a battle. The truth is that the prohibition in Mexico City is the most recent chapter of a battle that has been gaining ground in different parts of the country. Since 2013, Five of the 31 states of Mexico They have banned bullfights, reflecting the growing rejection of bullfighting. As We explainin 2022 a federal judge He suspended the runs in the capital after a demand from a group of human rights. However, the Supreme Court He revoked the suspension and allowed him Return of events In January 2024. Now, with the new legislation, traditional runs are officially eliminated in Mexico City, although bullfighting industry continues to seek legal mechanisms to challenge the measure. A cultural shock. The debate on bullfight has transcended the legal scope and has become A symbol of tension between respect for traditions and the evolution of social values ​​around Animal rights. While the defenders argue that bullfighting generates tens of thousands of jobs and that the number of bulls sacrificed is insignificant compared to livestock in general, opponents have denounced the brutality of the show. According to data from the Congress of Mexico City, in 2019 there were 168 bulls sacrificed in Plaza México, which activists consider a sample of unnecessary suffering inflicted on animals. The group Animal heroeswhich for six years leads the Mexico campaign without bullfights, celebrated the reform, but warned that they will continue to fight for the total abolition of bullfighting in the country. For his part, Salvador Arias, a Mexican bullfighting lawyer, said that a similar model already had failed in Spain In the Balearic Islands, where the lack of interest led to its disappearance and, shortly after, to its revocation by the Spanish courts. The case of Balearic Islands. What happened in Spain dates back to 2017, when the Balearic Parliament approved a law that prohibited the death and suffering of bulls in runs, establishing what was called “Cumshots without blood”. This regulation required that the bulls were not subjected to physical damage and that the runs would be limited to 10 minutes per animal, without the possibility of using flags, estas or swords. The measure was held by the defenders of animal rights, but caused The rejection of the bullfighting sector and led to an intense debate about the viability of the show without its traditional component. The sentence. In December 2018, the Constitutional Court of Spain annulled the lawarguing that he invaded state powers on cultural heritage, since bullfighting had been declared in 2013 as part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage. With that decision, the traditional runs with death of the bull again in the Balearic Islands in 2019, although with additional restrictions imposed by the regional regulations, such as the prohibition of the entry of minors to the Celebrations. The Judgment of the Constitutional Court It was a setback for the anti -urine movement in Spain and evidenced the legal difficulties to prohibit bullfighting at the autonomous level without a major legislative reform. Extinction or transformation. Thus, the Government of Mexico City will have a period of seven months To issue the final regulation on runs without violence, including the participation of all parties involved. Mayor Clara Brugada He celebrated the decision and described it as a great advance in animal protection. Although the prohibition has already been approved, the future of bullfighting in Mexico remains in dispute. Bullfighting and fans have warned that they will continue to fight in court to reverse the measure, while activists continue to press for Total eradication of runs in the country. What seems clear is that the resolution in the Mexican capital could be the trigger for other states to follow the same path, marking an irreversible change in a tradition that has defined the cultural identity of the country for centuries. That without having the great unknown: knowing if the public will accept this new form of bullfighting without blood or if, as in Spain, the option does not work out. Image | Christian Ramiro, Jorge … Read more

That solar energy stops growing in Spain

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This month will be remembered Like the rainiest, having water reserves in 65.8%, According to the miteco. However, it is not good news for solar energy that has fallen for the first time in three years. The data. According to the reports of the Spanish Electricity (REE), in the month of March, the Solar Generation He has reached 11% total, which represents a decrease with respect to the year 2024 (13.9%) and The year 2023 (12.8%). Heavy rains. We have had a couple of weeks that it is difficult to see the sun and it seems that You can extend even more. For this reason, one of the most harmed clean sources has been photovoltaic. However, other renewables have come out more than beneficiaries of this rain and wind, we are talking about wind and hydroelectric. Favored systems. On the one hand, wind energy It does not have the same capacity that photovoltaic, but when it comes to adverse weather conditions who eats the ground to solar panels are wind turbines. In fact, Ree’s real time data shows that wind is generating 46% wind energy compared to 12% of solar (These data may vary, since they are being taken when writing this article). On the other hand, as we mentioned above the total water reserve, this situation has allowed hydroelectric energy to have reached in what we have been 17.5%. However, it has not yet exceeded last year that achieved a level 21.5% of electric production, more than four higher percentage points. So how will my light bill be? Although solar energy always It had been key to the energy mixthis time the contribution of both wind and hydroelectric can be A small relief for consumers. However, like has denounced the OCU There are other factors that will make the light bill, such as The price of gas and electric tolls. Image | Flickr Xataka | Solar panels compared to 100,000 olive trees: in Jaén the neighbors are also protesting against renewable projects

Spain opened its lines to Ouigo. France is now doing everything possible to avoid the entry of Renfe

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It seemed inconceivable but we had been living with it for almost four years. Yes, Renfe trains circulate on the Spanish railways. The Order arrived from Europe and Spain complied with a guideline that has opened the door to Ouigo and Iro. A door that, for Renfe, seems to be stuck in France. What happened for Renfe to be studying his departure from the neighboring country? A liberalization. It arrived in 2021. First Renfe had to face the competition with Ouigo. Shortly after it was Iro. And when we wanted to realize, in the Spanish roads these three companies are competing in high speed by some clients that, if we add Avlo, have four options on top of the table. Liberalization came ordered from the European Union. From Brussels it was voted in favor of opening the railroads and that any company could operate on the roads of the entire continent. A liberalization that has its peculiarities because the demands in terms of security and approval to meet the protocols follow in the hands of the authorities of each country. You don’t pass here. The latter is especially important and we have seen it in Spain. For example, When Ouigo wanted to get to Andalusia has had to adapt its trains to the protocols of the LZB systemsince they do not resemble those of the rest of the continent. When the Madrid-Seville line was created for the 1992 Expo, it was decided to use said system that would later fall into disuse and failed to impose itself on Erts that we see in the rest of Europe. These types of regulations, in addition to the payment of a fee for the maintenance of the roads and other services to ADIF are those that have put on a war footing to Ouigo and the Government. The first when pointing out that Adif charges excessive rates for the service they offer. The second because they ensure that Ouigo throws prices Below the market. What do we have? High speed with four operators and the lowest prices than ever. Where The competition has been greaterprices have dropped. They have not dropped where the demand is very high (such as the Madrid-Barcelona corridor) but in lines where you have to fight more to catch customers as in the Andalusian runners or in Madrid-Aliante where the supply was not extended until 2023. In your latest reportthe CNMC pointed out that the volume of passengers has not stopped increasing. Where new options have been opened have generated a greater number of journeys and a price drop until reaching more than 10 million passengers in the third quarter of 2024. A conflict. In this context Renfe has proposed to open new lines in France. Taking advantage of liberalization, the Spanish company has wanted make Ouigo competition In his own home. The movement began with controversy, with Renfe selling Nine euros tickets. In Spain, Ouigo defended himself saying that they were in a launch phase and that they expect be profitable this year. The promise is about to be fulfilled while SNCF, owner of Ouigo, has already put its conditions to enter to compete in the market of Cercanías y Medio Distancethe other great liberalization that we have ahead. The fight for the really interesting. Ouigo in Spain is competing in the big runners for lament of Óscar PuenteMinister of Transport, which indicated that these companies can focus on profitability While Renfe also has to Fulfill your public service position. Ouigo does compete in Madrid-Barcelona, ​​Madrid-Sevilla or Madrid-Aliante, for example. And in those same conditions he wants to play Renfe in France. At the moment, the company operates in the Lyon-Barcelona and Lyon-Marsella runners but the great yearning is still to reach Paris. The capital is especially juicy because most of the great French lines leave from there and could join Madrid and Paris in a single corridor. And here is the great conflict. You don’t pass here (2). Renfe a The avant -garde that France is doing everything possible to torpedo the expansion of the company on its way to Paris. The first intention was to reach Paris before the Olympic Games last summer but it was not possible. And the technical approval still does not get what he is doing to the company to rethink if they must move on. They explain that the problem is in the technical approval of trains. The approval of them usually takes about six months of work but at this time they are already going for three years. Coincidentally, the approval to operate in the Barcelona-Tooulouse corridor as of April 2025 is ready. Renfe is, for the moment, notice in the southern and southeast zone of France. And according to the company, the project does not paint well. To the point of Paloma Baena, general director of Renfe Operadora Global Strategy, demanded in the French Senate A few weeks ago equal conditions in the deal and pointed out that they did not expect to function normally until 2029 if everything followed. The excuse. What they say from France is that the trains that Renfe has presented to operate in the lines that have Paris as origin or destination are incompatible with the technology of their tracks. First tried with trains 100F series of ALSTOM which are those operating in the south of the country. After rejection, he has tried with the Talgo 106 Series with which Renfe operates in Spain. And, in addition, François Durovray, already former Minister of Transportation in France, also pointed out that he wanted to force companies to enter the country Operate in deficit lines. Exactly the type of runners where Ouigo does not operate in Spain and what Oscar Puente Moles ago lamented. Photo | Xataka In Xataka | Renfe trusted Talgo’s trains to overcome Ouigo and Iro. With your arrival, breakdowns, delays and controversies accumulate

The Castor project was the great idea of ​​Spain to self -ability. Now you are selling it by pieces

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Spain always has pursued concern around natural gas. More than 15 years ago its main sources were Algeria and Russia, but not to be energy dependent, the State promoted the Castor project. This initiative It arose as a possible response to face these challenges and reduce the vulnerability of the Spanish nation in the face of possible energy crises. However, a study confirmed That the gas injection of the year 2012 caused the earthquakes of Castellón, so a year later the Minister of Industry at that time ordered its closure. Now the current government has decided to sell it in parts. A little context. THE CASTOR PROJECT It was promoted by the Zapatero government and continued under the Rajoy Executive, being the ACS construction company, controlled by Florentino Pérez, responsible for the execution. The infrastructure was managed by the Concessionaire Escal Ugs, an ACS subsidiary. All this, He explains it Chronologically a citizen association that has denounced the case. How was it going to be? The Castor project consisted of an underwater natural gas warehouse located off the coast of Castellón, designed to store gas in an underwater deposit about 1,700 meters deep. It had the capacity to store approximately 1.9 BCM (billions of cubic meters) of gas and consisted of a marine platform, a gas pipeline of 30.3 kilometers in length, and a land plant in Vinaròs. And the problems came … Just for the earthquakes, was it closed? No, like Eldiario.es explained The initiative had a few challenges from the beginning. The reasons were different, such as their profitability, their environmental impact and the fact that it did not turn out to be as necessary as it had initially raised, given The great capacity of the regasifying of gas in Spain. Given this situation, the project was tried to sell in search of some type of economic solution. However, they did not find a solution to the problem, so finally the ACS company He abandoned it and the dismantling process began. A decade of the castor’s fiasco. Ten years later, the Castor project remains a clear example of billionaire failure. The submarine gas warehouse that ACS built In front of the coast of Castellón and Tarragona, it only operated in tests and never reached its full functionality. The result is known: an unusable infrastructure and a billionaire hole that has ended up paying the taxpayer, accompanied by a waterfall of judicial litigation without those responsible for being identified. Definitive closure. As They have advanced Different media, the third vice president and minister for ecological transition and demographic challenge, Sara Aagesen, has confirmed that the dismantling of the underwater warehouse will begin in May after the sealing of the thirteen underwater wells. In addition, what can be recovered from the project will be sold to reduce losses, which are encrypted by about 260 million euros. Why that figure? It all starts during the Rajoy government in 2014, which It was approved Express compensation of 1,350 million euros for the construction company ACS through a Royal Decree-Law. However, this compensation, which should be paid for 30 years through the gas bill, was declared unconstitutional in 2017, which paralyzed payments to financial entities. Finally, the State had to borrow to compensate the bank. The litigation began. During those years, the facilities have cost more than 100 million euros for more than 11 years, when the Concessionaire Escal Ugs resigned from the project. However, the National Court has forced ESPS, the company controlled by ACS, to return 209.7 million euros in “financial compensation” that charged between 2014 and 2017, after the judgment of the Constitutional Court that annulled the payments. However, it remains to be seen if the company will comply with this obligation, since Escal Ugs entered into a creditors’ contest In 2019. As for the criminal derivative, in 2021 the Castellón audience acquitted on step Already its directors of a crime against the environment and natural resources, a fact that underlines the lack of responsible for the Fiasco. A classic example of loss socialization. The Castor project is an example of “socialization of losses”, where the consequences of failure fell on the taxpayer, while financial entities, which had advanced money in exchange for charging it with interest for 30 years, were compensated by the State. Despite the controversies, the ACS company benefited from this compensation, despite the fact that its president, Florentino Pérez, declared that the project was a “misfortune” For his company, which represented only 1% of the ACS billing. A great legislative error. So it was indicated by the Independent Fiscal Responsibility Authority (Airef)as one of the most expensive in the energy sector, concentrating more than half of the compensation paid by the State in recent years. This case has evidenced the need to carry out more rigorous studies on the technical, economic and environmental viability of the projects, especially when they involve geological risks or impacts in local communities. In addition, it has evidenced the importance of greater transparency in decision -making and public fund management. Image | Zarateman and Albertodv Xataka | 2025 is the beginning of the end for gas boilers in Spain. European regulations have started its long withdrawal

Playtomic has just lifted one of the largest investment rounds this year in Spain with a peculiar hook: paddle

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Pedro Clavería, Félix Ruiz (CEO) and Pablo Carro, co -founders and maximums responsible for Playtomic, smile in that image. It is not for less: your startup —which is not typical From the Spanish technology sector – it goes like a shot. The surprising thing is not that, but they have achieved it from the hand of the paddle, a sport that has gradually conquered fans in Spain, but now points much higher. Blades everywhere. The popularity of the paddle has grown spectacularly in recent years in our country. Sport is also living a vertiginous professionalization both among players and in the organization of tournaments, sponsors or manufacturers of sportswear or shovels, balls and accessories. In Xataka we continue to miss More support by smart watchesyes indeed. The new tennis. Tennis fans usually also enjoy this sport, which is especially accessible, and the follow -up of professional tournaments is also demonstrating that unique ascending trajectory. After the success of the World Padel Tour now the professional circuit has become called (and be managed by) PREMIER PDELand from an area that focused on Spain, Spain has passed to tournaments that are played in European countries, the Middle East and the entire American continent. The idea: globalize it and become a worldwide phenomenon. Playtomic knew how to arrive at the perfect moment. Playtomic’s emergence in this segment was vertiginous: before each club had its own methods and apps for reservations and the market was much more fragmented. Playtomic emerged as the unified app to review clues in clubs or to organize matches both on those tracks and on private tracks. Little by little more and more clubs have joined, and now in Playtomic there are 6,000 registered clubs and 1.5 million active users a month worldwide. Rounds that drive growth. The startup carries several rounds of accumulated investment, but in recent years the thing has gone more. In 2021 Playtomic he already lifted 56 million euros to continue growing, and now those responsible have just announced a new investment round of 65 million euros. The operation includes 55 million euros in investment and another 10 million in debt financing from Banco Santander. Playtomic’s is one of the largest investment rounds of the year in Spain, although there has been even more striking rounds, like Travelperk’s (200 million dollars). Expansion to the US in sight. This financing round will serve to boost Playtomic’s global presence in European countries, for example, but the focus is clear: to conquer the United States. As Ruiz pointed out Five daysapproximately a third of the money raised will be dedicated to that expansion in the US. There will also be expansion in European countries such as the United Kingdom or Germany. Miami marks the guideline. That American conquest has begun in Miami, where one of the great tournaments of the year is celebrated these days. The American city is being a shop window in that country, and in fact the current number one in the world, Claudio Coello – a part of Agustín Tapia, also number one – has moved there. Possible acquisitions. Those responsible for Playtomic also point to future acquisitions that will further reinforce their relevance in this sector. In 2022 They have already been made With a Finnish competitor, and Ruiz himself pointed to potential operations of this type. Good numbers. The company achieved revenues of 240 million euros in 2024, and it is expected to grow up to 350 million gross billing in 2025. The net net billing results in 2024 were 23 million euros, while the forecast is that it reaches 31 million in 2025. The company has more than 200 employees and the plan is to hire another 15 people throughout 2025. This is going. This investment round confirms the excellent state of health and the projection of the paddle, and here Playtomic has managed to do things very well and take advantage of that popularity to grow (and help to grow) to this sport. Spain is already conquered territory: now it remains to be seen if this new round effectively allows it to become a reference in countries like the US, where by 2026 it is expected that there are already 3,000 paddle tennis courts. Image | Playtomic In Xataka | Swim is fine. I do it with bone driving helmets and the experience is simply fantastic

Spain has moved the ‘Rodas Project’

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This year it seems that it will be the year of nuclear fusion in Spain, because as soon as 2025 started they have managed to produce the First plasma in the smart reactor. This advance that placed the country at the forefront of nuclear fusion research, now will take a step further for consolidation. An answer. Spain has decided to focus its efforts on nuclear fusion and will present the Rodas Project. An initiative in which four research centers and five companies participate, which not only promotes the merger industry in the Spanish nation, but is also part of a global strategy in which more than 30 countries participate. A safe and sustainable source. Nuclear fusion has an almost inexhaustible availability of resources and presents great security, so it looks like a Energy solution. However, one of the challenges is in the manufacture of large and complex components that can withstand high temperatures and radiation. The Rodas project. As They explained a few months ago The research head, the Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT), the initiative will last four years. As The economist advancedthe main project challenge is to create materials that support extreme temperatures and high levels of radiation, while optimizing production processes to make them more efficient and sustainable. They also hope to reduce the production times of components of eight to two weeks and reduce the waste of material by 80%. The consortium. The project It is led For the CIEMAT and has the participation of the University of Granada, the Idonial Foundation and the Hiperbaric, Leading, Innomaq21, Novadep Ndt Systems and Rovalma companies. Each has contributed key elements of their specialization. First, hyperbaric He has worked In the development of a new generation of presses and hot isostatic pressed ovens, essential to improve the mechanical properties of materials. On the other hand, together Leading and Innomaq21 They have focused in the optimization of additive manufacturing processes and in the development of high precision assembly techniques. Third, Novadep Ndt Systems has contributed Your experience in non -destructive inspection systems to guarantee the quality of the components. For his part, Rovalma has specialized in the creation of advanced alloys with optimized properties to withstand extreme conditions. Finally, so much The University of Granada and The Idonial Foundation He has contributed his research modeling and behavior simulation in merger conditions. The closure of nuclear centrals. Between 2027 and 2035, Spain has on its agenda close nuclear plantsthis procedure that is in full controversy. In contrast, the country will invest in fusion because nuclear fission – the technology used in current plants – generates hazardous radioactive waste creating a chain reaction. In addition, in the future, a single fusion center could replace the seven fission reactors currently operating in Spain, reducing the risk of radiation. Forecasts This type of project is has estimated which would take at least 50 years to develop, but the first commercial reactors may be earlier than plan Granada neutron accelerator and The Iter experimental reactor in France. Image | Eurofusion Xataka | China is unstoppable in nuclear fusion: the construction of its own iter is aimed at beating all records

After years of Japanese, in Spain there is already a generation at the gates of an uncertain scenario: old age without children

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In 1960 each Spanish woman had throughout her life almost three children. Today They do not reach 1.2. The data is just that: data, demographic means, pure statistical mathematics, but they serve to understand better trends that are every time more present in homes of homes. As I know Birth sinkslife expectancy and Families changeSpain meets A new reality: The first “without children” generations look at old age with the challenge of facing that last vital stage without offspring. No children. Neither grandchildren. The big question is … why? And what does it imply? Figure issue. Spanish demography (like that of Other other countriesinside and out of the West) It is changing. A lot. And fast. In fact it has been doing it for a long time. If we review the fertility index we find that It has collapsed Throughout the last decades: of 2.94 children per woman in 1967 we have gone to 1.12. And going down. Translated into babies that supposes that today they are born in Spain less than half that in him Baby Boom. The trend has been the opposite among people who live alone. At least over the last years. If in 2014 the unipersonal households supposed 24% of the total From the census, six years later they were already 26%. Another reality is those who live in a couple but choose to do it without offspring. In 2020 the INE counted near four million of homes with that profile, two out of ten. Generations without children. A few months ago the CIS contributed an even more interesting approach. Its technicians They asked to people born over the last decades if they had children and found themselves with which the percentage of ‘Sies’ fell clearly as the age of the interviewees did. It is a predictable trend among younger respondents, under 34, but the study reflects something else: among cohorts with more advanced ages, which are already peeling retirement, there is also a considerable percentage of people without offspring. And to show a button. If 89% of people of 75 or more years had children, that percentage went to 81.5%Among the interviewees from 55 to 64 years. If we go to the fork from 35 to 44 years the proportion drops even more, to 62%, and if we descend even more, focusing on the population between 25 and 34 years, we find that only 32% of respondents have had at least one offspring. Why is it important? Because as I pointed out recently The Spanish newspaper (EPE) in An analysis On that same phenomenon, the data of the CIS show us that Spain is at the gates of a demographic milestone: the arrival in the old -generation old age in which a relevant percentage of people has chosen to have no offspring. According to the CISin the age strip from 55 to 64 years they represent 18.5%. “The ghost of old age without children”. Between that 18.5% of people without offspring, such as I confessed recently A couple in the fifty to EPE, there are those who already contemplate with concern to the “ghost of old age without children.” That is, the perspective of becoming greater or becoming dependent without children or grandchildren who, if necessary, can serve as a network. “It seems that you are always going to be autonomous, but the aging is noticeable year after year and seeing it in your elders causes restlessness because having children does not mean that no one will take care of you, but you can have support, at least someone to call,” Write The same couple. They now have octogenarian parents who need help and “someone for everything.” “What would they do without their children?” Marking the way. 18.5% may seem a reduced percentage yet, but THE STUDY OF THE CIS It is interesting for something else: it suggests that this scenario of ‘old age without children’ will be increasingly common. Among the interviewees of 45 to 54 years the percentage of those who claim to have no offspring represents 21.3% and between the people aged 25 and 44 touches 36-66%. Maternity It has been delaying With the passing of the decades and today it is located in almost 33 yearswith what the logical thing would be for these percentages to soften, but still the trend is clear. THE CIS Confirm In addition, another reality that institutions such as the INE have been drawing for a long time: many of the couples who have been parents have had a single descendant, so the support they can receive in their old age will depend on a single child. It comes to review two figures to understand it: among those over 75 years of age the percentage of people with children who claim to have had more than a offspring reaches 90.3%. Among the interviewees of 55 to 64 years that same proportion already collapses to 73.5%. A complex reality. The big question arriving at this point is … Why do the Spaniards have fewer children than a few decades ago or do we even opt for not having them? The answer is complex and adds multiple factors, including cultural, labor and social changes, but a few months ago the CIS reflected Another factor Same relevant: the economic one. According to your polls, 77.3% Of the Spaniards believe that people have no children “due to lack of economic means.” 44.1% indicate another cause that goes along the same lines: “Conciling problems” work and professional life. Moreover, the research center states that 59% of respondents who have not been parents recognize that they would have liked to be. “Create support networks”. The other question that remains by throwing is … What will this increase in people who reach old age without children or grandchildren? Will it translate into greater pressure for public coffers? The problem is not exclusive to Spain. Other countries (Even in Asia) They also face the challenge of seeing how their demographic pyramid is widened … Read more

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