Month: December 2025

These three alternatives want to change the rules

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Artificial intelligence chatbots have crept into our daily lives without asking permission. We talk to them to work, resolve doubts or simply vent, but many times we overlook an important detail: services as popular as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot They use these conversations by default to train their models. And there they end up ranging from personal issues to work issues that perhaps we would never share with a stranger. For anyone who values ​​privacy, this may be a cause for concern. Turning off training from the settings menu helps, but does not eliminate all risks. There is some possibility that a security breach could also expose conversations. So the question that we haven’t quite resolved returns again: are there alternatives that really put privacy first? And if there are, which ones work best? AI chatbots that better protect our privacy In a new video from Xataka’s YouTube channelFrancisco Franconi tries to shed light on this dilemma. He himself admits that he is not the best example of prudence: over the years he has turned sensitive information in ChatGPT. “He has my tax return, my medical history, he knows what time I walk my dog, how many days I have left on vacation,” he confesses. But this time he is determined to change the rules of the game. After testing several options, it has selected three alternatives that focus on privacy and that also have free versions. He acknowledges that there are more, but he preferred to focus on those that really convinced him. The first is Venice. “Your data is encrypted and are stored locally in your browser and not on its servers,” explains Franco, highlighting one of its big claims. The way Venice works is peculiar: it adopts a different mechanic than usual to manage messages, a process that he details step by step in the video and that helps to understand why it fits so well into a more secure approach. The second proposal is the work of an old privacy acquaintance. “If you are a freak privacy, you most likely know the DuckDuckGo search engine, an alternative to Google that became famous for not track your searches or your history,” says our colleague before presenting Duck.AI. The tool, he assures, has been very well received and its philosophy is clear: “It does not compete by offering its own model, but rather guarantees privacy in the use of commercial or third-party models,” he adds. In the video, Franco also shares practical recommendations for getting the most out of Duck.AI, which is useful if you are looking for a chatbot that fits into more intensive workflows. The third option is, perhaps, the least known, but also the one that makes the most forceful declaration of intentions: Okara. For Franco, this platform is “a declaration of war on the data business model.” Its proposal is supported by its own infrastructure, open source models and an encryption approach that gives full control to the user. “Although your history is stored on their servers, it is encrypted in such a way that only you can decrypt it using your key,” he explains. In addition to explaining how Okara works and what advantages it brings, Franco also talks about its limitations. For some users they will be minor details, but for others they can tip the balance towards one platform or another. Each of these alternatives offers a different approach, but a common goal: privacy. And you, which one would you choose? Have you tried any or are you tempted to take the leap? We read you in the comments. And remember that you can see the full video in the Xataka YouTube channel. Images | Xataka In Xataka | DeepSeek has launched its new reasoner model. It’s free and beats GPT-5

prove that it can also be a PC

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a user shared on Reddit how he managed to install iPadOS on a iPhone 17 Pro Max taking advantage of a security exploit, allowing the phone to benefit from opening multiple windows simultaneously, desktop apps and even support for an external monitor. All to demonstrate how Apple keeps locked capabilities that the iPhone’s own hardware already has. What has happened. The user, who calls himself ‘TechExpert2910’, has published several tests of your iPhone 17 Pro Max running the iPad operating system. It’s not a simulation or an app: it’s iPadOS running natively. The device features multitasking with floating windows, a full desktop interface when connected to an external monitor, and apps normally only available on iPad. All this without affecting performance, as explained by the hacker himself in his publication. Click on the image to go to the post The trick behind the hack. The modification takes advantage of an exploit present in iOS 26.1 which tricks the operating system into thinking it is running on an iPad instead of an iPhone. This unlocks features like a landscape home screen, iPad-style app switcher, more items in the Dock, and, most notably, a full system of floating windows and multitasking management. Apple has already patched this vulnerability in the iOS 26.2 beta, confirming that Apple was aware and wanted to put an end to it. Why it works so well. The key is that iOS and iPadOS share practically all of their code base. “it turns out that iOS has all the iPadOS code (and vice versa; you can, for example, activate Dynamic Island on iPad),” they cited in Wired. They are not different operating systems, but variants of the same software with features enabled or disabled depending on the device. The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes equipped with the chip A19 Pro and 12 GB of RAM, so it has plenty of power to run iPadOS. Apple boasted so much about this chip at its September event that the company even claimed that it offers “MacBook Pro levels of computing.” The foldable iPhone hypothesis. There are many who suggest that this hidden capacity could be prepared for the future foldable iPhone that Apple would plan to launch in the future. And of course, it would be very crazy to think that a device with much more screen space would not take advantage of its larger size with functions like those found on an iPad, especially in terms of multitasking. The debate over Apple’s strategy. The hacker accuses Apple of artificially limiting its devices to force the purchase of more products. The logic makes sense, since Apple has historically prospered by selling a complete ecosystem where each device has its defined space. However, as they point out from Wccftech, this strategy has precedents in Android: Samsung has been offering since 2017 DeXwhich converts mobile phones into desktop computers, without this having necessarily damaged its sales of tablets or laptops. What does this say about the future?. This experiment demonstrates three things. First: the lines of separation between iPhone, iPad and Mac are increasingly blurred. Second: Apple has the tools ready to offer a desktop mode on iPhone, but chooses not to. And third: all the reports suggest that the first foldable iPhone could have a system very similar to iPadOS, if not the same. Although it seems that we will have to wait to find out first-hand what Apple’s strategy will end up being. Cover image | TechExpert2910 (Reddit) In Xataka | How to send files from your Android to an iPhone using Quick Share with AirDrop

India wanted to impose an indelible state app on all mobile phones. In a matter of days he had to take an unexpected turn

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The Government of India movement to force a security app to be installed On all mobile phones sold in the country it has lasted less than a week. On November 28, the Ministry of Telecommunications sent a private communication to the manufacturers in which it gave them 90 days to comply with the measure. However, the general rejection of public opinion, doubts about its impact on cybersecurity and the apparent opposition of some manufacturers have forced a change in plans. The order began to gain public relevance when its internal details became known. Reuters noted that The Government not only requested the mandatory presence of Sanchar Saathi in new mobile phones, but also its incorporation in those already in the supply chain through software updates. The agency also reported that the initial instruction specified that the application could not be disabled. What is Sanchar Saathi. The program’s own website define the tool as a public service aimed at empowering users against fraud and device theft. It is available as a mobile application and also as a web portal, from where it is possible to temporarily lock a lost phone, track subsequent use attempts and, if recovered, reactivate it. The Government frames these functions within a broader digital education effort, with end-user security materials and advisories. From security discourse to doubts about surveillance. The debate intensified when opposition figures and privacy specialists They questioned the initiative. In his opinion, an application managed by the State, coupled with such a broad mandate, required additional guarantees to rule out intrusive uses. Organizations such as the Internet Freedom Foundation They asked for transparency and access to the full legal text. Under pressure, Scindia publicly defended that “spying is not possible” with Sanchar Saathi and denied that the app can be used for surveillance. Opposition from manufacturers added pressure to the process. Reuters indicated that Apple had no intention to comply with the order as it was proposed and that it would convey its objections to the Government, while Samsung and other actors expressed similar reservations. According to sources cited by international media, the companies questioned whether the instruction had been issued without prior consultation and warned of its impact on the privacy policies of their ecosystems. The context was not minor: India has become one of the fastest growing markets for smartphones, especially for companies like Apple and other large manufacturers. An express reverse gear with success figures in hand. The rectification came on December 3, when the Ministry of Communications published a note announcing that mandatory pre-installation was no longer necessary. The decision was justified by the “growing acceptance” by Sanchar Saathi, which according to the Government now has 14 million users and allows around 2,000 frauds to be reported daily. Only the previous day, 600,000 new registrations had driven tenfold growth. Scindia then insisted that “spying is not possible”, despite the skepticism of specialized groups. In recent years, as reported by BloombergIndia has driven decisions that have forced big tech companies to readjust, such as demands for access to encrypted information or recent attempts to have manufacturers distribute the GOV.in public app suite. All of this occurs in a market that is strategic for Apple and Google, both in sales and production. The withdrawal of the mandate makes it clear that these dynamics continue to evolve and that balances will likely continue to be redefined. Images | Ministry of Communications of India | Piyanshu Sharma In Xataka | There are 500 million users who could perfectly upgrade to Windows 11. The problem is that they don’t want to

Brendan Foody, one of the new AI billionaires, has not had a single day off for three years: he doesn’t need it either

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Mark Zuckerberg has been for years the benchmark of success precocious in Silicon Valley for having become the youngest self-made billionaire at just over 23 years old. Now the baton is being taken by new startup founders of artificial intelligence. In this new scenario there is Mercor, an AI recruiting platform founded by three 22-year-old friends who met on the high school debate team and are today listed as the world’s youngest self-made billionaires. Brendan Foody, Adarsh ​​Hiremath and Surya Midha have made it to the Forbes list with an estimated fortune of 2.2 billion dollars. However, all that money has not been enough for them to take a single day of vacation in the last three years. The startup that breaks records. As and as highlighted Fortunein less than nine months the founders of Mercor turned an initial idea into a company with a revenue rate of one million dollars, that meteoric growth places the Foody employment platform among the startups that have climbed the fastest in the current wave of AI. The definitive leap that has put Foody and its partners on the Forbes list came with a financing round of $350 million led by Felicis Ventures, with participation from Benchmark, General Catalyst and Robinhood Ventures, which it granted to Mercor an assessment of 10 billion dollars. Forbes estimates that each of the three partners control around 22% of the company, which places their fortunes in billions at just 22 years old, surpassing Mark Zuckerberg himself, who reached that figure at 23 years old. Generation Z and the 996 days. Paradoxically, this success comes from partners belonging to generation Z, which is usually associated with a greater concern for conciliation and balance between personal and work life. However, according to what was published by Fortune, Foody’s work style is more similar to the famous culture “996” (day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and six days a week) that is is imposing among the new Silicon Valley startups, which in the image of relaxed schedules and teleworking which is often attributed to the youngest. Three years without a single day off. Foody acknowledges that he has opted to follow an extreme work discipline since he dropped out of Georgetown University to focus entirely on Mercor. In his own words: “We work a lot, I have worked every day for the last three years,” he told Fortunebefore clarifying that, in his opinion, “people generally become exhausted, not only by working hard, but by working hard on something that is not as satisfying or enriching for them.” With this idea, Foody is located near the logic of culture 996but reinterpreted from the passion for his own project, where the long days they are experienced as an investment in a personal vision rather than an external imposition. It stops being an obligation and becomes a passion. Foody did not always experience work in this intense and voluntary way. Before creating his own company, he describes his relationship with work as something closer to disciplinary obligation than to deep motivation. “Often they were things I didn’t enjoy doing,” he recalled when talking about his previous stage. The turn came with the creation of Mercor, when the daily task began to be perceived almost as a creative obsession linked to one’s own project and a clear vision of the impact one wanted to achieve. “Compared to when we started Mercor, it became an obsession where I can’t stop thinking about, even if I’m having dinner with my parents or whatever, it’s spinning in my head,” Foody explained, stressing that this constant mental involvement means that he doesn’t even feel the need to take a vacation. Curiously, this feeling is not new. Bill Gates described a similar feeling in the early years of Microsoft. Then he understood that rest is necessary and even productive. Seeing results motivates you to continue. One of the keys to sustaining this pace that the young founder of Mercor highlights is to verify that the hours invested generate a clear return on the project. “I think the most important thing is to always make sure I see the impact of what I do, the return on investment (ROI) of the huge amount of time I put into it,” Foody added. In short, it confirms the old saying “find a job you like and you will never work again.” However, the origin of this motivation has a scientific explanationthe short-term rewards produced by the so-called “lens gradient effect“. Obtaining quantifiable results in the short term motivates you to continue working on the project. Especially if that impact is accompanied by a fortune of 2.2 billion dollars. ‘Genzers’ demolishing clichés. Foody’s story questions the clichés about Generation Z that portray them as reluctant to do the slightest sacrifice and rejects the excessive hours at work. However, it shows that when there is a strong connection between personal purposeperceived impact and financial rewards, some young people are willing to embrace extreme models of dedication. Faced with this narrative, the implicit question remains open for the new founders who They openly embrace the culture of “996”: if they demand the same from their teams level of delivery and commitment They, perhaps, should also ask themselves why these employees are not entering the Forbes list along with the creators of the company. In Xataka | “They are much more daring”: Gen Z is overturning all labor consensus in its massive entry into work Image | Pexels, Brendan Foody

For decades rats devastated these Pacific islands. Now we’re finding out what happens when they leave

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Before we get to work I propose a game: open Google Earth, type “Bikar Atoll” either Jemo Island and let the search engine take you to those remote points lost in the middle of the Pacific. What do you see? Beaches with turquoise waters and white sand, leafy trees, nature in its purest form. The typical place that promises paradise on earth and where anyone would want to go for a week’s trip. The problem is that until recently both islands had a problem: they were rat infested that had turned their ecosystem upside down. Until recently. In a remote part of the Pacific… They are found Marshall Islandsan island republic located in the region of Micronesia, Oceania, famous for its paradisiacal images and dreamy sandy beaches. Among its string of islands there are two in particular that in recent months have caught the attention of environmentalists: Bikar Atoll and the Jemo Islandboth included in the Ratak island chain. The reason? After intense conservation work and a campaign that dates back to 2024, the two islands have seen their fauna and vegetation recover little by little. As an example, environmentalists they explain who have found a colony of hundreds of onychoprion fuscatus (sooty terns) with chicks in an area where until not so long ago there was not a single one. Not to mention the thousands of sprouts that have begun to appear on previously bare soil. An annoying (and voracious) stowaway. There is little mystery about this change. It is explained by a campaign launched last year and which focused the focus on the big problem that was devastating the ecosystems of Bikar and Jemo: rats. Although both islands have always stood out for their birds (when Spanish explorers discovered Jemo They nicknamed her ‘The Birds’‘), over time they ended up displaced by another animal with a voracious appetite: rodents that arrived hidden on board ships and fed on eggs and other local species, which drastically impacted the delicate island ecosystem. A date: 7/24. Things began to change in July 2024when Island Conservationtogether with the Marshallese Marine Resources Authority, launched an ambitious campaign to eliminate the invasive rats. With the help of a drone he launched baits throughout the islands, a meticulous task that led him to cover each hectare with around 25 kilos of a product designed especially for rodents without affecting the rest of the native species. Months later the team returned to Bikar and Jemo to assess the scope of the campaign. “As soon as you step onto the island, your senses are activated to the maximum: you look for the rats, you look for birds on the ground, look for any clue that indicates whether we have won or lost,” confesses Paul Jacquesdirector of Island Conservation to CNN. What he obtained during that visit was “a great revelation,” confirmation (confirmed with studies) that the plague had subsided. Change of terrain after the disappearance of the rats. Baby birds found on the island. “Drastic transformation”. The quote is by Paul Jacques, who summarizes what they found on the islands: “A colony of 200 sooty terns where there were none before fed hundreds of chicks.” “We also counted thousands of seedlings of the native tree Pisonia grandis in just 60 supervised 12-meter plots in the forest. In 2024 we had not found any,” relates the person responsible for the project, who remembers that this regeneration is essential for the fauna that inhabits both islands. “Native forests are essential for nesting seabirds and crucial for carbon absorption and the ecological health of the island,” insist. When the rats disappeared, the turtles, crabs and birds were no longer harassed, which was soon reflected in the rest of the ecosystem. More birds translated into more guano, which in turn improved soil fertility, encouraging more native vegetation and reefs. And as a picture always says more than a thousand words, Island Conservation has taken care of document the change with a series of photos that show the before and after of the campaign. Far beyond Bikar and Jemo. Change is important for the islands, but from Island Conservation it is insisted in that the success of your campaign goes further. “This integrated approach offers enormous benefits for biodiversity, demonstrating how land and sea conservation, when strategically linked, can boost resilience and ecological impact.” The organization also recalls that the regeneration of the islands benefits neighboring island communities, such as the one located in Likipe, which have historically come to Jemo in search of natural resources. Without rats, they now find more crabs there and hope to achieve sustainable fishing. Images | Andrew Arch (Flickr)Google Earth and Island Conservation In Xataka | New York rats have become a pest that is impossible to eradicate. They have a secret: their own language

Why communities already vaccinate the entire population (and not just the elderly)

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Every winter, history repeats itself in our country. Along with the drop in temperatures, the flu makes an appearance in our environmentcausing many people to start sniffling, coughing or having a fever. In general, in order to prevent the worst of this virus during the previous months, we are committed to carrying out vaccination campaigns for a part of the population, while the ‘unlucky’ rely on paracetamol and some slightly bad days. The epidemic. For a few days now, Spain has been officially in a flu epidemic due to the increase in cases in much of Spainwhich has led some communities to activate the recommendation to wear a mask in some locations. Everything to avoid, above all, continuing to spread the virus and not infect those most vulnerable people who can easily end up admitted to a hospital, putting strain on the health system. The problem this year is in the ‘variant K‘ of this virus for which we were not fully prepared with the vaccines available and neither were our immune systems. But luckily the weapons we have have a predictable effect to minimize their effects on the body. Vaccination system. Currently vaccination officially recommended to a specific population. One of these groups are the smallest in the house, because they are a group of people who act as vectors. This means that it can become infected, have a very long incubation and then barely show any symptoms. The problem is that they will be able to infect everyone around them, such as their parents or even elderly people such as grandparents, which is a serious problem, since they will manifest the disease aggressively. In this way, the strategy is to block this vector with the vaccination of children under six years of age, although not without being free of bioethical problems. On the other hand, there is vaccination for the elderly, health personnel or immunocompromisedwhere infection by this virus can lead to a very delicate state of health. Vaccination for all. Vaccinating a small part of the population is the strategy on the table right now, but more and more voices are pointing to the need to carry out mass vaccinations. As happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this way, the Spanish Association of Vaccinology (AEV) and the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the AEP defend this strategy due to the pure statistics that exist in our country. They point out that as long as vaccination coverage is not massive, the virus always finds “gaps” to circulate. If we only vaccinate grandparents, the virus circulates freely between children (the major transmitters) and young adults, mutating and staying strong until, inevitably, it jumps back to the vulnerable. The keys. As we have said before, the AEP has been insisting in universal childhood vaccination (from 6 to 59 months). Not only to protect the child, but because children are very efficient vectors, and they conclude that if the virus is stopped in daycares and schools, you indirectly protect the entire community. But there are more and more voices that point to the need for Those under 17 years of age should also fall within the technical criteria to receive this vaccine. But not only these, since international organizations such as the ECDC and the WHO have indicated that expand coverage to “broad segments of the population” (including cohabitants and active workers) is the only real way to contain the epidemic wave. The more vaccinated people there are at the beginning of the wave, the fewer “highways” the virus has to move. It is already being done. From public administrations we already see how vaccination is being recommended before the maximum peak of this epidemic arrives, which is expected just at Christmas, since that is when people can gather the most in a closed space. In this way, the Minister of Health herself, Mónica García, point for “the entire population to be vaccinated” without reference to the criteria established in the technical plans. And it is something that the autonomous communities are doing, opening the door to anyone who wants to be vaccinated by eliminating restrictions. Catalonia, for example, since December 1 It has been opened so that anyone who wants to be immunized can do so. For their part, Galicia and Castilla y León have implemented mass vaccination campaigns without prior appointment (“open doors”) during the weekends, making it easier for anyone passing by to receive the jab. yesThey have joined the strategy of “accelerating immunization” by eliminating the bureaucratic barriers of prior appointment. The underlying message of these policies is clear: if you have the arm and the will, we want you vaccinated now. The sooner the better. The experts in this case are quite clear because the vaccine does not ‘work’ at the time of inoculation. You have to wait a few weeks to generate optimal protection against the virus to reduce symptoms in the event that you contract the disease. Images | Mufid Majnun In Xataka | Bacteria have an ‘escape plan’ to survive the viruses that kill them, and it is key to defeating superbugs

What it is and how to use it to share group statistics with several friends at the same time

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Let’s tell you how to create a Wrapped Party and the data that appears in it. This is one of the new functions of the Spotify Wrapped 2025where you can create a group, have several people join it and compare the statistics of all of them. It is quite fun, since you will be able to know the rankings of those who have listened to the most music, and they also tell you some other interesting data. We’re going to start by telling you how to create one of these Wrapped Parties, and then we’ll tell you what appears in them. What is the Wrapped Party This is a new feature of Spotify Wrapped, where you create a group of users and then go to a single view. In it, various statistics of all participants are comparedlike who has listened to the most music or discovered the most artists. You will be able to see these statistics ordered by participant. The Wrapped Party is an internal function of Spotify itself, you don’t have to install anything. In addition to statistics, there will also be a kind of awards ceremony where you can see which participant has dominated the most in less common statistics. How to create your party and invite contacts The first thing you have to do is enter Spotify on your mobile and click on the section Wrapped that will appear at the top. When you do, go to the section especially for youand in it press where it says Wrapped Party. This will take you to the splash screen Wrapped Party . In it, you will have options to start a party or join a friend’s party. Here, click on the button to start a party or start another if you have already created one. This will take you to the settings screen, where you can choose name and profile photo that you want to use. By default your name appears, but you can use any other. When you have it, click on Continue. This will take you to the Wrapped Party waiting room. In it, you have a button to generate and share the the link to invite other people. When these people join, you will be able to see them in the list of participants, and once you are all there you can click on the button to start it. What shared statistics are there? Once you are all in the waiting room, the Wrapped Party begins. When you do it, a series of group rankings will begin to appear sharing several characteristics of all participants. For example, you will be able to know Which participant has listened to the most musicyou will also be able to see who has the most peculiar listening, who has made the most musical discoveries or who is the most unconditional fan of a specific band. At the end, the general level of affinity of all the members will be said. There is also some kind of awards ceremony. Data is no longer compared, but you will know from all the members who listens to the most music at night, who listens to the most romantic songs, or who has shared the most music. There is also a final combined award that tells you some general characteristic of everyone, such as whether there is a great overall compatibility. Group statistics and prizes given may vary. Everything will depend on the combined statistics of the members of the Wrapped Party you are in. You will also be able to share all this data. It’s quite a fun thing and a new feature. In Xataka Basics | 53 third-party tools and apps to get the most out of Spotify with statistics, playlists and new features

Europe had chosen the electric car as the only solution for the future. Germany is about to knock him down

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There is no official confirmation. It should arrive on December 10, but there is already a first warning that it is possible that the communication will be delayed until January 2026. “For good reasons,” the political leaders assure us. The same people in charge who already advance the guidelines that the review of the 2035 objectives will follow: allowing cars with combustion engines to remain alive. A preview. This is what Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Transport, gave to the German newspaper Handelsblatt. Like almost everything in this life, neither the time nor the place chosen is coincidental. In this interview, the European official points out that in the European Commission “we are open to all technologies”, which already suggests that this ban on selling combustion engines in 2035 is close to falling. In the absence of knowing all the specific and official details, what it does say is that “the role of zero-emission fuels (known as efuels) and with low emissions and advanced biofuels.” And this is where some doubts arise. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? No emissions? What the European Union has to resolve is to what extent it is willing to open its hand. The efuels or synthetic fuels They have been sold as an alternative solution because, it is assumed, they do not generate CO2 emissions. When the car burns said fuel it does generate these emissions but they are neutral because the same or greater amount of CO2 is trapped in their production. The European Union has already opened the door to this possibility changing the wording of the ban. We went from talking about banning combustion engines that produced emissions to combustion engines that were not carbon neutral. The difference is subtle but key because with the burning of any fuel (including hydrogen) polluting emissions beyond CO2 are produced, such as NOx or the dangerous ones fine particles which, in both cases, are harmful to humans. “Low emissions”. Now the European Commissioner also speaks of “low-emission fuels.” It remains to be known what these low emissions are and in what quantities they will be allowed. And the alternative that was put on the table was to allow the sale of combustion engines as long as they were associated with highly electrified options. This would lead, for example, to extended range electric. Cars with long electric ranges but that, in essence, are plug-in hybrids because they have a gasoline tank for emergency use. One of the latest proposals is that the car itself, through software, cape the power when a specific number of kilometers has been traveled without recharging the vehicle. Another technically viable possibility is to geofence the cities. That is, using the vehicle’s navigator, the car always moves in completely electric mode when passing through a city or especially sensitive areas of it (hospitals, schools…). This alternative has been contemplated by some plug-in hybrids for years, like BMW’s. And why all this? Because, according to Tzitzikostas, Europe is risking part of its industrial and economic future. “We want to maintain our objectives, but we must take into account all the latest geopolitical events. We must try not to jeopardize our competitiveness and, at the same time, help European industry maintain its technological advantage,” he points out in the interview. In reaching this conclusion it seems that German pressures have had their effect. “Chancellor Merz’s letter has been very well received,” he told the German media. And Germany has been pushing for some time to go back in the face of the “all electric” that seemed decided for Europe. The German industry is facing one of the worst crises in its history and it is estimated that, in just the last two years, about 55,000 jobs have been lost. When will it be official? The idea is that in December we should already know what will happen to this ban in 2035. In recent days the idea had gained strength that it would be December 10 when the European Commission would confirm all these details but the person in charge of transport has already announced that it is possible that this communication will be delayed until January 2026. Photo | Sophie Jonas and Angelo Abear In Xataka | The Government presents the Auto Plus Plan to forget MOVES III: direct aid for the purchase of electric cars with doubts to clear up

If the question is why we buy a home in Spain, mortgages have the answer: to invest

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In the middle of the debate on the weight of speculation in the Spanish real estate market and with the Catalan Government immersed in the debate Regarding whether or not it should put limits on the purchase of housing for investment purposes, the sector has come across data that adds even more fuel to the fire. According to a study carried out by the Financial Users Association (Asufin), the 47.7% of the mortgages signed are aimed at acquiring homes for investment purposes. That is to say, the idea of ​​those who take mortgages is not to convert houses into homes, but to put their savings in a safe security in search of good returns. What does the study say? The report by Asufin is just that, a report with its biases and limitations prepared based on a survey with 1,301 interviewees and data from different official sources, but it still offers an interesting ‘photo’. And a resounding conclusion: among those who go to the bank in search of financing to buy a home, there are many more people with an investment mentality than there are families looking for a home in which to settle. What figures do you use? The study concludes that only 15.9% of the new mortgage holders will convert the home into their first residence. Another 18.5% are looking for credit to get a second home that they will dedicate to personal use and 17.9% intend to change their usual residence. The photo is completed with the 47.7% that we mentioned before: buyers who knock on the doors of banks in search of credit to purchase a second home as an investment. The size of this last percentage is not surprising if we take into account that the price per residential square meter has been climbing for years (both in the purchase and rental markets) and there are those who estimate that buying an apartment for rent offers returns of more than 6% (either even older), significantly above what more traditional investments guarantee. Why do we buy houses? Asufin’s study has given rise to another interpretation that shows us more clearly what percentage of buyers go to the real estate market with an investment mentality, not in search of a home. If what we are talking about is the reasons that lead buyers to consider requesting a loan, investment is the main motivation 65%. The data shows that brick is still seen as a refuge value. And so, recognizes the associationleads to “the cycle of buying to rent or saving value to sell more expensively continuing to significantly stress the market.” It’s actually nothing new. Previous studies Asufin itself already reflected that more mortgages are requested to invest than to buy homes. Does the report say anything else? Yes. It confirms the low flow of new housing entering the market, that today the cheapest option is fixed mortgages and that foreign buyers they account for a total of 14%although the data varies depending on the region and the market segment we are talking about. For example, in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands they account for almost 30%, while there are half a dozen autonomous communities in which foreigners do not even reach 4%. Another interesting reading is that credits take up a considerable part of the finances of Spanish households. To be more precise, the average mortgage payments are already They represent 35% of salaries, a percentage that rises to 40% if we talk about the segment of young buyers, between 25 and 35 years old. However, the Asufin data show a slight change in trend, with a clear decline in the percentage of buyers who go into debt to buy second homes for investment purposes. Although they continue to represent an important part of the pie (47.7%), at the beginning of the year they represented 56.2%. Image | Ján Jakub Naništa (Unsplash) In Xataka | Buying a house is already an impossible mission for many young Spaniards. So his parents donate it to him

How to share Spotify Wrapped 2025 on Instagram, WhatsApp or other apps

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Let’s tell you how to share your Spotify Wrapped data on social networks or any application. He Spotify Wrapped 2025 has already been released, and the best thing about this annual round of statistics is always sharing it and comparing it with your contacts and friends. That’s why we are going to tell you several ways you can do it. We will tell you how to share any slide, something quite simple but which option you may not have noticed. We will also tell you how to share the statistics page that appears at the end, and even the playlist. Remember that in addition to apps, you can also share all the statistics internally with Spotify contacts through its private messaging system. Share any slide from the Wrapped The Wrapped is made up of several slides. To share them, you have to wait for them to finish playing. These slides usually have animations, and nothing happens while they are running. But when they finish a button appears Share this story down at all. This button displays the sharing options of your mobile operating system. you should have shortcut to share it on Instagram Storiesbut also to send it on WhatsApp or share it in any other app. Besides, you will also see your Spotify contacts to send it as an internal message. You will also see an option Dischargewhich what it does is download the slide to your mobile memory so that you can share it manually through the medium or application you want. Share your Wrapped summary When you finish viewing all the stories in your Wrapped, you will see a final slide in the form of a summary. In it, you will be able to move it laterally to choose different color combinations, and when you have chosen one press the button Share. This will allow you to share it on social networks, messaging apps or download the slide to share it by hand wherever you want. In the section Wrapped from the Spotify app A category will also appear especially for you. In case you have not saved it while viewing the slides, here you will have the Wrapped playlistwith your most listened to songs of 2025. When you enter the playlist, you will only have to press the button Share that appears as with any other playlist. With it you can share the playlist with whoever you want in apps or internal messages, or even copy the link to paste it in other applications. In Xataka Basics | 53 third-party tools and apps to get the most out of Spotify with statistics, playlists and new features

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