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

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

Producing them emits hundreds of times less than coal and gas

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All energy sources have their dark side and solar is no exception. Without going any further, we are creating huge mountains of garbage thanks to (or because of) the solar panels cheap. Now, as in any other decision-making, it is time to weigh the pros and cons and compare them with alternatives to have some perspective and here, solar energy does not fare so badly. Damn (blessed) cheap solar panels. The generation of waste from solar panels is a reality that goes hand in hand with the deployment of solar energy. Between 2020 and 2024 the number of solar panels that have gone to waste has multiplied by four according to IRENA reports: from 220,000 to 900,000 tons and be careful because by 2050 have already estimated that the figure will be 250 million tons. The reason? Although their useful life is 25 – 30 years, they are replaced before the end due to incidents such as storm damage or manufacturing defects. In short: replacing is cheaper than repairing. In perspective. But the moment of truth comes from an estimate: the actual waste per megawatt hour of electricity generated. A current standard solar panel weighs about 20 kg and over its 25-year lifespan in moderate sunshine generates about 10 megawatt hours of electricity. The calculation is simple: it is equivalent to 2 kilograms of waste per megawatt hour and is similar to that offered by recent research published in Nature Physicswhich aimed at 1.7 kg/megawatt hour. And now let’s face it against two energy rivals: coal and gas, two fossil fuels that continue to be behind the planet’s electricity generation. coal plants generate between 80 – 100 kg per megawatt hour. And that’s not to mention the 950 kg of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour emitted in combustion. Gas is slightly better: emits 450 kg of CO₂ per megawatt hour generated and no ash generated. But the difference is abysmal compared to the waste from solar panels. In a table on energy generation it is better seen, as this one from Clean Technica: solar panels Coal NATURAL GAS Solid waste (kg/megawatt hour) 2 80 – 100 0 CO₂ emissions (kg/ Megawatt HOUR) 0 950 (per ton) 450 Other emissions No SO₂, NOₓ, particles, mercury… NOx emissions An abysmal difference. That is to say, we are talking about that considering the megawatt hour of electricity generated, a solar panel produces 2 kg of solid waste for about 90 kg of ashes that lead to an emission of 950 kg of CO₂ under the arm for coal and for gas, about 450 kg of CO₂ emitted. Electricity generation plants based on fossil fuels generate continuous and massive atmospheric pollution compared to 0 from solar panels and if we talk about solid waste, coal substantially surpasses it. Not only the quantity, but also the quality. It has already been made clear that the amount of waste is substantially lower, but it is also worth mentioning how harmful this waste is and its consequences. To the remove a solar panel We find a frame made of aluminum, silicon, glass and some plastic, which although technically can be mostly recycled, in practice they are not recycled circularly. It is true that there are panels with traces of heavy metals such as lead (solders) or cadmium in thin film panels, but also that the EU counts with management programs for this waste. And the solar panels do not emit pollutants while they are operational. Coal ashes have a list of traces fearsome: in addition to lead and cadmium there is arsenic, mercury, selenium, uranium or thorium. This cocktail is a risk to health and the environment due to inadequate management or spills. There is no need to talk too much about carbon dioxide emissions: they are behind the global warming. Coal combustion alone generated 15 gigatonnes of CO₂ between 2020 and 2024, according to analysis by the Global Carbon Project. This another study from the British Medical Journal relates air pollution from fossil fuels to some five million premature deaths last year, mainly respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and strokes. Solar energy waste is not the problem. Clean energies are not perfect and their operation involves a series of challenges. As we have seen, in the EU in fact recycling infrastructure already exists which currently manages to recover up to 95% of these (the WEEE directive establishes a minimum recycling of 85% of the modules) in consolidated, scalable processes and result in small, manageable and moderately harmless final waste. With the data in hand, it is substantially clear that yes, waste from solar energy exists, but viewed from the perspective of current energy needs and the sources that provide it, they are not the problem at all. In Xataka | The dark side of solar energy: we are creating a 250 million ton mountain of garbage In Xataka | Europe produces more clean electricity than fossil electricity for the first time. The hard part starts now Cover | Anders J

The US offered NVIDIA chips to China. China has responded with a “no, thank you”, according to the Financial Times

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China has turned the technological development in state policy. The country is shaking up its economy through robot development (some already working in stores or in disasters), artificial intelligence and, above all, chips. Giants like Huawei and companies like SMIC are developing chips with one goal in mind: eliminate dependence on the United States. However, some of these companies need to access powerful and reliable chips immediately, and NVIDIA had presented itself as the best option. It seems that everything has been a mirage. Full speed ahead. The current technology war between the United States and China means that Western companies cannot do deals with Chinese ones. This includes the sale of advanced chip making machinesbut also that NVIDIA, for example, can’t even sell its advanced chips like the previous generation. A few weeks ago, however, the United States relaxed its policies, which opened the door so that NVIDIA could sell the famous ones again H200 to certain Chinese customers. The US was going to take a 25% tax on each sale and it was a win-win: Chinese customers had access to renowned chips and NVIDIA managed to take part of the Chinese pie (a pie of 50,000 million dollars). At least until local companies develop their alternatives. Last week we already said that NVIDIA had increased production waiting for two million orders. But there is a problem: a sudden stop. With Customs we have encountered. At that time, China had not commented and the person most interested in the operation, Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, commented that if the orders were arriving it is because someone had authorized them. That was taken as a silent confirmation from China, but now there is news. Although the country still has not made an official statement, since Financial Times They point out that NVIDIA was surprised to find that customs had stopped the orders. According to sources consulted by the media, customs officials in China recently summoned logistics companies from Shenzhenone of the neural points of technological innovation of the country, to warn of something: they could not submit shipping requests for the H200 chips. National chips please. That pressure has led the company to pause production. All there is is uncertainty right now due to a chain of events that show that NVIDIA was crazy about selling. After putting pressure on both governments, Huang managed to get the US to give approval for the sale in China, but China did not comment, something that the US company took as an approval. Chinese policy for a few months has been very clear: favor and promote local industry with one goal: ‘Delete America’. China seeks technological sovereignty through giants like the aforementioned Nvidia, but also with others like Moore ThreadsBiren, MetaX or Enflame. black market. However, the fact that orders cannot be placed to buy NVIDIA chips does not mean that NVIDIA chips are being stopped: As already pointed out Reuters a few months ago, that ban and the veto on the sale of sophisticated chips has promoted a black market of American chips, especially the B200 and B300 from NVIDIA, more powerful than the H200 that the US Administration authorized. There is talk of a market of more than 1,000 million dollars, and although NVIDIA had hopes of re-entering the country through official channels, it seems that the Government is going to continue encouraging its technology companies to bet on ‘Made in China’ solutions. Images | Chinese Communist PartyNVIDIA + Photoshop In Xataka | The race for AI has placed China in an unthinkable scenario: forcing the United States to leave its comfort zone

The Spanish business that Vodafone sold as ballast is now worth three times as much. Zegona has shown that the problem was the owner

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according to further Populi Voicea medium with a good track record in telecom exclusives, Telefónica has started talks with Zegona to acquire Vodafone Spain. The negotiations are recent (just a few weeks) and it was Movistar who picked up the phone first. Telefónica wants to close the operation in the first half of 2026. The rumors come from months ago. The problem is that arrive late, and that has a price. A little more than two years ago, Zegona bought Vodafone Spain for about 5,000 million euros. Vodafone (the British parent) was selling a problematic asset: It was the third operator in a market of four. He was caught between the scale of Telefónica and the agility of the low-cost He inherited a network that required constant investment. And he also inherited a tarnished reputation after years of complaints. For the British group, Spain was a drain of money and effort. For Zegona, a poorly managed gold mine. And in just two years, the fund has proven that he was right: Has returned to its shareholders 1.4 billion euros in dividends (28% of what was paid by Vodafone Spain). Has reduced the number of shares in circulation by 69%. And yet its current capitalization is around 3.6 billion. For fund shareholders, the return has been spectacular: The stock went from 345p when they bought Vodafone (less than 100 when they announced their intentions) to over 1,565p now. It has multiplied by 4.5 in two years. Vodafone Spain generates around 4.5 billion annual revenues and, with more focused management than before and without the bureaucracy of a global giant, it has become a profitable operation that Zegona can continue to exploit… or sell to the highest bidder. Telefónica is now negotiating from a weak position. It needs the operation (Marc Murtra has repeated that Movistar must lead the consolidation of the Spanish market) and the market knows it. An ERE of 4,500 people has just closed. And while Telefónica prepared the house to add more furniture, its price has fallen 27% since the end of October. Zegona, however, its value has skyrocketed. The price of this indecision is between 2,000 and 7,000 million extra euros. regarding what the purchase of Vodafone Spain would have cost in 2023. Zegona is in no hurry. It can wait, it can squeeze, it can even stay as it is. Telefónica now cannot afford that luxury because buying Vodafone Spain is not an expansionist move, it is an almost defensive necessity: needs critical mass before Europe forces further consolidation where Movistar is the main course, not the diner. But when negotiating is a necessity and the other side knows it, the price stops being a variable and becomes a toll. If the operation crystallizes, it will create a giant with more than 45% of the Spanish market, great cost savings by eliminating duplications (headquarters, networks, contracts…) and intense regulatory scrutiny from Brussels. Although not as brutal as it would have been with Vestager because Ribera has another look. Telefónica knows it and so does Zegona. The difference is that one is late and the other can afford to wait. That changes everything in a negotiation. In Xataka | The great dilemma of Spanish telecos: either they become giants or China swallows them Featured image | Vodafone, Telephone

Science reveals that the weight returns four times faster than with a diet

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The era of “miracle” drugs to treat obesity is entering a phase of crude scientific maturity, thanks to the time that has passed since its launch on the market. In this way, despite the years with big headlines pointing to great weight losses with Ozempic, science is now able to provide more answers to the key question What we should ask ourselves: what happens when we stop pricking ourselves? The problem. When a drug is newly released to the market, long term effects It is something that is not known exactly, since patients need to be taking them long enough to see the effects they cause. And above all the effect that exists when the drug is removed from the body. To answer this with Ozempic we have a study led by the University of Oxford which is not minor at all, since it has analyzed more than 9,300 adults in 37 different clinical trials. And the conclusion they have been able to draw is quite clear: patients regain weight when they stop treatment at a rate of 0.4 kg per month. The comparison. At first glance, this figure seems really low, but if we compare it with other methods to lose weight, we see that the magnitude of the problem is not minuscule. The study itself indicates that in behavioral programs, such as a diet and an increase in physical activity, the effect after its withdrawal is an increase of 0.1 kg per month. This way, the rebound effect of slimming drugs It causes you to return to your initial weight in approximately a year and a half, while a change in eating and sports behavior takes around four years. New generation drugs. But this is a simple average between the different medications on the market. This implies that within GLP-1 agonists we can see that the most powerful drugs also have a much greater rebound effect. For example, in the case of Wegovy or Mounjaro, where the initial loss was 14.7kg, the rebound was seen to shoot up to 0.8kg per month. An effect that tells us that the body tries to recover lost ground at twice the speed of previous generation drugs. Cardiovascular health. Beyond the aesthetic, science pointed out that these drugs had the ability to reduce the risk of heart attacks and improve the metabolic health. But it seems these effects are completely temporary. Specifically, the study has seen that approximately a year and a half after stopping the medication, the majority of cardiometabolic markers return to their levels before starting treatment. For example, blood pressure increases, diabetes markers reverse their improvement, and total cholesterol also returns to its risk levels. Why the rebound is so fast. The answer to this could lie in our own biology. Science believes that this effect is due to the fact that by injecting massive doses of GLP-1 agonists (a hormone that is produced in small quantities when we eat) we could be destabilizing our own cell receptors. Or we would even be blocking our body’s natural production of this hormone that gives us satiety. That is why when withdrawing the drugthe system does not have the ability to produce this hormone again in the same way as before (as if it had to turn the system back on) and that is why the body’s satiety system goes deaf. The result? Well, logically, the appetite returns with great intensity, causing the patient to eat much more food, since they are not satiated and in this way the weight increases again. The myth of the magic bullet. There are hardly any miracles in medicine, even though we say that these drugs are. And the reality is that these drugs are not the definitive solution for obesity, since real data indicates that the majority of patients stop treatment after 12 months due to its high cost, the fatigue of injecting or side effects. But in addition, there is no awareness that this treatment is a simple aid to self-regulation, but that logically it must be accompanied by a dietary change and physical activity that must be continued once the treatment is finished. If not, we can be sure that the injections will be of absolutely no use. A paradigm shift. This meta-analysis marks a turning point. Science tells us that GLP-1 is extraordinarily effective, but it is not a cure. If we treat them as a six-month “crash plan”, we are condemning the patient to a more aggressive yo-yo effect than any miracle diet of the past. The solution, according to Qi Sun and the Oxford researchers, is not only in the syringe, but in public policy: taxes on ultra-processed foods, aid in the purchase of fruits and vegetables, and urban planning that encourages exercise. Without a change in environment, the drug is just a temporary truce in a war the body is programmed to win. Images | David Trinks Towfiqu barbhuiya In Xataka | If you want a “miracle” weight loss drug, you no longer turn to Ozempic: the competition is beginning to surpass it

The owner of an Audi A3 was fined three times for driving without a license. On the fourth, the court took away the car

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What prevents a driver from driving without a license? Obviously, the law. But going down to a purely practical field, what prevents a driver without a driving license from going to the garage at home, taking his car, turning the key and putting it in first gear to take the car to work, take a walk or go out? That’s what has happened in Vigo where Justice has only found the way out for one woman: to take away her Audi. The Provincial Court, tired of imposing sanctions on him that emphasized that he was prohibited from driving, has decided to confiscate his Audi to avoid greater harm. By then the sentences had had “no deterrent effect,” in the words of the ruling. Either you give it to me or I’ll take it from you There are not many violations for which they can keep our car. There are not many reasons why they can revoke our driving license. Surely you have already found one of them. Bingo. A positive for alcohol or drugs leaves, for the moment, the car immobilized and depending on the severity of the positive, it can leave us without a driving license. In cases that the car is immobilizeda passenger who does not test positive may well take charge. alcohol control Or a family member or friend can come pick it up, as long as the immobilized car is not hindering driving. If neither of these two cases occur, the tow truck comes and takes it to the municipal warehouse. The next day, the car can be removed. By a person who has a driver’s license, of course. But, as we said, what really prevents a person from taking their car again when they arrive at the garage at home? The limits have been found by the resident of Vigo who stars in a story collected by The Voice of Galicia. The Provincial Court has ended up confiscating his Audi to prevent him from driving again without a license and in the process has answered the question of how many times is too many times. They explain in the Galician media that on March 15, 2025, she was caught driving without a valid driving license because all her points had previously been removed. Taking charge of the case, the Criminal Court sentenced him to six months and one day in prison for a crime against traffic safety. But he applied a less common decision: seized his Audi A3. The reason is that the convicted woman was the fourth time she had faced justice for similar events. To the point that the judge in charge pointed out that his record includes three other similar convictions in just 11 months. On those three previous occasions, the driver was fined for driving without a driving license. In the third, in addition to the financial penalty, he was imposed 60 days of work for the benefit of the community. On the fourth occasion lost the Audi A3 with whom he was driving. Upon hearing the verdict, the accused appealed to the Pontevedra Court, alleging that the three previous convictions for the same reason (driving without a license) are not enough to apply the aggravating circumstance of multiple recidivism. In addition, he requested that a mitigating circumstance be applied for drug addiction and asked that the car be returned because he considered that the measure was disproportionate and unjustified. For its part, the Pontevedra Court has confirmed that the seizure of the vehicle was a correct measure because the three previous convictions had had “no deterrent effect.” In addition, he emphasizes that the car itself was a “potentially dangerous instrument” since the driver had been detected driving without lights at night or under the influence of drugs. Photo | Audi and DGT In Xataka | In 1896 a man decided to drive at the reckless speed of 13 km/h. And he received the first fine in history

many times the problem is another

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In recent years, the use of the word ‘depression’ the truth is that has been expanding to refer to practically any type of state of being a little sadder than normal. This is precisely what you wanted highlight the psychologist Marian Rojas, who points out that “many people don’t have depression, what they have is an empty life”a phenomenon that deserves a careful approach from medicine to avoid diagnostic confusion and inadequate treatment. In this way, when there is an existential voidyou may even think that what you are suffering from is depression. But the reality is very different, and the treatment may be useless (beyond the placebo effect). What is existential emptiness? It is described as a feeling of lack of meaning, purpose or satisfaction in the life one is having. In this way, it is not a mental disorder per se, but rather a human state that can generate anguish, hopelessness and disconnection with oneself and the environment. According to Viktor Frankl, a pioneer in logotherapy, existential emptiness occurs when the individual does not find reasons that give meaning to their existence, generating deep vital frustration and a feeling of “being empty inside”. existential void. In this way, scientific studies support that existential emptiness is associated with feelings of hopelessness and apathy, and may be a risk factor for develop an anxiety problem or depression if not addressed in time. But it is not that existential emptiness is a synonym for suffering from depression; it is a mental disorder that alters, in a very basic way, the chemistry of our brain. What is certain is that this lack of meaning is also linked to a greater risk of suicide, mainly when the person feels useless or disoriented in their life purpose. What is clinical depression. On the other hand, we have this mental disorder that can be diagnosed by a doctor and is characterized by a persistent combination of symptoms such as deep sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, fatigue, changes in appetite and sleep. This is a condition that requires a combination of psychological therapy along with drugs that can partially reverse this situation. It is important to note that although depression can lead to feelings of emptiness, sadness and hopelessness, existential emptiness can appear without the clinical signs that allow depression to be diagnosed. Therefore, not all discomfort related to life dissatisfaction should automatically be labeled as depression. Key differences. The first thing to understand in this case is that depression manifests itself with persistent symptoms for at least two weeks and that it affects multiple areas of life. But experimental emptiness can be a less intense discomfort that is limited to more temporary situations. Furthermore, depression presents clear physical symptoms such as fatigue or sleep disturbance, something that does not match the existential emptiness that is related to a lack of purpose and meaning in life. But a more important point is that in depression there is a biochemical alteration in the brain related to serotonin and other neurotransmitters. And that is why we give specific drugs to increase the concentration of these molecules that are altered in this mental disorder. But in the existential void this does not happen. Why it is important. Differentiating them is essential to provide the best possible help, because treating a person with depression is not the same as treating a person with an experimental void. As we have said before, clinical depression may require pharmacological treatment, cognitive therapy or even both at the same time. But on the other hand, the experimental void only needs psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at finding meaning and personal values. Because basically giving an antidepressant to someone who does not have depression is like giving them candy, since if there is no alteration in the level of neurotransmitters in the brain, the effect is null. It is the same as giving antidepressants to someone who does not have this disease, since it will not cause any effect or even greater euphoria. Regain control of the narrative. What Marian Rojas puts on the table It is not a denial of depression.a serious and real illness that requires rigorous treatment, but a warning about how we are interpreting our own discomfort. In a hyperconnected but socially atomized world, it is easy to feel that emptiness. The easy solution is to ask for a medical diagnosis that validates our pain. The difficult solution, but often the necessary one according to modern psychology, is to accept that sometimes being unwell does not mean being sick, but rather it is a warning signal from our brain to make structural changes in how we live, what we work at, and who we love. As studies on quality of life and mental health suggest, the cure for the “empty life” is not in the pharmacy, but in the reorientation of values ​​and reconnection with a purpose, something that, unfortunately, no algorithm or prescription can do for us. Images | Sydney Latham Nik Shuliahin In Xataka | We’ve found a clue to depression in an unexpected place: vinegar

The biggest barrier to improving your running times is not your body: it is your worn-out shoes.

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I don’t want to put pressure on anyone, but there are 24 days left until the Valencia Trinidad Alfonso Zurich 2025 Marathon. It is, probably, the most important event of the year for marathoners on the national scene. Valencia has become a reference inside and outside our borders for the most advanced runners. But it has also become the perfect showcase to continue gaining followers in a world where groups of runners for all levels multiply, specialty coffee shops with running clubs and, phone in handthe new followers of a religion that seems not to reach its ceiling. New faithful who are bombarded with new training plans, with the benefits of the Norwegian methodclothing brands that have understood the concept with a clear turn towards design and fashion or with YouTube channels in which the latest shoe, the latest revolutionary foam and the most complex carbon plate are analyzed. And among numbers that already exceed three figures, the next generation GPS watch and the t-shirt that weighs 35 grams, sometimes we forget that running, which is running, is run with our feet. And what we wear is key to avoiding injuries. This is what Marta Molina, a doctor in traumatology, maintains, who in statements to ABC warns: we must change shoes every 700 kilometers. A big “it depends” “Each runner has different biomechanics. Detecting imbalances or poor support technique can prevent future injuries (…) The most frequent injuries that we see in consultation during these weeks (prior to the Valencian appointment) are Achilles tendinopathies, overloads in calves, plantar fasciitis or discomfort in the knee and hip derived from excessive training or inappropriate footwear” As a runner with a decade under my belt, I will say that I have gone through each and every one of those concepts at some point. In the form of injuries or discomfort, but I have not missed any of those diagnoses along the way. And what’s worse, I have the feeling that most of those who start in this sport go through some type of discomfort of this type. It shouldn’t be like this but usually we don’t realize the mistake until we have hit the wall. Molina talks about inappropriate footwear and change it after 700 kilometers. And yes, it is a common problem. Either for investing little initial money or for wanting to stretch the gum of a product (that of running shoes) whose RRP has settled above 150 euros in a good part of the market. Dani Navarro, a worker at Bikilaone of the most renowned stores in the country. “Our feedback from customers is that training shoes usually last between 700 and 900 kilometers. There can always be exceptions due to pure biomechanics, runners who do not reach that mileage or who, due to having a very refined technique, far exceed them.” In Runneaa media specialized in this sport, echoed a study in which they pointed out that training shoes began to lose part of their properties and effectiveness after 400 kilometers but that runners did not perceive the decrease in performance until 640 kilometers. The problem is that the first warning is usually discomfort. Navarro also points out two important details. The first thing is that it talks about “training shoes”. The second thing is that it puts the focus on the foams. “The mileage could be extended a little if the shoes are rotated, especially for those who run daily. This way the materials don’t wear out as much and they don’t crush the materials as much.” These two points are key, especially with the arrival of the new foams that offer a much softer and more reactive touch but whose useful life is also in question. The so-called “training shoes” are recommended for people who are starting out in sports because they are the ones that protect the muscles the most and are the most comfortable for going at slow paces. They are also used by experienced runners when they want to accumulate kilometers in preparation. The lower the weight and the better the technique, the more kilometers you can get out of the shoes. The catalog is very wide and varied, from the classic Saucony Triumph or Brooks Glycerin with a slightly firmer feel to the ubiquitous and very soft Nike Invincible, which have earned a place in hearts for their endless padding. But both Molina and Navarro agree on the same point: exceed mileage of shoes increases the risk of injury. The shoe is more likely to become more unstable and the joints and muscles will face a greater challenge. In addition, you have to take into account what you buy and why. Navarro remembers that there are “mixed sneakers” designed to run a little faster, face training plans with series or changes of pace (the famous fartleck). These shoes are predicted to have an average useful life of about 600 kilometers. Sneakers among which we find classics such as the Adidas Adizero Boston, the legendary Nike Pegasus or the more modern New Balance Fuelcell Rebel. At the higher end in price and muscular demand are “competition shoes”, items designed to perform to the maximum of our possibilities but with a very short useful life “of 300 or 400 kilometers” estimates the Bikila expert. The maximum representative of this last option were the Adidas Adizero Pro EVOsneakers weighing 138 grams with which Tigst Assefa breaks the women’s marathon world record and that the German company itself warned of a useful life of a single competition and the prior filming for the adaptation of the runner. Starting price: 500 euros and limited units. A category that was previously dominated by aggressive flyers with half-toe midsole and where now foams of wild sizes reign and carbon plates, a new trend that was inaugurated by the Nike Vaporfly and that competitors have replicated with the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro, the Saucony Endorphin Elite or the most striking Hoka Cielo X or the galactic Puma Fast R Nitro Elite. … Read more

They have tried to adapt it three times, but it is so strange that they never managed to achieve it

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As often happens periodically, Stephen King is back in fashion. HBO has released, with notable success, a new prequel, It is in series formatfrom ‘It’. And a couple more adaptations coincide on the big screen, ‘Chuck’s life‘ and ‘The long march‘, with a new version of ‘Pursued‘ around the corner. However, there are some of his works that resist adaptation. ‘The eyes of the dragon’ is one of the most unique cases. What is it about? The fantasy ‘The Eyes of the Dragon’ was published in 1984 and is one of his first exceptions to the pure horror universes that King had been generating since ‘Carrie’: a novel that mixes political intrigue, magic and a fictional universe in line with what he would later do, in a much more sophisticated way, in ‘The dark tower‘. The novel tells the story of the fictional kingdom of Delain, where the throne is marked by the struggle between two brothers, Peter and Thomas, and the dark power of the evil wizard Flagg (there is a connection, in fact, with ‘The Dark Tower’). Why is it special? It is a more accessible and less violent fantasy than his other books, designed for a broader audience and with an adventurous approach that distances itself from the crudeness of other books. It is this same uniqueness that has made it difficult to adapt, since it demands a certain visual finish that is not cheap to achieve. The mixture of classic fantasy elements with psychological suspense and King’s own tension also makes it a work that is difficult to pigeonhole. And we already know how little that is liked in Hollywood. First attempt. The first serious attempt to adapt “The Eyes of the Dragon” was through an animated film. It was going to be produced by the French studio WAMC Entertainment, it was announced in the late 90s to be released around the year 2000. It was a very ambitious project in terms of budget, estimated at around 45 million dollars, something unusual for an animated film that was not strictly children’s at the time. However, despite the initial investment and the enthusiasm of the parties involved, the production encountered multiple technical and financial difficulties that ended it: deadlines were extended, costs skyrocketed and the creative vision began to blur. Ultimately, the studio ended up losing the rights. Second attempt. In 2012 it was the turn of Syfy, the cable channel known for adapting with considerable success works that were considered difficult to bring to the general public, such as ‘Dune’. The idea here was to use the miniseries format that had worked for other Stephen King adaptations such as ‘The Tommyknockers’, ‘The Store’, ‘It’ or ‘Apocalypse’. However, the project did not advance much and neither creative teams nor anything that went beyond the pre-production phase were firmly proposed. Third attempt. And Hulu arrived in 2019. There was some commotion, because the showrunner assigned was going to be Seth Grahame-Smith, who as a writer has had a couple of hits like ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ and ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’, but who as a screenwriter has had a somewhat erratic career: he was assigned to sequels to ‘Gremlins’ or ‘Bitelchús’ a decade ago, and more recently he was the first showrunner from the ‘Green Lantern’ series, but ended up leaving the series. And yes, he produced the recent and successful films that adapted ‘It’ by, precisely, Stephen King. The project was compared in tone to a kind of ‘Game of Thrones’ for young people. In September 2020, however, Hulu announced the cancellation of production. The reasons were not entirely clear publicly, but there was talk of budgetary difficulties, strategic changes to the platform and the impact of COVID. We continue waiting. King is so prolific and his name is so attractive to the public that it is not necessary to squeeze every corner of his bibliography in search of material to adapt: ​​there is plenty. ‘The Eyes of the Dragon’, however, is a relatively strange piece in his work: we may see it adapted if at some point that long-awaited definitive version of ‘The Dark Tower’ is created, since both have multiverses that are easy to connect. Until then, we will continue with the raw and bloody visions of the most commercial King. In Xataka | ‘Blackwater’ is one of the publishing events of the moment: economical, best-selling, addictive and serialized

55 times more than its employees

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It is logical that the main director of a large company listed on the Ibex 35 has a high salary. After all, the responsibility of managing the money and resources entrusted to you by your investors falls on your shoulders. However, there is some debate about How much should CEOs earn? of companies with respect to the average salary of their employees. A recent report of the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) confirms that each year the salary gap that exists between bosses and their employees grows larger. Rising wage gap. He CNMV analysis maintains that in 2024 Ibex 35 executives earned 55 times more than the average salary of employees in their own companies. This value has grown from the 53 times recorded in the previous year’s report. This calculation, according to the same report, was “only” 18 times in those listed outside the Ibex 35 and the global average of all Spanish listed companies was 33 times the average salary of their employees. This figure is above the 31 times that was recorded in 2023, evidencing an upward evolution of the wage gap that shows no signs of stopping. Salaries in figures. The CNMV report indicates that, over the last 20 years, the average salary of Ibex 35 CEOs has multiplied by 2.7, going from 1.37 million euros in 2004 to 3.73 million in 2024, which represents a total increase of 172%. On the other hand, only in 2024, the average salary of executive directors increased by 7.6%, reaching an average of 1.9 million euros, a salary amount that was far exceeded by some of the main executives of the Ibex 35. According to what was published by Digital EconomyHéctor Grisi, CEO of Santander, would have received a salary of 8.3 million euros; Carlos Torres, president of BBVA, received a remuneration of 7.15 million, or Florentino Pérez, president of ACS, who pocketed 7.95 million euros in 2024. In contrast to them, we find cases very far from those figures, such as that of the president of Aena, Maurici Lucena, who earned 190,857 euros gross in the same period. The magnitude of the gap. At the same time managers’ salaries reached three-digit increases, the average salary in Spain only rose 49.48% during the same period. In the case of employees, the average gross salary went from 18,435.6 euros in 2004 to 27,558.7 current euros. This increase was even below the accumulated inflation in that period which, according to INE data, It stands at 56.3%. This means that the average salaries of the workers of these companies not only did not grow at the same rate than that of their bossesbut it meant a direct loss of their purchasing power. Salaries have not only grown for CEOs. The data reveal that the salary increase has not only been recorded among executive directors, but remuneration to the boards of directors has also increased, increasing by up to 5.3% in 2024 alone, with an average total per leadership of 4.3 million euros. The report underlines that even within this business elite there is also a wage gap marked by gender. In 2024, female Ibex 35 executive directors earned, on average, 30.4% more than their male counterparts, although, due to the low number of women at the highest management level, this data varies greatly depending on the company and its representativeness is limited. In Xataka | The highest paid Spanish manager in the world does not work in a large technology company: he sells “sugar water” Image | Flickr (World Travel & Tourism Council), Wikimedia Commons (Barcex), CNMV

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