usatoday24

that of a future conditioned by AI

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In a labor market as competitive as the current one, aggravated by the condition of the imminent arrival of AI, it is increasingly important refine the choice of a university degree that facilitates job placement with good salaries and stable work. According to the report ‘The employability of young people in Spain 2025’ from the Knowledge and Development Foundation (CYD), three careers stand out in terms of employability in the following four years after finishing their studies: Computer Science, Health and Engineering. Having a university degree is useful for finding a job. According the data According to the report, in the 2018-2019 academic year, 189,438 people graduated from Spanish universities. Four years later, 75.9% of those graduates are affiliated with Social Security. Of that percentage that has found a job, 72.4% do so with an indefinite contract with an average salary contribution base of 30,976 euros. 80% carry out their work full-time, which are clear indicators of stable employment with remuneration above average in Spain. Graduates from public and private universities maintain differences, with private universities showing more permanent contracts in the first years, although in the fourth year the public university slightly surpasses them in stability. The champion in job placement. Following the same trend that eol already pointed out 2024 employability report from the CYD Foundation, IT once again consolidates itself as the most solid career in terms of stability and quality of employment four years after its completion. With an affiliation rate of 89.4% and an impressive 93.8% of permanent contracts (96.9% of them full-time), it is presented as the career that presents the greatest guarantees of obtaining stable employment in 2025. With 82.8% employability and 90.5% permanent contracts, we find the branches of Engineering, Industry and Construction, thus demonstrating the high demand for technical professionals what companies demand. It is worth highlighting at this point the Medicine career, which, although it registers a higher percentage of job insertion than Computer Science (94%) and has a higher salary contribution base, shows serious precariousness in hiring. Only 2% of graduates have a permanent employment contract after four years in the labor market. Salaries above average. As we mentioned in the previous section, the average salary contribution for Medicine graduates is 41,839 euros per year. Far exceeding the 36,732 euros per year that the average IT graduates pay in their fourth year in the labor market or the 33,215 euros per year that the rest of the computer, industrial and construction engineering majors pay. The red lanterns. As already reflected by the 2024 study datathe careers in the Arts and Humanities branch are the ones that offer the fewest professional opportunities with an average affiliation rate of 63.5%, of which only 73% do so with an indefinite contract and with an average contribution base of 27,185 euros per year. Well below their counterparts in Medicine and IT. The Education and Services branches are not faring better, with insertion rates below 80%, salary bases below 30,000 euros and greater uncertainty in job stability. Present use. If we compare the data from the 2024 study with that of 2025, we find an increase of 10 percentage points in the number of graduates with a permanent contract. This indicates that the work that has been generated is of better quality, but it must also be observed in a context of overall employment growth throughout the labor market, not just in that of graduates with higher education. That is to say, not only have the number of graduates with indefinite contracts increased, but, according to data From the EPA for the third quarter of 2025, full-time employment as a whole has increased by 314,500 people and partial employment has decreased by 196,100 people. Future employment. Despite the good data that graduates in Computer Science and Engineering have been presenting, the progressive arrival of AI to the labor market places them as the professions more exposed to automation. This means that, if a student begins one of these careers now, in eight years (four years of undergraduate plus the four years of job placement proposed by the study), the scenario could be totally different. In fact, Engineering is the one that is most accusing layoffs in big technology in the United States, the market in which AI is being deployed with greater intensity. At the opposite pole, the progressive aging of the population will further increase demand of professionals from field of health and serviceschanging the balances of the labor market and its salaries. In Xataka | For thousands of Spanish students, the challenge is not to pass the PAU and access university: it is to find a job of their own Image | Flickr (University of Seville)

Barcelona is tired of cars not respecting the bus lane. So it’s installing AI cameras on its buses

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2,500 violations in one month. That is, Barcelona City Council could have fined more than 80 drivers every day. It has not done so because, at the moment, the project is in the testing phase, but it has served the City Council to confirm its suspicions: the invasion of the city’s bus lanes is a constant and a real problem. To confirm this, Barcelona City Council has launched a pilot test equipping four buses with cameras enhanced with artificial intelligence. They are units of lines H12, which crosses the city on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, and D20, which in this case covers the entire route of Avinguda del Paral-lel and a nearby section around the port. The project was already presented last February but it wasn’t until summer when we knew all the results. Four buses and 2,500 violations The data published suggests that something is not working in the Catalan city. They collect in Hybrids and Electrics that just four units collected more than 2,500 violations in just one month. These infractions have not been sanctioned because, as we said, it was a pilot project that will serve to define new strategies and look for solutions. The truth is that it is obvious that the Barcelona transport company has to deal daily with all types of vehicles that illegally occupy a space that should serve to prioritize the passage of public transport. To record these infractions, the cameras recorded the movement and position of the vehicles as the bus moved forward. They specified in the presentation of the project that cameras have not been used in the study to identify people or license plates. The software, they say, only counted if there was an object blocking the road and is capable of discerning illegal occupations, such as a parking lot, from those permitted (taxis, right turns…). With the data they want to propose solutions among which, of course, the possibility of turning buses into real moving radars has not been mentioned. Although buses have highlighted the problem, the truth is that Barcelona already has the so-called “multacar”cars with cameras that record violations of the bus lane and that, these do, issue penalties with the violations found in their path. And the city council also has similar vehicles that They control regulated parking areasinstantly checking if a car has exceeded the allowed time and, in that case, fining it. The big difference is that installing this system on the buses themselves would allow the fleet to become an exercise in constant surveillance throughout the service. And taking into account the data recorded, the volume of sanctions would be expected to be very high in that case. Photo | TMB In Xataka | FlixBus wants to operate international bus lines in Spain. He has encountered two enemies: Alsa and Avanza

has launched a modern autonomous minibus

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Something is changing in Mercamadridand it’s not just the pace of trucks that enter and leave from the first hour. The venue has taken another step towards the future with the entry into the scene of a minibus capable of moving without depending on the direct control of a driver. The image may surprise even those who know this place well, an enclave that operates day and night. The City Council has chosen this space to show how it wants to start testing technologies that aim to become everyday in the coming years. Where the experiment really begins. The new Smart Urban Space turns Mercamadrid into a place to measure, with real data, how certain technologies work in urban management. The City Council has activated a pilot here included in the European project Mobilities for EUwhich uses delimited enclosures to evaluate its impact in operational situations. In this case, mobility, efficiency and safety indicators are analyzed that will allow us to know if the solutions applied can be replicated and later scaled to other areas of the city. Who is behind the minibus. The official note from the City Council does not specify the manufacturer of the vehicle used in the pilot, but the images released by the project partners and the material provided by Somauto They point out that it is the e-CENTERa model from the Turkish company Otokar. It is an electric minibus designed to operate in urban environments and has a version with level 4 autonomous driving capabilities. The e-CENTRO is prepared to move autonomously thanks to a system that combines perception of the environment, 360-degree vision and continuous analysis of the road. This equipment allows the vehicle to plan its route and react to the elements it encounters in a limited and monitored space. In the shared material, a person can be seen in the front seat, but the official communication has not specified their function. Vehicle numbers. The e-CENTRO is a 6.6 meter electric minibus that incorporates 110 kWh NMC Li-ion batteries installed in the floor, an arrangement that frees up interior space and allows a capacity of up to 32 passengers. Its DANA-TM4 engine delivers 100 kW (peak 200 kW) and 1,200 Nm for urban routes. According to the manufacturersupports a full recharge in 1.5 hours and uses a regenerative braking system that recovers up to 25% of energy in urban circulation. The concept behind the experiment The City Council defines these spaces as areas where physical infrastructure is combined with sensors, actuators and telecommunications systems connected to the City Operating System. Its function is to monitor in real time what is happening in the environment and generate data that allows urban management to be adjusted more precisely. The project also includes a Smart City Interpretation Center, designed to show citizens how these technologies work. As we say, the pilot is part of Mobilities for EU, a consortium led by Madrid and Dresden, the German city that co-directs the project and acts as a strategic partner in its coordination. This group brings together 29 partners from nine countries and extends its tests to cities such as Espoo, Gdansk, Ioánnina, Sarajevo and Trencin. It involves transport operators, technology companies and universities that collaborate at different levels of the project. Among the members are Alsa, PreZero, MásOrange, Ferrovial, SAP, Volkswagen, T-Systems and the Polytechnic Universities of Madrid and Dresden, along with other entities linked to the digital transition and sustainable mobility. The roadmap and the money at stake. The City Council has framed this pilot within its Digital Transformation Strategy, a plan that reserves more than 60 million euros for different projects over the next five years. These include the contract for smart urban spaces, currently in the bidding phase, with a budget of 7.5 million and an execution period of 48 months. Images | ALSA | In Xataka | A fear begins to grow in some European countries: that China will deactivate its electric buses remotely

What you have is a very serious income problem.

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China has established itself as one of the driving forces of artificial intelligence, both in adoption and integration of new functions, but the economic balance tells a different story. Its ecosystem grows outward, not upward: it accumulates use, but not income. This divergence between scale and return, increasingly visible in the compared data, explains why the main challenge for Chinese AI is not how much it invests, but how much it manages to earn. The figures and trends we use come from sources that work with updated data series: Stanford University’s global investment tracker and the Tech Buzz China report with Unique Researchwhich examines the performance of Chinese products and companies during 2024 and 2025. Their combination allows us to understand not only how much China is progressing in AI, but also how it is positioned against other markets. The contrast between powers. Stanford University figures for 2024 place global corporate investment in AI at $252.3 billion, in a context of growing demand for these technologies. The United States led with 109.1 billion in private investment, a volume almost twelve times greater than that of China, which stood at 9.3 billion. The data illustrates the magnitude of the gap and the determining weight that American private financing has in the development of AI on an international scale. AI business metrics. To understand the performance of any AI application, it is worth looking at the ARR. This metric reflects the recurring income that a company obtains in a year, a key indicator to evaluate the solidity of its economic model. Unique Research places only four Chinese firms among the 100 private AI companies with the highest ARR: glory reaches 173 million dollars, PLAUD 125 million, ByteDance 116 million and Zuoyebang 33 million. Together they add up to 447 million dollars, 1.23% of the total list, which amounts to 36.4 billion. Compared to that figure, American companies concentrate practically all of the recurring income, which marks a clear difference in scale and commercial maturity. Glority and the piece that fits the context. The name Glority may not sound familiar to you, and that’s completely normal. Most likely, you have ever seen PictureThisits plant identification application that has become the reference in its category. The company was born in 2009 and began working with computer vision models long before the recent rise of AI after 2022. Its trajectory helps to understand how some Chinese companies have grown by combining everyday utility and a technical base developed long in advance. PLAUD and its double anchor: Shenzhen and the United States. Although it appears on the Unique Research list within the Chinese group, Its founder assures that PLAUD operates as a US company. Xu opened an office in San Francisco in 2023, works from there with part of the team and registered the company in Delaware, storing data in Amazon centers in the United States. He himself summarizes its structure like this: “we have the best talent in Shenzhen for hardware design and the best engineers in San Francisco for AI development.” A huge user base. The report figures at 4.78 billion the aggregate monthly active users of the top 100 AI companies as of August 2025. Of these, about 2.2 billion belong to Chinese platforms, around 46% of the total. Baidu, ByteDance, DeepSeekMeitu and Zuoyebang top that list thanks to their presence on multiple daily services. The breadth of its portfolios and continuous integration of AI tools allow its reach to be significantly greater than other markets. Predominance of the visual. In China, many of the most widely used AI applications revolve around the creation and editing of content, from video to photography, including retouching and digital makeup tools. This orientation responds to deeply rooted habits in the country. The result is a powerful visual ecosystem, although less present in business or productivity services, which usually provide more stable income. Where opportunities are concentrated outside China. The report indicates that, on an international scale, the growth of AI is divided into categories linked to daily work: support, development, infrastructure, productivity and improved search. This group includes products developed outside of China, such as ChatGPT, Cursor, Suno either Perplexitywhich are integrated into professional processes where continuity and recurring payment are common. Faced with this diversity, the visual specialization of the Chinese ecosystem occupies a more limited space. An obvious commercial paradox. The Chinese AI ecosystem is built on a huge domestic market, and most companies develop their products with that audience in mind. The report identifies hundreds of startups focused primarily on local users, a strategy that takes advantage of both the country’s scale and its pace of technological adoption. However, when the products that generate the most recurring income are analyzed, those that invoice in international markets predominate. Of the 23 Chinese products present in the top 100 by ARR, 19 earn their main income outside of China. The conclusion is clear: use is concentrated within the country, but the capacity for sustained monetization continues to come from abroad. Achilles heel. By relying on foreign markets to sustain their recurring revenues, Chinese AI companies operate under a higher level of uncertainty than their global competitors. Restrictions associated with “national security,” app bans, and trade measures between countries have become more common, and each of them can limit your international presence. If any of these barriers affected products that are currently monetized abroad, the drop in income would be difficult to avoid. The picture left by the figures is clear: China has built a broad ecosystem, although its income structure continues to depend enormously on foreign sources. The question is no longer how much you invest, but how you convert that effort into lasting results inside and outside the country. The challenge is to consolidate a model that can be sustained beyond reach and that resists an international environment marked by tensions and changing regulations. Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 In Xataka | DeepSeek has broken its silence after months without appearing: its … Read more

Work absenteeism in ITV workshops has skyrocketed in some autonomous communities. The solution: private detectives

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The public company SITVAL, in charge of managing technical inspections of vehicles in the Valencian Community, has put out to tender a contract of 140,000 euros to hire detective agencies to investigate possible unjustified absences, incompatible activities or fraudulent situations among its staff. Just like inform from El Español, the measure seeks to tackle an absenteeism problem that has skyrocketed since the ITVs went under public management in February 2023. The underlying problem. Since Ximo Puig’s Government reverted service to the public sector, work absenteeism in Valencian stations has skyrocketed to between 16% and 18% on average, according to share the middle. The figure doubles the regional average for absenteeism in the community, which stands at 6.4%, and is well above the national 7%. The result is a collapsed service with waits exceeding eight weeks for heavy vehicles, according to the Valencian Federation of Transport and Logistics Entrepreneurs (FVET). What will the detectives do? The contract, published On October 27 on the Public Sector Contracting Platform, it commissioned the agencies to observe, monitor and prepare documentary and audiovisual reports on SITVAL personnel. Just like share El Español, detectives must collect truthful information about possible unjustified absences and, if necessary, appear before administrative or judicial bodies to ratify their reports. The contract is divided into three lots, one for each Valencian province, with an execution period of two years. It is not an isolated case. The Valencian Generalitat is not the first administration that uses private investigation services to control absenteeism in public ITVs. The Government of Andalusia launched a similar service in August of last year, divided into two lots for the western and eastern areas of the community. Consequences. The middle emphasize That the reversal of the service, which occurred three months before the 2023 regional elections, has generated an unexpected effect: the massive relocation of inspections. According to data Officially, in 2024 a total of 291,662 vehicles chose to pass the ITV in other autonomous communities such as Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha or Tarragona, which means less income compared to the 2,332,087 inspections that were carried out in 2022. Qresion in it transportation sector. The situation has led the Valencian Federation of Transport and Logistics Entrepreneurs (FVET) to announce the departure of its presidentCarlos Prades, from the board of directors of SITVAL at the end of October. “We pay more than in other communities for a less efficient, slower service that generates uncertainty,” denounced Prades, who added that “Valencian stations are no longer a real option for many companies.” The figures don’t add up. Puig’s Government justified the transition to public management arguing that it could generate up to 40 million euros per year in operating income for the Generalitat, compared to the 7 million euros paid by private concessionaires together. Although it seems that the forecasts have not taken into account the impact of absenteeism, the drop in inspections carried out or additional costs such as this investigation services contract. Cover image | FVET In Xataka | Yes, there is a way to check if the V-16 beacon is working correctly. And you are not going to alert the DGT or the emergencies about it.

All these Xiaomi devices mark their lowest prices of the year on AliExpress 11.11

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For a few hours now, we have active AliExpress 11.11a promo with the soul of Black Friday loaded with bargains of all kinds. It’s a perfect time to get your Christmas shopping done early. and buy all kinds of devices at very good prices, What can the consoles be like?. In addition to the offers that we can find throughout the marketplace, we also have a series of discount coupons that are perfect for saving more on our purchases: Discount minimum purchase coupon 1 coupon 2 3 euros 15 euros XATAKAES03 ESAE03 5 euros 29 euros XATAKAES05 ESAE05 12 euros 69 euros XATAKAES12 ESAE12 20 euros 129 euros XATAKAES20 ESAE20 40 euros 249 euros XATAKAES40 ESAE40 60 euros 369 euros XATAKAES60 ESAE60 75 euros 469 euros XATAKAES75 ESAE75 85 euros 549 euros XATAKAES03ES85 ESAE85 The promo will be active until November 19, but it is more than possible that the best deals will fly much sooner. On this occasion, we are going to take the opportunity to bring you a selection of Xiaomi devices that have very good prices right now, many of them being the lowest of the year (or very close to them). Xiaomi Pad 7 by 187.51 euros with the coupon XATAKAES20, a very interesting tablet if we are looking for the best quality-price. Xiaomi Electric Scooter 4 Lite by 162.90 euros with the coupon XATAKAES20, a very economical scooter option. Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X10+ by 205.70 euros with the coupon XATAKAES20, a robot vacuum cleaner with a charging station. Xiaomi TV A Pro by 328.82 euros with the coupon XATAKAES60, in its 65-inch version. Xiaomi Redmi Pad Pro by 139.19 euros with the coupon XATAKAES20, another even cheaper tablet option. Xiaomi Pad 7 We start with one of the two tablets that we bring in this selection of devices from the Chinese manufacturer. It is about the Xiaomi Pad 7a very balanced device that at launch was committed to offering a great quality-price ratio, but this AliExpress promotion raises the level even further: it comes out for 187.51 euros with the coupon XATAKAES20. What does it offer? For less than 200 euros, we have a tablet with an 11.2-inch screen, compatible with Dolby Vision and a rate of 144 Hz, making it perfect for working, watching content or even playing. Its 8,850 mAh battery will give us plenty of autonomy, although we can also charge it quickly thanks to its 45 W fast charging. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Electric Scooter 4 Lite With how difficult it is to circulate and park in some cities, having a scooter can give us extra mobility and comfort, as well as a great help to not always depend on public transportation. This Xiaomi Electric Scooter 4 Lite It is one of the cheapest that we can buy right now: it costs 162.90 euros with the coupon XATAKAES20. We are looking at an electric scooter that has a maximum power of 300 W and a 5,200 mAh battery, with which we should have a range of approximately 20 kilometers. It weighs 15 kilos, its tires are 8.5 inches and it has a drum brake on the rear wheel. Xiaomi Electric Scooter 4 Lite The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X10+ Robot vacuum cleaners are a very interesting help if we want to have the floor at home clean without too much effort. Among all the models that we can buy right now, this Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X10+ is presented as a great alternative for the tightest budgets: we can purchase it for 205.70 euros with the coupon XATAKAES20 and choosing PayPal as a payment method to obtain an additional discount of 20 euros. This model has a suction power of 4,000 Pa and a station that is used to empty the bucket, clean its pads and refill the water tank. With its 5,200 mAh battery, it is capable of offering about 2 hours of autonomy, which is more than enough for small or medium-sized apartments. Its navigation system will prevent crashes and it has a sensor that detects carpets. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi TV A Pro If we are looking for a large TV and we don’t want to spend too much in exchange, look out for this Xiaomi TV A Pro. It is a very interesting model, especially if we are after something with 65 inches. This AliExpress promo allows us to take it home for 328.82 euros with the coupon XATAKAES60 and using PayPal as a payment method. It is a model with 4K resolution and QLED technology, so we can expect vivid colors and very good contrasts. Its operating system is Google TV and it includes Chromecast as standard, which makes it very easy to send any type of content from your mobile. At the sound level it performs well, since it is compatible with Dolby Audio and DTS-X. Xiaomi TV A Pro 65 inches The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Redmi Pad Pro We close this selection of offers as we started it: with another tablet. On this occasion, it is the Xiaomi Redmi Pad Proa model that is difficult not to recommend if we take into account what it offers and what it costs right now: AliExpress’s 11.11 leaves it alone 139.19 euros with the coupon XATAKAES20. Among everything we can highlight about it, it is worth noting that it offers a large 12.1-inch screen with very good resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate and compatibility with Dolby Vision. It has a Qualcomm processor, comes with a fairly large 10,000 mAh battery and its four speakers will give us a good multimedia experience. Xiaomi Redmi Pad Pro (6+128 GB) 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 … Read more

It is equal to a three euro Steam game

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On September 2 a story started whose end is still expected to be long. That day, the United States claimed that it had shot down a drug boat off the coast of Venezuela. From then until now the tension levels have been increasing with continuous arrival of a Washington fleet in the area and a disturbing idea that floats in the air about the true magnitude of Washington’s movement. And, in response, Venezuela has just presented a simulator for its navy. A Russian video game. They counted it on Insider. At the Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army of Venezuela, in Caracas, they spread recently images of young cadets learning to handle kamikaze drones through flight simulators. The machines, covered and equipped with joysticks and flat screens, were intended to show the technological leap of the Venezuelan army in terms of unmanned warfare. However, the video images caused international surprise: the software used is practically identical (if not the same) to the Russian video game FPV Kamikaze Dronedeveloped by the company HFM Games and sold on the Steam platform for just $3.99. The shadow of the copy. The interface, graphics, engine physics and even the mission selection menu are exactly the same. From Moscow, the studio’s own co-founder, Aleksei Kolotilov, confirmed that there was never contact with the Venezuelan government nor any adaptation of the program for military purposes. “Our game was created only for civil entertainment,” he said, ironically saying that, if Caracas wanted to thank the “involuntary collaboration,” they could “send a couple of barrels of oil” in exchange for fixing some software bugs. Cheap simulators. He institutional videospread between patriotic speeches and slogans of loyalty, was published just when the tension between the United States and Venezuela reached one of its peaks. highest peaks in years, fueling fears of an open confrontation. In other materialthe army commander, General Johan Hernández Lárez, solemnly states that the young people are “ready to destroy the enemy”, while a cadet shows how his virtual drone is launched against a complex of buildings, in a recreation identical to the missions of the Russian game. In another broadcast recording For the academy itself, a uniformed presenter thanks the Armed Forces for the “joint effort” that allowed them to acquire the simulators, while dozens of cadets practice in a row of terminals with recreational aesthetics. From Ukraine to Caracas. we have told before: FPV drones have become a lethal tool low-cost, popularized by the Ukrainian army and quickly adopted by powers and developing countries. Unlike reconnaissance drones, FPVs are operated as if the operator were inside them, allowing for precise attacks at low cost. Their proliferation has transformed battlefields, democratizing the ability to inflict harm. In the Ukrainian war, pilots train with digital programsbut they must also demonstrate their expertise in real tests before operating in combat. Armies around the world have taken note, and now even countries without a technological tradition, like Venezuela, are seeking to adapt the model with limited resources. The symbolic effect. The use of a commercial video game as a supposed military simulator reveals the paradox of the Venezuelan defense apparatus: an army that exhibits power, but depends from improvised means. In a context of international sanctions, technological isolation and scarce resources, the adoption of Russian civilian software to train officers becomes both a propaganda gesture and a symbol of precariousness. Unlike the United States or Ukraine itself, where learning is completed with real practices, the Venezuelan army seems to resort to low cost solutions to project an image of modernization. However, beyond the irony of a cheap video game being transformed into a military tool, the episode reflects another global trend: the blurring of the border between digital entertainment and real war, where the preparation of soldiers and the simulation of combat can depend, literally, on software designed for gaming. Image | Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army In Xataka | The US has sent B-1 bombers into Venezuelan airspace: everything that is happening is close to a word In Xataka | The US has several warships deployed off Venezuela. Venezuela has a Soviet missile capable of penetrating them

In Galicia, shellfish harvesters are capturing clams and then returning them to the sea. There is a reason and it is in Canada

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The normal thing when shellfish harvesters collect clams is that this product then ends up in the fish markets and goes from these to the fishmongers, supermarkets and finally to the tables. That’s normal. Over the last few weeks in the brotherhoods of Vilanova and Rianxo, in the Rías Baixas, things have been something different: The bivalves arrived at the market, but from there they returned to the sea, a frustrating round trip for professionals that reveals a lot about the market. To understand it you have to cross the Atlantic. What has happened? The news spread a few days ago the newspaper Vigo Lighthouse. Over the last few weeks, some brotherhoods in the Arousa estuary have been forced to withdraw lots of clams from the auctions to return the catches to the sea. It happened on at least one occasion in Rianxo and two others in Vilanova, where the professionals also decided to give up two days of work. In reality, there is little mystery about it: the merchandise was quoted at prices so low that it did not even cover the minimum cost. In order not to undersell it, the shellfish collectors choose to withdraw the lots from the auctions and return the bivalves to the estuary. Was it quoted that low? It seems so. Óscar Fernández, president of the group of shellfish harvesters of Vilanova, remember that at the end of 2024 the group decided to update its prices to prevent its professionals from continuing to lose purchasing power. To be more precise, what was agreed is that the minimum rate for japonica clams would rise by two euros/kilo, going from seven to nine, and the fine clam would remain at 30 euros/kilo, ten more than before. Any quote that fell below that minimum would be discarded. Or in other words, the seafood would be removed from the market to be returned to the sea, which is exactly what they have done in Arousa. “The decision was made a year ago, but until now there had been no need to remove lots of clams from the fish market,” Fernández told Lighthouse. Among the discarded merchandise there was so much japonica clam as fine. Not only that. Faced with the prospect that the rates would not exceed the minimum, in Vilanova they chose to give up two days of work. Better that than underselling. Can it go further? That seafood moves in ‘discrete’ figures at this time of year is nothing exceptional. Summer is behind us and there are still several weeks until Christmas, so the sector is accustomed to November not being exactly a buoyant month. This fall, however, is out of the ordinary. The Galician Fishing platform sample that the average price (market) in Arousa so far this year is €15.05/kilo. They are 50 cents less than the average for 2024 and are far from the 16.38 that were reached in 2023. The figures (yes) must be handled with caution. To begin with, because they show annual averages, so those of the last two years include December. If we look at the monthly data, in October the kilo was quoted at €13.1, its lowest level since March. In November the average has risen again to 17.54. Another key is that the indicators include slimy clams, bicudasfine, blonde and Japanese. However, professionals in the area do not hide their misgivings. “When Noia opened we noticed a big drop in prices. This week they rose a little, but they are still below those of 2024,” comments Fernandez. And what are the causes? More important than prices are the factors that influence them. And the sector clearly points out two: the effect of Noia opening and the arrival of foreign products. “Seafood is coming in from other places,” says Miguel Ángel Iglesias, Rianxo’s senior boss, who warns that the problem is not so much the pressure it exerts on the native merchandise but rather certain questionable practices. “There are people who sell it as if it were from here.” Hence, a greater effort by the Xunta is missing to avoid fraud and mislabelling. “There is a consumer who is willing to pay a little more for our product and we have to prevent them from taking clams from other sources because the labeling is ambiguous,” Iglesias claims in statements to Lighthouse. Just like other branches In the primary sector, shellfish harvesters demand that the authorities demand the same standards for imported products as local products, with the same “sanitary guarantees” and transparent traceability. In the union, of course, not everyone seems to be having the same bad time: in Vilaxoán they have also noticed a drop in the price of, for example, the japonica clam, but in Cambados they have seen a rise in prices in recent days. Is it something new? Not quite. Before the production crisis suffered by the shellfish banks of Galicia, part of the industry has chosen to look for gender abroadin countries like Canada, Italy, Portugal or Morocco. I explained it a few months ago The Voice of Galicia in a comprehensive analysis in which he recalls that, although the competition from the Dutch, Portuguese or Irish bivalve comes from afar, it seems to have intensified since 2023, when (on the eve of Christmas and after strong erasures) the Galician shellfish harvesters found themselves with a challenging scenario: an increase in clam and cockle mortality. Where does the merchandise come from? Now professionals work in a market that has been forced to look for alternatives to cover the demand for seafood, which, in practice, means that the local genus must compete with bivalves from Bulgaria, Ireland, Sweden, Morocco, Portugal, Holland or Canada. “It comes from many places,” recognized in summer to The Voice Trini Lois, a good connoisseur of the Arousa fish markets. “Galicia is the only place where shellfish harvesting did not rebound. In Portugal it was at a low point, but they once again have high production and are selling.” Regarding … Read more

Shein has opened its first store in Europe in Paris. Paris has reacted as always: staging a revolt

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The heart of Le Marais The morning of November 5th was troubled. In front of the old Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville (BHV), that art deco building that overlooks the City Hall, Shein opened its first physical store in Europe. But consumer enthusiasm soon mixed with cries of indignation. French-style protests. At the doors of the BHV, the tension was immediate. A group of protesters shouted “C’est honteux!” (“This is a shame!”) and carried signs with slogans such as “Protégez les enfants, pas Shein” (“Protect the children, not Shein”). Both unions and environmental associations joined the protest denouncing the chain’s working conditions and its environmental impact, according to France24. Outside, slogans were chanted; Inside, lines snaked between shelves. Riot police guarded the entrances while the smell of a stinking aerosol – released by a protester – permeated the air. The rest of the day, the store continued to operate normally. Thousands of consumers lined up in front of the fitting rooms. The Observer estimated that more than 50,000 people They visited the new premises in its first days, and Le Monde It is estimated that about 8,000 people They passed only during the inauguration. In the words of the British newspaper, “behind the protesters who shouted shame, lines of shoppers stretched out with bags full of polyester.” Why so much fuss? The Parisian revolt was not born out of nowhere, nor is it just an environmental problem. Days before, the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression (DGCCRF) had revealed that Shein France sold child-like sex dolls, as revealed by Le Parisien. The institution stated that the descriptions “left little doubt about the pedopornographic nature” of the product. The discovery led to the opening of four judicial investigations by the Paris prosecutor’s office against Shein, AliExpress, Temu and Wish, for the dissemination of violent or pornographic content accessible to minors. In parallel, the conservative deputy Antoine Vermorel-Marques reported that on the platform Machetes and brass knuckles, category A weapons, prohibited in France, were also sold. Under pressure, Shein reacted. According to BBCone day before the opening, the company announced a global ban on all sales of sex dolls, the closure of the accounts of the sellers involved and the elimination of the adult products category. “The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable,” CEO Donald Tang told Time. Shein spokesperson in France, Quentin Ruffat, stated exclusively for French radio RMC: “What happened is serious, unacceptable and intolerable. It was an internal failure in our processes. We will cooperate 100% with justice and we will reveal the identity of the buyers.” Two days later, according to Reutersthe Ministry of Finance temporarily stopped the suspension procedure, upon verifying that Shein had removed all illicit products, but stressed that “the company will remain under close surveillance.” The French crusade against fast-fashion. The Executive’s offensive is not only moral: it is also legal and economic. According to Politicothe French Government has activated two parallel procedures to suspend the Shein website. The first, based on the Consumer Code, would allow the domain to be blocked if the company disobeys an order to remove illegal content. The second, protected by the Digital Economy Trust Act of 2004, seeks to demonstrate that there is a risk of recidivism. Both processes could lead to a ban on access to the site and its applications in France. Le Parisien announced that a court hearing will be held on November 26, where a judge will decide the future of the platform. Meanwhile, the Minister of Public Finance, Amélie de Montchalin, led an unprecedented operation at Charles de Gaulle airport: more than 200,000 Shein packages from China were inspected in a single day. According to the ministrythree out of four did not comply with European regulations. But the pulse goes beyond customs. As The Guardian recallsFrance has been questioning the ultra-fast fashion model for years: in 2023 and 2024 it approved laws and fines of almost 200 million euros against Shein for misleading advertising and environmental violations. The arrival of the brand at BHV, details Times“contradicts the ecological and high-end vision that Paris wants to project.” Even iconic designers, such as Agnès B, announced their withdrawal from BHV. “I am completely against this fast fashion, there are jobs in danger,” told BBC. Despite the scandal, Shein has not stepped on the brakes. According to Le Mondethe company will open new stores in Dijon and Reims on November 18, and in Grenoble on the 21st, with additional plans in Angers and Limoges. Frédéric Merlin, president of the Société des Grands Magasins (SGM) – owner of BHV – defended his alliance with Shein in statements to Le Monde: “The products we sell here do not exploit workers or children. We are convinced of their quality.” However, parent Galeries Lafayette broke ties with SGM over “strategic divergence,” according to Timesrefusing to associate his name with the Chinese brand. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 French people have signed a petition against Shein’s expansion, according to The Guardianand numerous brands have left BHV in protest. Despite this, the plans continue. The battle for the soul of fashion. The story of Shein in France is no longer just that of an investigated company, but that of a country that refuses to surrender to the dizzying pace of global consumption. However, it opens up a paradox: while the authorities are preparing laws and blockades, thousands of young people are lining up to buy 5-euro t-shirts. France is waging a symbolic — and perhaps lost — war against fast fashion: that of the country that invented haute couture facing the phenomenon that turns it into waste. On November 26, French justice will speak. But fast fashion has already won a part of the most difficult trial: that of consumption. Image | Flickr and DMCGN Xataka | Years ago buying “white label” was synonymous with poor quality: today it is the number one priority of Spaniards

All their plans are discounted and come with 3 extra months

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Better safe than sorry. It is obvious that nothing should happen to us while we browse the Internet normally, but it is undeniable that there are more and more dangers. Every so often we are seeing major data breaches, large-scale cyberattacks and even the presence of spyware. We have ways to protect ourselves, although few are as effective as a VPN. Now that we are in full Black Fridaywe are facing one of the best times of the year to get a quality one. We have a great option with Surfshark, since all their plans are discounted. Thanks to this, we can take your VPN from 1.99 euros per month. And be careful, because, as we will see below, their promo does not only imply discounts. Surfshark Starter Subscription – monthly The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Surfshark’s Black Friday gives us its VPN at a great price As we always tell you, we cannot ignore the fact that there are free VPNs. These work and fulfill their purpose, although using them frequently is not ideal. The reason? Two very specific reasons: They are not as safe as they say they are. and they usually fall short in terms of connection speed or functionalities. In that sense, it is worth investing in a paid one, especially now that we are in the middle of Black Friday. This Surfshark promo, which has already been active for a few days and will still be active until December, allows us to take any of their three plans for less money. If we are only interested in their VPN, then the ideal one for us is their Starter plan, which, as we have told you a little above, has a price of 1.99 euros per month if we opt for its two-year modality (which brings three extra months, so it would be 27 months). And it doesn’t come alone, since it brings the Alternative ID tool. If we don’t mind spending a little more every month, then the most interesting thing we can do is opt for the plan called Surfshark One. It is the one with the most discount right nowleaving its price at more than attractive ones 2.19 euros per month. It brings everything that the Starter plan includes, including the three extra months. These are all the tools that we would have with it: VPN. Antivirus. Real-time alerts on email breaches, credit card and ID data theft. Private search tools. Personal data security reports. Webcam protection. Anti-spyware and malware protection. Surfshark One Subscription – monthly The price could vary. We earn commission from these links We have an additional alternative with the most complete subscription from this company, called Surfshark One+. As the name suggests, this is an improved version of the previous one that includes the same and an additional solution called Incognidesigned to eliminate our information from databases. If we opt for two years of this subscription, the price of this plan is 4.19 euros and it also comes with three extra months. 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 | surfshark In Xataka | Best VPNs 2025: guide with the 17 best services to protect your online privacy In Xataka | The best solutions to protect your data and your company’s IT equipment

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