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Spain prepared thousands of young people for university by passing the PAU. Four out of ten ended up doing a vocational training degree

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Every July the same scene of thousands of teenagers leaving school is repeated. any of the exams of what was once called Selectivity and, for now, is known as the University Access Test (PAU). For decades, this ritual almost always ended at the same door: the a university. However, in recent years something has changed. The students who take this test no longer do so trusting that your future is assured after a university degree and no longer see Vocational Training as the way out for those who do not want to study. The twist that no one announced. For years, passing the PAU and not going to university was experienced almost as a failure. A waste of talent. Today that stigma has been broken. According to the report Education Panorama 2025prepared by the OECD, 39% of those who enter the economy for the first time Spanish higher education They do so through a higher degree vocational training cycle and only 47% opt for the university route. The figure more than doubles the organization’s average, where only 16% choose this route and 78% go directly to university. These percentages undoubtedly represent a change in mentality more than a statistical anecdote. The FP is no longer the “ugly duckling” of the educational system in Spain. The figures that support the change. According to the latest data collected by the Ministry of Education in the report Vocational Training Student Statistics 2024-2025there has been an increase of 23.5% in the student body in the previous five years, especially highlighting the number of students enrolled in higher grades, which receive 29.8% more students. The contrast with Europe is striking. In Spain, higher vocational training as a gateway to higher education is 33.3%, tripling the European Union average, which remains at 10%. This shift towards training oriented towards learning a profession responds to a specific request that comes from companies. Why young people choose FP and university. According to the report ‘Infoempleo Adecco 2024: Job supply and demand in Spain‘, 47% of the job offers published in Spain, asked for some vocational training degree. It is a figure that grows every year and that begins to compete face to face with the requirement of a university education. Marisa Bermejo, director of Sanitas Campus FP Madrid, declared to The Spanish that “After PAU, young people have to understand that there are several ways to get into a profession.” And he adds that vocational training “allows the development of technical skills from an early stage.” According to data From the Ministry of Education, the employability of Vocational Training is 73%, and with some sectors touching 90%, which places it as a direct access door to the labor market for young people. The sectors that use FP the most. Not all training families grow equally. Administration and Management leads the number of offers, closely followed by Health, with constant demand in laboratories and clinical areas. Commerce and Marketing is also pushing forward, driven by the rise of digital commerce. The fastest growth is carried out by Computing and Communications. It is one of the families with the highest job placement among Higher Degree graduates, where 54.7% find employment before completing two years after graduating. according to the data of the Ministry of Education. In Xataka | Europe is very clear that there are many graduates in Spain. The problem is that they are not what companies need. Image | Unsplash (ThisisEngineering)

Albacete offers up to 500,000 euros for hunting rabbits. The problem is what to do with them afterwards.

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Spain, rabbit landtoday he pays to get them off his back. When the Phoenicians set foot on our coasts, they saw ears and burrows before cities and that is how they named the peninsula, i‑spn‑yaa curious place name that ended up as Hispania. Or so the theory goes, one of many. Now Albacete has set up a subsidy system so that hunting societies contain an overpopulation that destroy their crops. The real problem is not only about how many are killed, but what is done with them afterwards and why the model produces plagues again and again. A plague that concentrates. The province of Albacete is experiencing a paradox that is actually repeated throughout half the country. On the one hand, the wild rabbit is listed as an endangered species in many habitats; on the other, it is a plague on agricultural strips and on the margins of large infrastructures. In Castilla-La Mancha, hundreds of thousands of rabbits are estimated to be captured each year; only so far in 2026 are they talking about 603,000 copiesand 30% of them leave the fields of Albacete. The regional administration has been chaining “hunting emergency” resolutions for years. That is, we seek to find the key between a balance of fauna and environmental regulation. And, at least in La Mancha, Albacete, Cuenca and Toledo, they have not been able to find it. Because more than a homogeneous explosion we are talking about hot spots next to roads, railway lines, intensive irrigation and protected spaces where the rabbit finds shelter, food and the absence of predators. How the half million works. This is not the wild western. Let no one expect an envelope for each animal killed. The Albacete Provincial Council has announced a line of subsidies amounting to 500,000 euros aimed at local non-profit hunting societies. Of course, based in the province. Each entity can request up to 9,000 eurosonly once, for a specific project linked to wild rabbit damage control. The money is processed electronically, through the provincial electronic headquarters, between July 21 and August 10, 2026; The companies justify the actions until October 31. And this shock plan does not clash with other aid: the call makes it possible to make this aid compatible with other public lines, as long as they are aimed at the same purpose. Because? Because it fits with the four million euro regional plan for rabbit overpopulation. Is it necessary to kill? In the past, this “social hunting” received local and even private help from crop protectors. Now alternatives are being sought: the village clubs insist on fencing, hunting nurseries and management of water and food points for wildlife. That is, it should be financed around the infrastructure around the rabbit and the verb “kill” is the last option. And if there is only one alternative, killing will always be that savagery that no authority should authorize. The dominant model continues to be intensive hunting, with a shotgun, ferret and nets in extended periods thanks to the emergency declarations from some regions. In Aragon and Castilla-La Mancha, this shock works in the short term: in Aragon, between 2019 and 2021, a control plan eliminated 1.8 million rabbits in 125 municipalities. Despite the 18 measurementsIn Castilla-La Mancha, more than 46% of the territory is affected by this plague, “which translates into some 364 municipalities with direct damage.” Save them to kill them. WWF and other research teams have been pointing out for years that mass hunting reduces damage during the campaign, but the following year the effect fades and the population grows again. If there is shelter and food, there is overpopulation. And the problem comes from afar, from the dynamics of crops with larger and more homogeneous farm surfaces, with less mosaic of crops, fewer boundaries and less presence of natural predators. The ancient stone walls served as homes, but also as regional limiters. Now the rabbit runs free in no man’s land. Associations like PACMA they add also another nuance, remembering that the Generalitat of Catalonia authorized the release of more than 12,000 rabbits from hunting farms to repopulate hunting reserves in 2021, and that the same administration later declared the hunting emergency and the use of biocides such as aluminum phosphide. Inflate the population first and then resorting to massacres when the population overflows is, to say the least, counterproductive. What do you do with so much rabbit?. The great unknown is the same as always. The emergency resolutions and the regional shock plan already include the possibility of marketing the meat of captured rabbits, as long as they are immediately slaughtered and delivered to authorized wild game handling establishments with health guarantees. This is the responsible thing to do, not leave them stranded. own manchego plan document It contemplates the “useful and sustainable management” of these catches: human consumption, recovery of scavenger fauna, transfer to areas with a rabbit deficit and regulated marketing. What’s more, for the farmer or hunter to get paid it is not enough to kill, he must communicate the actions 24 hours in advance to the administration, comply with the conditions of the emergency resolution and then justify expenses on fences, piles and others. Foxes and eagles, off or out of coverage. Ecologists in Action denounced the Albacete Agriculture Delegation itself, which authorizes controls on predators such as the fox in the midst of a rabbit plague (and Spain needs them, just like the wolves). This, according to estimates, reinforces the ecological imbalance and leaves the farmer with fewer natural allies on the field. The rabbit right now is halfway between resource and waste, subsidy object and marketable piece. Kill them and leave them for the scavengers? It could be dangerous from an environmental point of view. And even more so if they eat animals with myxomatosis. Kill them and eat them? It depends on the market: the price of the piece has fallen in recent months. This is also a symptom that the agrarian structure has a … Read more

‘The Odyssey’ has turned scarcity into a virtue

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Only a film that can boast of having raised unprecedented expectations can sell tickets without showing hardly any images of its footage, and of course not even half a trailer that allows viewers to get an idea of ​​what the production looks like. But Nolan is a special case. The first fans of ‘The Odyssey’ bought their tickets a year ago, blindly, with only Nolan’s word that they had to trust his Trojan Horse and his Odysseus journey. That gesture of trust from their fans has become the best possible marketing campaign. The numbers. ‘The Odyssey’ has collected 124.5 million dollars in its opening weekend in the United States and 264.1 million globally: the best global opening of Nolan’s entire career. Universal invested 250 million dollars in producing it and another 125 million in promoting it around the world. And yet, almost no one who has paid for a ticket has seen it as Nolan conceived it. Advance sale. Universal opened the sale of the first tickets in July 2025, twelve months before the premiere. In less than an hour, the premiere screenings in IMAX 70mm format were sold out in half the world. Almost a year later, in June 2026, Universal released a second batch of tickets for the sessions closest to the premiere, and the AMC and Fandango websites, belonging to the most important theater chains in the US, collapsed again with virtual queues of more than an hour. Fandango would end up calling “The Odyssey” your number one pre-sale of 2026with about $40 million sold in advance. 34 rooms. Why such a hurry? There are only 34 theaters in the entire planet that can project in the format 70mm IMAX that Nolan filmed. Deadline also breaks down where the premiere’s revenue came from: 25% from digital IMAX formats, another 25% from screens premium property of the exhibitors, 5% of sessions in 70mm IMAX and an additional 3% in conventional 70mm. In sum, almost six out of every ten opening dollars came from formats that required, at a minimum, planning the session well in advance. Enter resale. With such a narrow offer, the secondary market did not take long to make an appearance. They started seeing each other pairs of tickets for $2,000 in New York, and advertisements asking for $10,000 for a batch of twelve seats for a single session. Universal does not organize this resale nor does it take a cent from it, but it is interested: every queue, every image on social networks of a ticket for hundreds of dollars means that the film does not leave the conversation. The ‘Oppenheimer’ precedent. Nolan already tested this formula, although on a smaller scale, in 2023. The 70mm screenings of ‘Oppenheimer’ also sold out in days and generated their own resale market, a pattern that has been repeated three years later. IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond summed it up bluntly: The film already had enough cast and director to work, but the format ended up turning it into a global phenomenon. The opening numbers support that reading. For example, in New York, the only theater with 70mm IMAX is the AMC Lincoln Square 13. All its sessions, including the two in the morning ones, are sold out until August 12, and AMC has not yet confirmed if it will expand the number of passes. Spain, off the map. In Spain the correct room does not exist directly. No cinema in the country projects the full 70mm IMAX, and the closest one with that format is outside of Spain and Latin America. Anyone who wants to get closer to the experience without leaving the country has two substitutes: seven cinemas with digital laser IMAX, including Kinépolis in Madrid and Valencia, and four additional theaters with standard 70mm photochemical. Of course, resale is also working at full speed: entries have been seen for up to 1,000 euros. In Xataka | The definitive map of Ulysses’ journey in ‘The Odyssey:’ Christopher Nolan’s film, explained interactively

Today at Lidl (and half price) this robot vacuum cleaner with a self-emptying base that hardly requires maintenance

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Entering Lidl means finding a lot of different devices. There is a good assortment of them to help us clean the home, although few are as comfortable as this Eufy robot vacuum cleaner. It’s a pretty interesting device. if we take into account that it is very discounted: from 799 euros that marks its RRP, it costs right now 399.99 euros. Eufy X10 Robot Vacuum Cleaner and Scrubber with Empty Station The price could vary. We earn commission from these links If you can’t get it or prefer an alternative, this one may fit you very well. iRobot Roomba Plus 516. It is a robot vacuum cleaner with good suction power, a self-emptying base that saves us a lot of work and is currently available on Amazon for 379 euros. iRobot Roomba Plus 516 Multifunction Self-Cleaning AutoWash Base Combo, 22KPa, Liftable and Extendable DualClean Mops, Washes 75º, Dry 45º, Clearview LiDAR, Autonomy 90 Days, Extra Accessories, Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A robot vacuum cleaner that hardly requires maintenance We are facing a very good discount for this Eufy X10 Pro Omni. It is a robot vacuum cleaner that stands out for coming with a self-emptying base, something that reduces (a lot) the maintenance it needs. This cleans the pads with water and dries them with hot air, and the dust container only needs to be changed every two months. The only thing we will have to do regularly is empty the dirty water and change it for clean water. The robot has a suction power of 8,000 Pa, a figure that is enough to collect most dust particles and hair, something ideal if we have pets at home such as dogs or cats. It also does a good job of scrubbing, even on embedded stainsthanks to a system that exerts 1 kg of pressure on them. And for carpets, the mops are raised 12 millimeters automatically. To all of the above, we must add that it has an active obstacle avoidance system. This one promises recognize more than 100 different objects (such as cables, shoes or toys) and automatically avoid them. In addition, it is compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: eufy robot x10 offer ✅ THE BEST Your self-emptying base: This robot requires very little maintenance, which is very convenient. Obstacle detection: Its obstacle detection, capable of recognizing more than 100 objects, will prevent you from banging your head all over the house. ❌ THE WORST Maintenance of the water tank: We must empty and refill the water tank regularly. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for a robot vacuum cleaner that hardly requires maintenance, that offers good suction power and a good quality-price ratio. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… Do you prefer a cheaper model (even if it requires more maintenance) or are you looking for one whose base is also responsible for emptying and refilling the water tank. You may also be interested roborock Qrevo S Pro Set Robot Vacuum Cleaner (Upgraded Version of QV 35A) 18500 Pa Suction, All-in-One Base, 2.7L Dust Bag, Anti-Tangle System, Obstacle Avoidance, White The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Lefant M5 Pro Robot Vacuum Cleaner and Floor Mop with Self-Emptying Base, 120 Days Self-Cleaning, 18000 Pa, 3.2L Self-Emptying, 75℃ Washing, dToF Laser Navigation, 5G WiFi/App/Alexa The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Lidl, Eufy In Xataka | Best robot vacuum cleaners in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and six recommended models In Xataka | Best upright vacuum cleaners. Which one to buy based on use and six recommended models

This is what you need to know before booking

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If you are thinking about travel to see the solar eclipse On August 12, 2026, you may already have decided on the province. You may also know in which specific location you will be staying. If you don’t have accommodation, run. They are flying. What you may not know is the exact observation point. It is never a good idea to leave room for improvisationbut even less so with an eclipse like this, since will be seen very close to sunsetso it is important that the horizon to the west be clear. Keep in mind that the Sun will be very low at that time, so a single tree or building can ruin the experience. In case you are still thinking about where to go, in this article we leave you some ideas of viewpoints to see the solar eclipse. All of them in the range of totality, of course. Viewpoints to see the solar eclipse in Asturias Asturias will be one of the best places to see the solar eclipse. In fact, the point in Spain at which totality will last the longest It is located next to the town of Luarca. Therefore, we cannot start this list without mentioning the Luarca Watchtower, a beautiful urban viewpoint where, if the clouds allow, we can enjoy the eclipse for 1 minute and 50 seconds. In Asturias, the Mirador de la Boriza also stands out, with a perfect location and an ideal height to see the eclipse reflected on the ocean. Or to photograph it, although experts recommend that we put away the cameras that day and focus on enjoying. Viewpoints in Aragon Aragon will also be an ideal place to see the solar eclipse. One of the places most in demand by tourists is being the town of Puertomingalvosince it is on the list of the most beautiful towns in Spain and has an idyllic environment, with many well-located points to the west. If we are going to focus on viewpointssome of the best are the Mirador de Trinidad and Montalbán, located in the Mining Basin Region of Teruel, the Llimpia one, in the Mining Basin Region of Zaragoza, the Cerro de Valcerezo and the Mosomero one, in Cariñena, and the Roca Morera one, in the Matarraña region, in Teruel. If you want something more urban, you can always go to the Mirador de Juslibol, which is in Zaragoza capital, next to the Ebro. If you are looking for height, the best of all of them is the one in Trinidad. Viewpoints in Castilla y León Castile and León It is one of the communities with the most ideal places to enjoy the solar eclipse. A good example is Borobia.where its astronomical observatory has a perfect orientation with the horizon clear and high. Beyond thatthere are some very interesting viewpoints, such as the one at Balouta, in Palacios del Sil (León) or those at the Ermita de la Aquiana, the Virgen de la Peña, Camponaraya or Orellán, all of them in El Bierzo (León). In that same province we also have Puerto de Panderrueda, in the Picos de Europa. And in another province we find the Villanueva del Rebollar viewpoint, in Palencia. There are also other provinces, but they are not among the best qualified to see the solar eclipse on August 12. Panderrueda Port Viewpoints in Galicia The solar eclipse enters Spain by Galiciaso there are some of the most beautiful viewpoints to enjoy it. We have the disadvantage that it is a place where cloudy days aboundbut the advantage that the Sun will be a little higher on the horizon during totality than at other points further east. Still, you always have to look west. With this in mind, some of the best locations to enjoy the solar eclipse on August 12 are the Tower of Hercules and Mount San Pedro, in A Coruña. Both are privileged viewpoints if what you want is to see these phenomena over the ocean. On the other hand, you can really enjoy it at the viewpoints of the Serra da Capelada, the cliffs of Herbeira, Teixidelo and Ferrolterra, as well as on the beaches of Doniños and Pantín. All of these locations are also in A Coruña, a perfect province to see the totality of the eclipse. Viewpoints in Navarra In Navarra the total solar eclipse will only be seen in the southern half. The Sun will be very low on the horizon, so it is especially critical to find a point with clear sky to the west. Some nice viewpoints located at the official observation points are the Aguilares viewpoint and the Ferial, both located in Bárdenas Reales. Viewpoints in the Balearic Islands If the eclipse enters Galicia, leaves us for the Balearic Islands. There, there are also some viewpoints where a good observation of this phenomenon is expected. Some of the best rated They are those of es Cornador Gran and des Garriguer in the Serra de Tramuntana and that of na Torta, in Valldemossa. All this is in Mallorca. In Ibiza there are also some, such as Puig de Fornas and Finca Cosmi. Other places to see the solar eclipse It should be noted that the solar eclipse will also be seen in some parts of Castilla la Mancha, Madrid, Cantabria, the Basque Country or the Valencian Community. Although these we have seen so far are some of the best-rated viewpoints, any well-located point with visibility to the west and within the strip of totality can be a great option. Therefore, I advise you to search our interactive map. There, you can also select the starlight destinationswhich will guarantee you an ideal sky to enjoy after a great night of Perseids. As long as the weather permits it, of course. Image | Wikimedia Commons In Xataka | The trio of eclipses that await Spain on the horizon: an unprecedented and historic chain between 2026 and 2028

For years, “fecal doping” has been a problem in elite sport. Now science wants to democratize it

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In 2019, a team of scientists from Harvard University monitored the bacterial flora of 15 Boston Marathon runners during the week before and after. They made many discoveries, but one was especially interesting: after the competition, everyone suffered a significant increase in bacteria of the Veillonella genus. It was already known that exercise alters the microbiota And, in fact, it wasn’t particularly surprising that these bacteria (which break down lactic acid and therefore reduce fatigue) were in there. What they wanted to discover was something else. Therefore, they took samples of this flora and introduced them into mice. The result was a very significant increase in physical resistance. Since then, there are people trying to take advantage of this. The treasure hidden in the intestine. Now a team from France has studied the intestinal microbiota of elite athletes with high aerobic capacity (footballers and cyclists). The central idea was to see if there were differences in the composition of the flora and its functionality compared to non-athletic people. The first surprise is that the more sports the subjects did, the lower the diversity of their microbiota. And I say that it is surprising because, as Rosa del Campo tells us through SMC Spain“this is associated with an unhealthy condition.” However, in this case it seems that “it is justified by the specialization of these bacteria in the intestine.” That is, by subjecting the microbiota to more demanding environments, it self-regulates to optimize itself. However, as he says the researcher at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, that is not the most interesting thing. “The most striking thing is when they evaluate the ability to reproduce this in mice.” What have they done? They have taken very sedentary and very athletic people and “have transplanted their feces to mice for several days.” The result shows that “the aerobic effort capacity in mice is conditioned by the microbiota.” Because? Although the research is still somewhat preliminary, everything seems to indicate that “it is fundamentally due to glycogen consumption, good sugar control and production of short chain fatty acids.” What implications does this have?? Well, it seems like quite a few. It must be remembered that for years the anti-doping agencies working to fight against microbiomic doping. In fact, everything seems to indicate that the “fecal transplant“It is a common practice in certain elite sports environments. But the question, as always, is whether this can be scaled. If we can begin to intervene in the microbiota on a massive scale to improve the health of broad layers of the population. For years now, the probiotics boom has caught big pharmaceutical companies on the wrong foot and has flooded the market with pseudoscience. However, and although it is true that in recent years Doubts have arisen about how much health we can achieve through the stomachOr, the possibility is still on the table. Image | Julien Tromeur | Miguel Amutio In Xataka | This pill is shit but it can save your life

An occupied house uncovers a treasure stolen from a hermitage in La Rioja. The best is still missing

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They have found it: the painting of the Virgin of the Cortijo and the staff of the Virgin, an old missal. Table linens and ecclesiastical clothing and even a Lego Millennium Falcon. We are talking about one of those meaningless fortuitous discoveries. On October 31, 2025, a robbery occurred in La Ermita de Our Lady of the Farmhousein Murillo de Río Leza. At dawn, in a rural temple without cameras or surveillance, they took a silver chalice and an 18th century painting, valued between 10,000 and 12,000 euros. And many other things. Eight months later, almost everything has reappeared 90 kilometers away, in an occupied home in Navarra’s Valdorba, mixed up among belongings. A Belgian glove thief. For more than eight months, the Civil Guard has been carrying out an open investigation with hardly any clues. But a common pattern: rural sacred art in isolated hermitages with hardly any security systems. An easy goal, perhaps too prosaic. And La Rioja is no stranger to this type of theft: the Diocese of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño has been claiming for years pieces attributed to the legendary Belgian thief Erik the Belgian, whose trail reaches the Netherlands and the United States. The difference with the Murillo case is the unusual speed of the recovery and the domestic origin of the discovery. Besides, the real ErikRené Alphonse van den Berghe, died in El Palo (Málaga) on June 19, 2020, after help recover the size of the Virgin of Nalda. After more than 600 thefts in 52 museums and places of worship, he changed sides to recover historical heritage. Taking care of other people’s business. The Prevention and Citizen Attention Brigade and the Judicial Police Group carried out the eviction of the people occupying the property, together with the officers from the Tafalla police station. And they saw that the Valdorba house even hid a huge wall clock. Part of the abandoned objects was given and they could not identify the owner. The Foral Police of Navarre contacted the Diocesan Heritage Delegation and, by cross-referencing the complaint with local news, they confirmed the coincidence. After the eviction of its occupants, the Foral Police of Navarra has stumbled upon the stash of the Riojan robbery by chance. He confirmed the coincidence with the Diocesan Heritage Delegation and now the big question arises: where is the rest? Among the pieces recovered and already returned to the parish of San Esteban are the painting of the Virgen del Cortijo, the missal, the staff, ecclesiastical clothing and musical instruments (a tuba!). But the silver chalice, another missal and the image of the Child Jesus carried by the Virgin remain unlocated. The most expensive thing is missing. A diverse loot. There are hypotheses, but no proven facts. It is suspected of a black market for sacred artfueled by antique dealers, second-hand buyers and organized gangs that attack rural hermitages at their own risk and expense. The Civil Guard has dismantled entire plots dedicated to this trafficking. Already in the summer of 2020 they recovered almost one hundred objects of enormous valuein addition to 165,000 euros in cash. Objects from the 17th and 18th centuries that did not reach resale. Moving a tuba or a wall clock is not easy. But the stash is so heterogeneous that another hypothesis speaks of mere accumulation, that compulsive behavior of accumulation and a pattern that psychiatry links to Diogenes syndrome, characterized by collecting heterogeneous objects without awareness of illness. This is what happened after the theft of the Codex Calixtinus. Unshielded heritage. Murillo’s case joins a long list of thefts in Rioja and neighboring temples: the Écija chalice sold in a gold buy from Logroño 22 years after its abduction; the door of the San Torcuato tabernacle recovered 45 years after its theft at a Madrid auction; or the reliefs of Briones that the Civil Guard continues to track in Holland and the United States. They all share the same diagnosis: the lack of systematic inventory of ecclesiastical heritage leaves these pieces off the radar until they appear by chance, complaint or illegal sale. The Diocese of Calahorrana insists that thefts against heritage do not prescribe and that each recovery, rather than a preventive strategy, depends on collaboration mechanisms between security forces, antique dealers and diocesan heritage delegations. As long as the chalice and the image of the Child Jesus remain missing, the case of Murillo de Río Leza will continue to be an open file. Robberies with tradition. The looting of sacred art in Spain seems to identify a problem: there is a lack of professionals to inventory it and provide an appropriate historical framework. Impossible to forget the two young people who sneaked into a church in Sevillethey tried on the priest’s liturgical clothing, lit candles and took mocking photos in front of the altar before going out in costume on the street, mocking the parishioners who saw them passing by. In Murcia, in León, some thieves climbed the bell tower of a church with barely 300 residents with ropes and harnesses to steal a bust of Marcus Aurelius from the 4th century. The Civil Guard recovered it weeks later in the trunk of a carat a gas station in Córdoba. In Granada, some Poor Clare nuns did not even notice the disappearance of a sculpture of Saint Marina de la Cortona until the National Police located it in a gallery in New York, ready for auctioned for 350,000 euros. In Barcelona, ​​a couple posed as needy people to sneak into a parish in Nou Barris and steal the money intended to pay for children’s school trips. They even took the priest’s cell phone. In Murcia and Alicante, a gang of teenagers looted up to 20 temples to finance online betting and club nights. And in Valladolid they took even the hosts consecrated in the middle of Christmas. In addition to those of God, it is clear that temples of worship need extra eyes. Images | XX In Xataka |

France becomes the first European country to ban networks for children under 15 years of age. September will be the litmus test

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For years, opening an account on a social network has been as simple as writing an email, choosing a password and declaring a date of birth. In France, this routine is scheduled to change on September 1 for those under 15 years of age. The ban has already passed Parliamentbut turning it into something that works will require answering much more difficult questions: how to verify the age of users, what information they will be asked to prove it, and what will happen with services that do not only serve to publish photos or videos. That’s where the real test begins. An overwhelming majority. The decision was supported this Tuesday by the two French chambers: 243 senators voted in favor and only 2 againstwhile the National Assembly approved the text by 279 votes to 81. Emmanuel Macron, one of its main promoters, celebrated that France has become the first European country to approve a ban of this scope. The deployment is divided into two periods: new accounts will be banned from September 1 and the restriction will apply to existing ones from January 2027. Of course, the calendar may still be conditioned by the Constitutional Council. A ban without a closed list. The text does not list the affected platforms one by one, but refers to the European definitions of “online platform” and “online social networking service.” TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat appear as the clearest cases, but the border becomes less evident in YouTube, WhatsApp, Reddit or Roblox, where social functions coexist with other uses. As explained by representative Laure Millerin some cases the control will only reach certain tools. Digital encyclopedias and educational or scientific directories are expressly excluded. Platforms will take over. The text does not provide for fines or other sanctions for minors or their parents. The responsibility will fall on the companies, which must verify the age of their users, prevent new registrations that violate the limit and close the affected accounts when the transitional period ends. The Minister of Digital Affairs, Anne Le Hénanff, maintains that The deadline is realistic because verification tools already exist and others continue to be developed. September will be the litmus test. The date leaves the platforms just a few weeks of summer to convert the legal obligation into controls that work from the beginning of the course. The difficulty lies not only in detecting minors, but also in verifying that the rest of the users exceed the limit without creating a process that is impossible to manage. During the debate, several parliamentarians questioned that a system of this complexity could be operational so quickly and warned of possible ways to avoid it, taking the case of Australia as an example. Privacy is also at stake. Checking whether a person has turned 15 should not necessarily require them to reveal their entire identity. One of the alternatives proposed by the sector consists in transferring the verification to the phone itself, instead of requesting documents separately in each application. The approach seeks to reduce the circulation of personal information between different services, although the sources do not detail how it would work or what data each actor would keep. France must prevent access by minors without turning the solution into a new source of sensitive data. Spain prepares its own ban. Pedro Sánchez announced on February 3, 2026 that his Government would promote the prohibition of access to social networks for those under 16 years of age and would require effective age verification systems. The Executive explained earlier this month that had presented amendments to incorporate the measure into the Organic Law Project for the protection of minors in digital environments. At the time of writing this article, the initiative is still in the Congressional Justice Commission, in the report phase. Approving the text was just the beginning. France has been the first European country to bring such a ban to parliamentary approval, after Australia led the way on a global scale. Spain is in a different phase and its proposal can still change during processing, but the underlying problem is shared: transforming a minimum age into an effective control that is proportionate to privacy. Images | Pixabay | Mohamed Jamil Latrach In Xataka | The EU has hit AliExpress with a record fine. And make it clear that the next one could be even bigger.

The Komsomolets nuclear submarine sank in European waters almost 40 years ago. The issue is what still frees the sea

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Almost 1,700 meters under the Norwegian Sea lies something more than a sunken submarine. Inside the Komsomolets they continue the nuclear reactor that powered the ship and two torpedoes armed with nuclear warheadslocked in a wreck subjected to salt water, pressure and corrosion for decades. They did not get there because of a secret mission or a failed test, but after an accident that turned one of the great naval feats of the Soviet Union into a problem that we are still trying to understand. The history of the Komsomolets did not end when the hull hit bottom. The reactor releases radionuclides in sporadic episodes, a behavior that current studies have been able to observe and measure with much more precision than in the 1990s. These emissions have not caused a broad impact on the marine ecosystem so far, but the question remains open. Before becoming a flotsamas the remains of a sunken ship are called, the Komsomolets had been one of the most ambitious bets of Soviet naval engineering. It entered service in 1983 with a sturdy titanium helmet and the ability to operate at more than 1,000 meters depth, an exceptional level for a military submarine of its time. According to the BBC’s historical reconstructionNATO hoped that this model would inaugurate a new class of attack submarines, but the Soviet Union never built a second unit. The Soviet submarine that ended up becoming a problem at 1,700 meters deep On April 7, 1989, a fire started in one of her compartments while she was sailing in the Norwegian Sea. The crew managed to bring the ship to the surface, but the fire continued to spread and disabled several systems. About five hours later, the submarine sank. Five sailors tried to escape in a capsule that surfaced, but only one managed to abandon it before it filled with water. In total, 42 of the 69 crew members died. What remained on board may lead us to imagine a nuclear explosion, but current assessments they do not identify a spontaneous detonation as the relevant risk. Such an explosion demands that they work arming and initiation mechanisms with a very specific synchronization. The documented concern is that corrosion will end up allowing radioactive material to escape from the reactor or, in the future, from weapons. The containment intervention chosen years later did not consist of refloating the submarine, but rather isolating its most sensitive areas. In 1994, a Russian expedition used submersibles manned to seal the six torpedo tubes and some holes in the bow section with titanium plates. The objective was to reduce the circulation of water through the compartment where the warheads remained and limit an eventual release of plutonium. It was not a complete closure of the hull, but a containment measure that was still apparently intact when the wreck was inspected in 2019. Decades later, the return to the Komsomolets had a different objective: to observe and measure, not to reseal it. In 2019, a scientific expedition sent to the submarine Ægir 6000a remotely operated vehicle equipped with cameras, manipulator arms and sampling instruments. The robot traveled through different areas of the hull and collected water, sediment and organisms near the reactor and torpedo compartment. Thus it was possible to study the state of the wreck without exposing a human crew to those conditions. The results published this year in PNAS They concluded that the assemblies containing the nuclear fuel are damaged and that seawater has reached the reactor material. The analyzes link this deterioration with intermittent emissions of radionuclides, although researchers are still trying to determine the exact mechanisms that cause them. The highest concentrations appeared next to a ventilation shaft and a nearby grate, but the material dilutes quickly and there is little evidence of accumulation in the surroundings of the wreck. No evidence of military-grade plutonium from the warheads was found in the bow area either. Reaching the Komsomolets is not impossible: the submersibles of the 1990s and subsequent expeditions already demonstrated that work can be done at that depth. The difficulty is determining what action would provide a real improvement and what risks would be involved in intervening on a damaged nuclear structure. As explained by the Norwegian nuclear safety authority to the BBC, there are currently no plans for a new containment operation. The answer is still to go back, measure and monitor how a submarine that has been under the sea for almost four decades changes. Images | Norwegian Marine Research Institute In Xataka | The Norwegian colony that has taken over a town in Alicante and even has its own constitution: L’Alfas del Pi

Spain seems to have solved the problem of aid for the purchase of electric cars. It only took seven years of chaos

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The aid to buy an electric car is chaos. They should stop being so soon. Very soon, in fact. Or, at least, that is the (umpteenth) promise that the Government has made in this regard. He announced it in the Council of Ministers, confirming that the presentation of the bases to receive the Auto+ Plan is just around the corner. This is what we know. What has been announced. He Auto+ Plan It should be up and running in the next few days or, at the latest, a few weeks. That is what has been announced in the press conference of the Council of Ministers where the first details have been given of how aid for the purchase of new completely electric vehicles should be unblocked. In the statement before the media, however, no more details have been clarified than those that were offered in February 2026 when the project was already late compared to the promises. That is to say: the aid will take into account the cost of the vehicle, its place of manufacture and the origin of its batteries. What did we know? Last February, The Government confirmed that aid for the purchase of electric cars They will be delivered as follows: Category Maximum aid amount Vehicle type Percentage received based on price Manufacturing Tourism (M1) 4,500 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (2,250 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (1,125 euros) Maximum of 45,000 euros before taxes: Up to 35,000 euros: 25% of the maximum aid amount (1,125 euros) Between 35,001 and 45,000 euros: 15% of the maximum amount of aid (675 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (675 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (450 euros euros) Vehicle (N1) 5,000 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (2,500 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (1,250 euros) No maximum limit: All vehicles receive 25% of the maximum aid amount (1,250 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (750 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least it must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (500 euros) Moped (L3e, L4e and L5e) 1,100 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (550 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (275 euros) Maximum of 10,000 euros before taxes: All vehicles receive 25% of the maximum aid amount (275 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (165 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least it must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (110 euros) Quadricycle (L6e and L7e) 1,500 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (750 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (375 euros) No maximum limit: All vehicles receive 25% of the maximum aid amount (375 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (225 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least it must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (150 euros) In 2025 it has already been promised that these aids would be direct at the time of purchase. That is, the customer would leave the dealership without the obligation to advance the aid and waiting to receive the money in their bank account. The claim is recurring since 2019 when the first MOVES Plan was approved but that promise disappeared with the extension of the MOVES III Plan and it was said that it would be active with the application of the Auto + Plan. The deadline for this Auto+ Plan to come into force was January 1, 2026. However, weeks before it began to work, The dealers already indicated that they were not willing to advance the aid. Not, at least, if they had no guarantee of receiving the money within a reasonable period of time. So, who is going to provide the aid? It is something that is yet to be confirmed and that we will not know for sure until the aid bases are officially published, which should happen in the coming days. In Xataka we have contacted Ganvam (National Association of Vehicle, Repair and Spare Parts Sellers) who claim to have no confirmation of how this aid will be delivered. From Faconauto (Federation of Automotive Dealer Associations) yes, they have assured us that the aid can be obtained at the time of purchase but that the more specific details will arrive when the bases are presented. A loan that was a matter of faith. The intention, therefore, is that the customer can finally leave the dealership being very clear about the price of the car. The concessionaires’ employers assure us that there is no signed commitment of the time that the State will have to deliver said aid and that this is something that we will only know when the bases for the aid are published. Until now, manufacturers have been advancing help with an interest-free loan for 12 or 18 months (depending on the brand) in the hope that the client would receive the money before the bank received the payment of that fee, which can reach up to 4,500 euros. That is to say, it could be the case that the client ran out the deadline … Read more

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