West

The Spanish rail giant had planned to build a lightwail between Jerusalem and the West Bank. Now has a problem

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The Basque CAF It is found In the international view for its participation in the Jerusalem Railway Project, which connects Israeli settlements considered illegal by the United Nations. The pressure on the company has intensified after appearing cited in An official report of the UN on companies that benefit from the occupation. A dispute project. CAF has been part of a consortium with the Israeli Shapir since 2019 to build and expand the red and green lines of the Light Jerusalem Rail. The project, valued at 1.8 billion euros, includes 27 kilometers of new roads and 50 stations that connect settlements in the West Jerusalem. The Basque company would take more than 500 million euros for construction and equipment, in addition to its participation in management for 15 to 25 years. Why is it problematic. The UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, has included to CAF in its report “of the economy of occupation to the economy of the genocide”, presented before the Human Rights Council. According to the document, these infrastructure “contribute to the maintenance and consolidation of illegal settlements” and connect the colonies with Israel “while excluding and segregating the Palestinians.” The Human Rights Council itself declared the project illegal in 2016 and 2017. The pressure intensifies. Amnesty International has been asking CA for years to leave the project. “CAF cannot continue looking the other way and not meet international recommendations,” affirms Esteban Beltrán, director of the NGO in Spain. The organization also claims the Spanish government and the Basque Government, a shareholder of the company, to evaluate the CAF links with “the illegal behavior of Israel.” Others are retiring. The case It is not isolated. In 2024, the Catalan Comsa withdrew from the consortium that had won the construction of the blue line of the Jerusalem tram. The Basque Acerera Sidenor also announced that it will stop serving steel to Israeli companies. International funds such as the Norwegian sovereign have retired their participations from Shapir, a partner of CAF, and the manager Storeband excluded CAF from his portfolio for his participation in the project. CAF’s response. The company maintains in its sustainability reports that “no violation of human rights has been detected” derived from their participation and describes the territories as “object of political controversy.” However, for international organizations, CAF is obviating the resolutions of the UN Security Council, the European Union and the International Court of Justice on the illegality of settlements. Between the lines. The project places CAF at a crossroads between commercial interests and international pressure. Your shareholders include to the Basque Government, Kutxabank, the Matrix of the Mayoral Textile and the workers themselves with 25% of the shares. Meanwhile, the geopolitical context has hardened after the attacks of October 7 and the Israeli response in Gaza, increasing international scrutiny over any company linked to occupied territories. Cover image | Alexander Berezhnoy In Xataka | Ryanair’s escape in small airports has taken Andalusia to a radical idea: his own independent “aena”

There are more and more older people dying for falls in the US. And the culprit is an old acquaintance in the West

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We recently discovered that from the age of 35 our performance did not collapse as it had been thought, but rather On the contrary. However, it is a law of life that new problems derived from health and our physical form arrive with old age. In fact, in the United States they have realized one thing: more and more elderly die from falls, and have found the culprit. A growing problem. In the United States, falls have become one of the main causes of death among older people. In 2023 they died More than 41,000 adults over 65 years of injuries associated with fallsand the mortality rate has tripled in three decades. The most vulnerable group, those over 85, went from 92 deaths per 100,000 in 1990 A 339 in 2023. This increase is alarming because it coincides with decades of programs, medical guides and investments to prevent falls that, despite the efforts, have failed to reverse the trend. Drugs as a trigger. Epidemiologist Thomas Farley holds that differentiates it with countries like Japan or Europe lies in the high medication of the greatest Americans. Points to the called Frids (“Fall Risk Drugs”), a group that includes benzodiazepines, opioids, antidepressants, gabapentin, certain classic heart and antihistamine medications such as diphenhydramine. These drugs induce sleepiness, dizziness or weakness, and are linked to 50–75% more falls in the elderly. His proliferation, in his opinion, explains why deaths multiplied without other factors, such as loss of mobility, poor vision or risk risks, have worsened in the same proportion. Other factors. Other specialists like Thomas Gill and Neil Alexander Matizan In the New York Times That vision. They point out that before death certificates used to attribute the death of elders to heart failure or other ailments, minimizing the role of falls. Today Document betterwhich increases statistics. In addition, medicine prolongs the lives of people with chronic diseases and multiple disabilities, making the current cohort of over 85 years Be more fragile than that of thirty years ago. That accumulated fragility could partly explain why they survive less after a fall. Also, although the use of opioid and benzodiazepines has decreased or stabilized, they have The prescriptions are grown of antidepressants and gabapentin, which maintains the pharmacological exposure. The urgency of the “discomfort.” Before the consensus that drugs play a key role, the emerging strategy It is the “discomfort”: Review and remove unnecessary medication or adjust doses to reduce risks. Networks like the US depressal recordch network They insist that it is easy to prescribe, but difficult to remove treatments once established, by clinical inertia and patient resistance. The list Beers Criteria I already recommend alternative therapiesas cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia, physiotherapy, exercise and psychological approaches for pain, instead of powerful anxiolytic or analgesics. Samurai discipline to the rescue. In parallel to the numbers of the United States, Un work from the University of Tohoku revealed that The re-hoa traditional Japanese practice associated with the samurai that consists of slow and controlled movements of sitting, rising and walking, can significantly improve the strength of the knees and reduce the risk of falls in seniors. In just three months, adults who made this routine for five minutes a day, four times a week, increased on average 25.9% Its knee extension force, compared to 2.5% of the control group. The method, which does not require equipment and minimizes risks of injury, is raised as an accessible alternative to combat the loss of muscle mass and the fragility of age, combining physical benefits with the cultural value of an ancestral tradition adapted to the challenges of modern health. Preventable tragedy. Be that as it may, each fall that causes fractures, brain injuries or dependence is a devastating event that alters lives and generates huge costs. The paradox is that many of these deaths They could be prevented with a more rigorous control of the prescription and with programs that prioritize non -pharmacological interventions. The key, in the case of the United States, points to patients and caregivers demanding their doctors Check the treatments and raise alternatives, because often that conversation does not happen. The increase in deaths from falls in the elderly, far from being an inevitable consequence of aging, reflects failures in the care model and opens an urgency: to balance the extension of life with the quality and safety of those years won. Image | MR.FINK’S Finest In Xataka | We had always thought that after 35 our performance collapsed. Is the opposite In Xataka | China has a huge youth unemployment problem. So much, that some people pretend that they work

There are American and Europeans fed up with the lack of “traditional values” of the West. So they are moving to Russia

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Surprising data were known last May: more and more Americans sought to leave the country to Live in Europe. The problem: that the old continent seemed to be closing its doors with migratory policies stricter. What very few anticipated is a new migratory current: that of Westerners who, seeking to recover the “traditional values” that have been lost … and end in Russia. The attraction for the Russia of War. I told it last week The Financial Times. In full invasion of Ukraine and under an increasingly repressive regime, a group of Westerners has chosen to move to Russia in search of what they perceive as “traditional values” in front of a west who consider decadent. Among the most notorious cases is Derek Huffman’san Arizona welder and father of six children, who emigrated with his wife and children alleging rejection of “LGBT indoctrination”, immigration and insecurity in the United States. To accelerate the obtaining of Russian citizenship, he decided to enroll in the Army and fight in Ukrainedefending Even on YouTube that he did to gain respect and a future in his new country. His extreme case has received criticism and also media attentionbecoming a symbol of a reduced but very publicized phenomenon. The “visa of shared values”. Moscow launched in 2024 A special visa For disenchanted western, which facilitates permanent residence to about 150 people per month, a measure that reminds of Soviet propaganda that opposed a corrupt West to a supposedly moral Russia. Although in numbers they are just A few hundredtheir stories receive great diffusion in YouTube channels with Professional productionseveral of them linked to Russia Today According to researchwhich suggests a state effort to amplify the narrative of Russia as a refuge for the conservatives of the West. Examples and integration networks. There are many more cases in addition to the Huffman, such as The one of the Feenstraa Canadian family with eight children who settled on a farm in Nizhni Nóvgorod and reached almost 200,000 subscribers On YouTube, or Stephen Shoresan American computer scientist turned to orthodoxy who claims to feel freer in Russia against the “culture of cancellation”, although he lives under the threat of Ukrainian drones. At the institutional level, figures such as Maria Butina (former Russian agent deported in the United States) and businessmen such as The German Jakob Pinneker They help these immigrants to integrate, facilitating their installation and extolling the “family order and values.” Contradictions and realities. While the Kremlin exhibits these cases as proof of its appeal, the reality is that tens of thousands of Russians They have fled since 2022 to avoid mobilization, political repression and international isolation. In the country itself, thousands of people fulfill condemns for protesting against war or publicly disagree with the regime. The paradox It is evident: Those who come from the West Echoes of the Cold War. What we see today has clear historical parallels with the Soviet strategy during the Cold War. At that time, the USSR I tried to attract to intellectuals, artists and western militants who felt marginalized or frustrated with the capitalism and politics of their countries. Many communists and supporters They traveled to Moscow convinced That there they would find equality and social justice, some even acquired Soviet citizenship or were used in propaganda campaigns that showed the “exploitative west” against “socialist paradise.” The most emblematic case was that of The deserters North Americans who, after the Korean or Vietnam War, sought refuge in the USSR or allies like Cuba and North Korea, converted in trophies ideological. Strategic background. The flow of Westerners to Russia is minimal in figures, but useful in the propaganda plane. Under the official narrative, it reinforces the idea that Russia is not isolated and that even citizens of the Western enemy seek refuge under their flag for reasons of values ​​and morals. In the geopolitical plane, it points to an attempt to counteract the story of a country in crisis and project the image of cultural strength against a fragmented West. Of course, social also reveals the existence of disenchanted minorities In Europe and the United States that, not finding lace in their societies, becomes something very similar to useful pieces for Moscow’s speech. Image | RakoonDerek Huffman/YouTube In Xataka | More and more Americans want to live outside the US but they have a problem: Europe is closing its doors In Xataka | Digital nomadic visas: the countries hook to attract the best digital talent without paying the cost to keep them

Ukraine has just opened the tanks used by Russia. The surprise is capital: West has manufactured them

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In the war there are also “unboxing”, but of combat drones. In fact, this is how they have been revealed from hidden messages of the troops of Moscow, until The origin of the vast majority of technology components (with big surprises). It was also revealed to what extent China is part of the war machinery, or even that the power of these unmanned combat planes has Nvidia as an engine major. What we did not know so far is what was inside the Russian tanks. Foreign dependence. Yeah, Revelation of Ukrainian intelligence on the massive use of Western and Asian teams in the production of Russian tanks has revealed to what extent Kremlin’s industrial self -sufficiency It is compromised. He Updated report Del Gur details more than 260 high precision machines employed by uralvagonzavodthe only great manufacturer of combat cars in Russia and responsible for the entire range of T-seriesfrom the V-72 veterans to him T-14 Armata. Made in the West. The majority of these teams, which include American vertical lathes, Italian folding German machining centers and presses, were acquired in the fifteen years prior to 2022during military modernization prior to the invasion of Ukraine. In other words, although they do not constitute violations of the most recent sanctions, their presence in Russian factories raises a continuity problem: Without spare parts or software updates, armored production runs the risk of degrading quickly. The central role of Uralvagonzavod. Based in the urales, Uralvagonzavod It concentrates the heart of the Russian capacity of armor, holding a production that is estimated at 20 to 30 new tanks per month, despite the pressure of the war. In 2024 he opened a equipped engines plant with European CNC machinesevidence of how even in the middle of the war campaign Russia continued to benefit from foreign technology through indirect routes and third countries. The gur warns That these deliveries, although more complicated and expensive due to the sanctions, have not stopped, which keeps alive the assembly line of the Russian armored ones. The paradox is that the Soviet industrial prestige, once a symbol of self -sufficiency, now rests largely on the legacy of foreign machinery. The strategic dimension. The Published list By Ukraine, which also collects 42 types of equipment from Austria, Japan, South Korea and China, points to a broader pattern: Russia uses a total of 1,396 foreign machines in 169 factories linked to the invasion. Each of these teams It is documented through contracts, recordings and files of state acquisitions, which gives the probative weight to the complaint. The Ukrainian message seems clear: when cutting access to spare parts, technical fluids and software licenses, the Russian military industrial base can be strangled. kyiv has proposed Reinforced diligence measures, such as adding GPS trackers to exported machines and demanding in situ inspections, in order to prevent their products from ending up holding the enemy war industry. Vulnerability mirrors. We have counted before. The finding of Western components and Chinese in drones long -range manufactured by Moscow, local versions of the Iranian Shahed, reinforces the thesis that the Russian military industry depends critically on foreign pieces. Kremlin can hide this weakness With propaganda On its technological autonomy, but in practice its war machine is based on gears manufactured in countries that are today part of the Block that sanctions it. Putin himself, aware of the limits of production, He publicly admitted In April that “there are not enough weapons”, reflecting the tensions between the self -sufficiency discourse and the reality of an industry that, without access to the West, runs the risk of being paralyzed. The industrial Achilles heel. If you want, the Ukrainian complaint converts the Russian dependence on a strategic Achilles heel: while its army spends armored in the front at a higher pace, the ability to manufacture new depends on Machines that do not control. If the sanctions manage to isolate Moscow with spare parts and services, the ability to sustain their war effort could deteriorate irreversibly. When exposing these vulnerabilities, kyiv not only seeks to weaken the enemy, but also directly involve To Western manufacturers and governments in the supervision of their export chains, remembering that another battle is fought in the Ural workshops: that of the industrial pulse that can decide war. Image | Вталий кзьин In Xataka | Ukraine has opened the most advanced Drone Kamikaze in Russia. Now they know what the key to their power is: nvidia In Xataka | Ukraine has hunted an “invisible” drone of Russia. The surprise has been capitalized when opening it: it is “made in USA”

The Critical Mineral Companies of the West are trapped between the US and its best client: China

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Western companies that are dedicated to the extraction and processing of critical minerals are between the sword and the wall. These raw materials They are fundamental for many strategic industriessuch as those of semiconductors, telecommunications, advanced weapons or electric car, so USA and China are using them as a resource to exert pressure on the other. This situation represents a very serious problem for Western mining companies because Donald Trump’s government has imposed very strict controls to China of these minerals, as well as High tariffs. Rio Tinto and BHP are the world’s largest western miners, and its best client is China. In fact, According to Volt Rush In 2024, 57% of Rio Tinto’s income came from China compared to 16.7% of the US. Losing the Chinese market is not an option for these companies, so the managers of the two companies I just mentioned have met with President Donald Trump in the White House with the purpose of defending their interests and protecting their position in China. However, they also have something to offer to the Administration: the possibility of reinforcing the US supply chain by opening new deposits in the country, such as the “Resolution Copper” project of Arizona, delayed for years due to the opposition of the Apache tribe of San Carlos. China dominates an essential market for the US and its allies: that of rare earths On April 4, just 24 hours after Donald Trump announced the taxes that he was going to apply to the importation of most products from abroad, The administration led by Xi Jinping responded. And he did it forcefully. In early December 2024 He chose to prohibit The export of some critical minerals to the US, among which were three essential metals for the chips industry: Gallium, Germanio and Antimony. Shortly after the Chinese government added two more critical metals to its list of export restrictions: the Scandio and the Disposio. These chemical elements are probably less known than metals prohibited by China previously, such as Gallium or Germanio, but They are at least so important Like the latter because they have a fundamental role in the industries of integrated circuits, telecommunications and the manufacture of storage devices. Many companies have high -power magnet reservations made with rare earths, but possibly they will only allow them to subsist a few months The ability to put pressure from China had not yet been extinguished. Just ten days later, on April 14, the Administration did not hesitate take another step forward With the purpose of putting in check, in addition to the industries that I just mentioned, those of electric cars, aeronautics and advanced armament. To achieve this, it effectively suspended, in addition to the export of the most valuable rare earths, that of high -power magnets that have a critical role in the industries that I have cited in this same paragraph. Chinese authorities are retaining in ports throughout the country not only rare earths, but also high -power magnets acquired by electric cars manufacturers throughout the planet, aerospace companies, chip factories and armament companies. Many of these organizations They have high -power magnet reservations Made with rare earths, but possibly they will only allow them to subsist a few months. Europe in particular is in an extremely delicate position. China’s export controls are directed mainly to the US, but the old continent It does not remain unscathed. At least for the moment. In fact, in Germany, which as we all know is the heart of the European car industry, There are already experts who assure that if China continues to retain rare earths and electric motors some essential parts of the electric cars production chain will stop in a few weeks. For the European car industry this blow would be very difficult to fit. European companies that are dedicated to the manufacture of semiconductors are also in a very compromised situation. According to Reuters Many European chip production lines They will stop very soon Due to the shortage of crucial supplies, which has led the European Chamber of Commerce to meet with officials of the Ministry of Commerce of China to ask them to allow rare earth supply to European companies that are dedicated to the production of integrated circuits. Image | Volker Braun | Gage Skidmore More information | Volt Rush In Xataka | The US will not be able to contain the technological development of China. Experts from the chips industry forecast it

Casio knows that his calculators have the lost battle in the West. So you have designed a B: Africa

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In a world dominated by smartphones, where any mobile has a calculator application, it might seem that the days of pocket calculators are counted. However, Casio, the Japanese giant who has been in the business for almost 60 years, has a plan to stay as a relevant company: carry its scientific calculators to the classrooms of developing countries. In search of the ideal countries to continue expanding. Since its first scientific calculator in 1972 was launched, Casio has achieved great achievements such as a reference in the Spanish Meracdo. But now he focuses on eight countries in Asia and Africa, among which are Egypt, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladés and the Philippines. The calculator as an infallible ‘antitrampas’ system. The program baptized as ‘Gakuhan’ is not limited to selling calculators only. Casio seeks to promote teaching methods that integrate these devices, pressing so that schools use them in classes and allow their use in exams. The reason is simple: the calculators They have a much less copy risk than smartphoneslacking Internet connection functions. In the case of Spain this is something that we see in the selectivity, for example, where one of the requirements is obviously not having any electronic device on top and Nor any calculator that can transmit information. Although always when you get to Baccalaureate, it is raised The question of which is the best calculator to study. And this is precisely what they sell to the professors of Asia and Africa with a sales manager who has become the official ambassador of this program. The objective of its task is clear: create educational material where the calculator is essential to develop the activity and offer competencies to students. A market in decline, but with a resilient niche. Despite the presence of smartphones, Casio has managed to maintain a stable business with calculators. Although the sales of this device have fallen two thirds from its peak in the last 20 years, the company sold more scientific calculators than basic last year. In fact, it has expanded its range of scientific calculators to 73 models, 40% more than seven years ago, to adapt to the subtle differences of each country. European countries have their ‘antitrampra’ versions. For example, in Germany and France Comas are used instead of points for decimals and the graphic calculators of the United Kingdom They have an “exam mode” that deactivates the functions not allowed. Although the educational technology business of Casio is not as large as that of watches, which generates 60% of total salesit does provide a constant income flow. The company expects Sell 23 million scientific calculators in 202510% more than the previous year. Other products have not had the same fate as calculators. Mobile phones have caused the disappearance of many products or even icons that we had normalized in our society, such as public phones, Pocket cameras or the music players like the walkman either The iPod. In this case they have failed to reinvent themselves to continue advancing with the new advances of society. Others, such as instantaneous cameras, They still have their niche Within lovers of Vintage, Like what happens with vinyl. But in this case the calculators in mobiles, tablets or computers do not seem to end the products dedicated to it. In institutes it remains a practically mandatory product and on which we depend on not making the calculations with a pen and paper such as a simple division. Images | Robert Schneider Aaron Lefler Doug Linstedt In Xataka | Better scientific calculators: which to buy for the institute and the university and eight recommended models from 10 euros

We knew that North Korea has been infiltrating workers in companies in the West. Now we know how they do

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North Korea has been infiltrating teleworkors with false identities in United States companies. After that country became more hostile, the actor’s attention turned to Europe. According to the FBI, the Department of Justice and Googlewhat these employees pursue is to get income to finance the North Korea Nuclear Program. He modus operandi It was a great unknown. Until now. A framework without any improvisation. A cybersecurity researcher who responds to the name of Sttyk It was made with a database that has shown the environment Wired. The files include, according to Sttyk, “dozens of data gigabytes” and “thousands of emails.” From this information an organized workers’ structure is extracted in twelve groups, which in turn have approximately other twelve members. They respond to a general “master boss.” Organization in spreadsheets. The group works using the Slack communication tool, Google, Github and spreadsheets accounts. In the latter, an exhaustive follow -up of the works and the progress of the objectives, both economic and strategic, is made. They even collect the needs of specific jobs (required programming languages) of the companies to attack and their locations, with a record of whether there have been contact with the companies or progress of the process. How they get work. A few days ago, the BBC collected Jin-Su’s testimonya false North Korean teleworking that managed to defect. He said that most of the time of his work focused on acquiring fraudulent identities to request work. He went through Chinese, but aware that he needed Western identities, more attractive to the labor market, he got identities of people from Hungary, Türkiye or the United Kingdom. From there, the most involved workers in the process of getting work are the ones who most dominate English, although the fact that communications with technology companies are done by platforms such as Slack helps a lot. Also that many interviews are not made face to face, although that can be reversed with the proliferation of interviews made with artificial intelligence. Researchers have found identical curriculum among the suspects of being false workers. What jobs do they point to. We knew that false teleworkors were looking for employment in technology companies. The filtration is confirmed and limited to the areas: artificial intelligence, blockchain, Bots development, web development and mobile apps and desktop, CMS development, etc. The question of income. Jin-Su said that several works between the United States and Europe, earned about $ 5,000 per month. From what I entered, I had to pay 85% to North Korea, and even so, he said “it is much better than when we were in North Korea.” According to a United Nations report in March 2024, workers manage to generate between 250 and 600 million euros per year for their country of origin. The money they retain has a lot of value when they return to their country (many work from Russia or China, where they have more freedom), so the reasons for dropout lose weight. In parallel to this group of teleworkors operate the hackers that They steal cryptocurrencies To pass at the hands of the regime. Only in a blow in March this year they got 1,500 million, but in December 2024 they accumulated Other 1.3 billion in 47 blows. Working conditions that scare. The filtration presents a scenario that, although better than the one in North Korea, is nothing flattering for the workers involved in the plot. According to a Slack recording, the boss’s account stated in a message that “everyone should work more than at least 14 hours a day.” Although it sounds a lot, it does not perform from the model of some Silicon Valley companies or of the Elon Musk vision and its 120 hours per week. Images | Kremlin and Altumcode in Unspash In Xataka | Now we know everything that the new North Korea resort offers for 2,000 dollars. There is only one rule: be Russian

A night train to connect Europe from this to west

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Renfe has several challenges ahead and one of the most challenging is expanding. It already has a powerful presence in Spain, now more competed after road release and the arrival of external agents like Iro and Ouigoand the next step is Europe. To do this, Renfe has certain allies such as Leo Express, a Czech company of which Renfe has 50% and who is working on his most ambitious project: to join Eas to West Europe with a night train and a very long route. Leo Express? Let’s start at the beginning. Four years ago, in August 2021, Renfe acquired 50% of the capital of the Private Czech company Leo Express for seven million euros (in shares). This operation, explained from Renfe at the time, had a strategic purpose: expand in Europe. Leo Express operates international connections in countries such as Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, both trains and buses, but this new route will undoubtedly be the longest. Image | Leo Express From this to west. As he has advanced Rail Tech And we have been able to confirm from Xataka through the Federal Agency for Transport Regulation of Belgium (PDF), Leo Express is working on a route that will link Belgium with Slovakia. Specifically, the route will be from Ostende (Belgium) to Bratislava (Slovakia). From Xataka we have contacted Leo Express for more information and we will update in the case of receiving response. Time. It will be a long trip with 50 stops. The train will pass through four countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany and Belgium) and will stop in cities such as Prague, Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Brussels and witches, among others. The train will leave at 7:10 p.m. and will arrive in Bratislava at 14:18 the next day. The return trip will be at 14:44 and will end at 21:52. Image | Leo Express The train. Leo Express will wear modernized RIC passenger cars and Siemens Vectron Locomotoras. That is, the train will have a maximum speed of 160 km/Hy a capacity of around 450 seats, although by December 2028 they intend to expand the capacity to 550 passengers. These trains will work as night trains and, as such, they will have cars with options and/or optional literas. A huge challenge. One thing is the intention and another that the action comes to fruition. Leo Express, and therefore, have to coordinate a line in four different national networks, obtain grooves in these networks and operate a train for which they are not preceded. In Belgium, in addition, you will have to partner with a certified operator. Midnight Trains cabin, whose idea was to offer true hotels about rails | Imange: Midnight Trains The background is not flattering. In 2023, the French startup Midnight Trains He wanted to launch a series of international night routes between Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Denmark and France. It was a premium service that even received the approval of the European Commission, which saw in Midnight Trains an initiative to promote cross -border routes on train. The idea was good, but then the problems came: how complex it is to access the Eurotunnel, the lack of financing, etc. The project ended up closing in 2024. The other part, more positive, is the Austrian OBB, which has a division dedicated alone and exclusively to night trains (Nightjet) that connects 13 countries. THE NIGHT TRAIN IN SPAIN. Neither is nor expected. Although night trains are a common modality in Europe, in Spain they do not operate since the time of COVID-19. Renfe suspended this service definitely due to profitability. The background idea is that the night train was a commercial service, not a public one, so it should be profitable by itself and, unfortunately, it was not. In 2019 alone, the last year in which this modality was operational, lost 25 million euros. Cover image | Leo Express In Xataka | A 17 -year -old is the digital nomad par excellence: he lives in trains (and does not get expensive)

China is matching the West in a lot of technologies, but has already overcome something more crucial: research

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Two years ago, in spring 2023, Springer Nature Editorial announced an expected Sorpasso. China had surpassed the United States in the Nature Indexan index created to measure the contribution to the scientific production of countries and institutions. It has been time for that and everything indicates that Chinese science, far from loosening the passage, has increased its distance from its main competitor. Solo leader. The last review of Nature Index Research Leadersthe “classification” based on the index prepared by the editorial responsible for the magazine Natureis A new test of the consolidation of Chinese institutions as a key piece in the global scientific research model. According to those responsible for the index, China achieved in 2024 an index of 32,122, a 17% increase Regarding the previous year, consolidating a first position that he achieved two years ago. From the company that elaborates the index it is also highlighted that the Asian country has eight institutions among the 10 most outstanding worldwide. Evaluating global science. After China and the United States, two European countries occupy the Third and fourth positionrespectively, Germany and the United Kingdom. Asian countries are also consolidated in the national “top 10”, with four countries represented (in addition to China, Japan, South Korea and India), matching the four Europeans in these head positions. The Chinese Academicia opens the List of institutions most outstanding scientists, followed by Harvard University and by the University of Science and Technology of China. The first Spanish institution that we can find in this ranking It is the Higher Council for Scientific Research, the CSIC. Nature Index. But what exactly is this index? He Nature Index It is an index Based on the contributions of scientists attached to various research institutions (whether public, private or companies). These contributions are measured through articles published in a sample of various high -impact scientific journals. Beyond Covid. In 2023 We pointed out That the leadership of Chinese science owed the work done by Chinese institutions in the fight against COVID, for example in the identification and sequencing of the virus some of its variants. However, we also pointed out that this advance also responded to a trend that had already been occurring since before the pandemic. After five years of the pandemic, the data seems to confirm the weight of this ascending trend beyond the situation of the pandemic. An ascent that is exclusive to this Asian giant but is also shared by other countries of the continent, such as South Korea and India, which saw increase in several percentage points (4.1% and 2% respectively) its contribution. This promotion of fact allowed South Korea to overcome Canada, standing in seventh position in this global classification of countries with the highest contribution to science. Tenth place. And what about Spain? The index of Nature Place Spain In thirteenth place in the global, sixth classification among the countries of Europe. Spanish science would be between Italian and Dutch, exactly the same as two years ago. The index in Spanish institutions. We pointed out at the beginning that the CSIC led the Spanish contribution to world science. The contribution of this public institution occupies a leading first place since its index (218) bends to the index of the second institution in the ranking National, the University of Barcelona (86), which is in position 245 in the ranking global. The third position at the national level is held by Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST). In Xataka | European science becomes serious: Eurofusion and CERN will work together in nuclear fusion and new collider Image | Julia Koblitz

While in the West we continue to discuss whether to use in class, China wants students to use it more and more

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In many Chinese university campuses, the use of artificial intelligence is no longer discussed: it is used. According to a mycos institute surveyonly 1 % of teachers and students claimed not to use generative tools. The remaining 99 % do and almost 60 % declare to use them frequently. It is a notable turn with respect to two years ago, when accessing Chatgpt It involved resorting to mirrors and VPN. Today the movement is the opposite: the centers drive their use. As Mit Technology Review points outthe transition has been fast, but planned. At the University of Zhejiang, an introductory subject of AI is mandatory for all students since 2024. Others such as Fudan, Renmin or Nanjing have opened transverse courses to any discipline, beyond computer science or engineering. Beijing marks the passage for AI The focus is in the use with criteria: internal guides, concrete examples, recommendations on what tasks can rely on generative models and which human judgment should prevail. Interaction with the machine is treated as one more skillcomparable to other technical literacy. McKinsey estimates that China will need 6 million professionals with AI domain for 2030 Several universities are developing their own courses focused on local alternatives to Chatgpt. Centers like Shenzhen and Zhejiang have launched teaching programs on Deepseeka model that seeks to position itself as a national reference in generative. Others are already forming their students in the use of Doubao, the chatbot developed by Baidu and one of the most widespread in academic environments. In April 2025, The Chinese Ministry of Education issued national guides for Primary and Secondary, aimed at promoting critical thinkingdigital fluidity and practical application in these academic stages. For its part, Beijing has already mandatory the teaching of AI in all centers of the city, from primary to high school. For the University, these general recommendations have resulted in plans of each institution and the creation of internal courses and regulations. Spain is already moving In Spain there are universities that have gone from the debate to action: new degrees focused on AI and tutors based on AI that accompany the study Without giving the answer made. All with an objective: to train professionals who work with ia without losing critical thinking. If we focus on the rest of the West, the use is massive, but the rules not so much. Let’s deepen a little. USA: Ohio University He has made mandatory The training in AI for all its first year students. In California, programs such as Chatgpt Edu are arriving at public universities to offer free access to generative models. Europe: the European Commission promotes the Digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027with ethical guides and teacher training. Universities such as Maastricht, Gothenburg or Edinburgh have approved their own frames. Networks like Yerun or the US work to harmonize criteria and share good practices. Decisions, for now, remain mostly decentralized: They depend on each institutionof each faculty … and, in many cases, even of each teacher. It is a flexible model, with advantages and disadvantages, compared to the most structured approach that China has adopted. Two different paths to address the same reality: AI has come to stay, and mastering these tools will be key. What is still being defined is how to teach them, when and under what criteria. Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 Flash | Igor Omilaev In Xataka | There are those who believe that the best AIs become more silly over time. It is no madness

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