Mobile Tech & Gadgets

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

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

The loggerhead turtle is increasingly common on the Spanish coasts. It is a bad sign about the Mediterranean

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The Mediterranean is being invaded. The ‘fried egg’ jellyfish or the imposing lionfish They are two undesirable new tenants, but there is one animal that is much less annoying, It is not invasive and yet it is a problem that it is colonizing the western Mediterranean. This is the loggerhead sea turtle. And it is another adaptive response to climate change. The loggerhead turtle. Its scientific name is Caretta caretta and is one of only two species of sea turtle (the other is the Chelonia mydasor green turtle) that reproduces in the Mediterranean beaches. If you look at the map, its distribution is worldwide. They enjoy warm waters with a wide range of surface temperatures (a range between 13 and 28 degrees Celsius), but things change during the spawning season. Nesting females prefer temperatures between 27 and 28 degrees, making Mediterranean beaches an ideal area to lay eggs. The traditional spawning grounds in the Mediterranean were the eastern area, especially the Greek beaches, but something is happening: an increase in temperatures is creating a double imbalance. A determining factor. It is curious, but temperature controls both the willingness of turtles to nest in an area and, and this is almost the most important, the sixth of their hatchlings. The sexual determination of chelonians depends on the incubation temperature in the eggs buried in the sand. With this strict fan of 27-28 degrees, a balanced population between males and females is achieved. With higher temperatures, there is a imbalance towards the predominant birth of females. This is a problem for the turtle population itself, since an imbalance of this type would put the species at risk. And even more curious is that mature females have instinctively found a biological refuge on the coasts of the western Mediterranean, where the beaches are somewhat colder (for the moment). The objective is to ensure greater sexual diversity. Increase in nesting. HE esteem that, in the Mediterranean basin, there are about 8,000 eggs per year. The traditional places are Greece, Türkiye, Libya, Tunisia and Cyprus, but little by little we are seeing that change in the balance. In 2001 found a first nest on a beach in Almería, in Vera, and since then loggerhead turtle nests have been recorded in other parts of the geography of the western Mediterranean. The turtles They are spawning in Spainbut also in Italy, Malta and Tunisia. In addition to the Almeria coast, the areas in which the turtles are creating nests are Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Murcia and they have been observed in Fuengirola and Marbella. Conservation and awareness. There are organizations that, increasingly, point out that nesting has been increasing in recent years, and regardless of what it means at a climatic level, it is another problem due to the human factor. In countries “accustomed” to this, where nests are protected, the population knows not to interfere with them. In others where turtles are beginning to nest, it is possible that we, maliciously or unintentionally, interfere with the reproductive cycles of a species that is considered under threat. That is why it is also they throw citizen awareness campaigns to inform about them and how to proceed if someone finds a nest that is not already being monitored. For example, performing events in schools on biology and conservation of the species. It is also perform awareness work with fishermen as a target audience, since fishing activities are one of the main causes of death. Likewise, when a clutch is detected, there is the possibility of protecting the nest in situ (where the turtles have to hatch correctly and take the infernal path to the sea) or take the eggs to controlled breeding centerswhere they mature and are subsequently released. Turtle nursery in Fuerteventura Poison beyond the heat. But there is another problem apart from climate change and human action: the pollutants that are poisoning the turtles. In recent years there has been studied the liver of at least a dozen loggerhead turtles, finding traces of PCB, PCDF and PCDD. These are chemicals, pesticides that alter the immune and hormonal systems of turtles. It is something that comes from the hand of the esurface runoff carrying chemical waste from agriculture and industry to the rivers that subsequently flow into the sea. And torture, unfortunately, is becoming a thermometer of the state of our waters, both in terms of temperature and the presence of chemicals that are already altering the fauna. Images | H. Zell, Dionysisa303 In Xataka | The owner of Loro Parque in the Canary Islands charges against animal rights activists. And with this it reopens the debate on the existence of zoos

November has been a black month for consoles. They no longer compete against each other, but against TikTok

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November 2025 is a month that many video game lovers have “celebrated” as the twentieth anniversary of Xbox 360. Pure nostalgiabecause beyond memory, November 2025 will be remembered by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft as a black month. The reason? It is the worst November for console sales since, precisely, November 2005. In the recent report from Circana we can see a figure very striking: 27%. That is how much spending by American consumers – the largest market for video games – has fallen during November of this year compared to November 2024. Another fact: with 1.6 million consoles sold that month, it is the worst November since 1995, the year of launch of PlayStation. It is relevant because it was released a year ago PS5 Pro and this month of may nintendo switch 2but the high prices of both machines and video games, which have experienced a rise in recent months, have not been able to convince players. Not even on Black Friday. And the key here may not be that thousands of video games are released every month or the price of the console itself. The key may be that the console war has ended and a very different one has begun: the attention war. Console war? War of attention At Xataka we have discussed the topic on more than one occasion. Our ability to focus is broken. in a task due to the enormous amount of stimuli to which we are subjected. Everything competes for our attention. Matt Booty, one of the Xbox heavyweights, said A few months ago Xbox’s competition was not PlayStation. Neither does Nintendo. The competition was TikTok. It was not a mistake, since Satya Nadella, absolute boss of the American company, also stated that “the competition of video games is not other video games, but short format video.” The interesting thing is that it is not an unreasonable statement. To Netflix, especially as a result of the final season of ‘Stranger Things’you are being accusing of producing empty series so that people have them in the background because they assume that they will be consuming short videos on their mobile phones while watching the series. That’s why there are short dialogues and a long opening exposition at the beginning of the season so you can “forget” about having to follow anything else. We are in a moment in which we spend the day unfocused, without being able look at your phone every 15 minutes as a reflex act and where we have to look for strategies so that multitasking and division of attention does not affect us. Matthew Bell, one of the most influential analysts of the video game market, already told it a few months ago in his book ‘The State of Video Gaming 2025‘. In your radiographypointed out how the video game industry no longer competes against itself, but against a tremendously fragmented digital entertainment ecosystem. Our time is finite. If we take away the hours of work, rest, transportation and food, we have little time for the rest. In the United States, there are studies who do not agree on how much time an average user spends on TikTok. The data varies between 58 minutes and 95, but whatever it is, then there is YouTube, Instagram or Facebook. This, in addition, is having cognitive consequences: have less attention span than a fish has. If in 2020 the average human attention span was twelve seconds, now it is eight. A fish pays attention for nine seconds, and you have to pay attention to a video game. And the threat of TikTok? The AI There are those who are catching this situation on the fly and that is why microdramas have appeared. At first, the fever of series with one-minute episodes occurred in Chinabut is climbing. And it is logical that you think: if the competition for consoles is TikTok, who is TikTok’s competition? The answer is also easy: artificial intelligence. Those minutes in which users They use ChatGPT as if it were their psychologista virtual friend or even a coupleare minutes that are not spent on TikTok. It is still something as accessible as opening an app, exactly the same as on TikTok, but perhaps waiting for that response from an AI that is characterized by being tremendously flattering is more comforting for our brain than the umpteenth quick video created with… AI –the slope-. Because they are social networks, video platforms, consoles, artificial intelligence and even the metaverse – someday, if that -, the objective is the same: to keep us glued to the screen. And we cannot attend to everything. In Xataka | An unknown console has overtaken Xbox in sales: it is just the beginning of more ambitious plans

What precautions should you take in each case?

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As prevention is better than cure, we are going to tell you a series of tips and precautions that we recommend you take with Christmas Lottery 2025. Thus, when purchasing and especially when sharing your tenth, you can ensure that you do so in a reliable and secure way. We are going to give you these tips in a list format, so that they are easy to understand, and at each point we will give you a simplified explanation. We’ll start with precautions when buying lottery tickets, and then we’ll move on to other tips when you’re going to share your numbers. Precautions when sharing Lottery Now we are going to continue giving you a series of tips and precautions when it comes to share Lottery numbers with other people. With them you will avoid misunderstandings, problems and someone taking all the money. Do it with people you know: It’s pretty obvious that the best way to safely share a tenth is to do it with people you trust. But what I mean by this is that you don’t share the tenths happily with people you don’t know, especially if they are the ones who buy it. Signed copies: If you purchase a ticket collaboratively, all participants must have a signed photocopy. It must include the name and ID of the depositary, who has the physical ticket, and who the participants are. The number of the tenth, series, fraction and draw must be included, and the amount that each person has played. Photocopies only for the record: The copies that are distributed can be of the receipt if you buy it online or a copy with both sides of the ticket if it is purchased physically. With these photocopies you cannot collect the number, that will have to be done by whoever physically has it, but by having written proof of who shares it you ensure that you have legal support in case there is a problem. If you play with clubs, let everything be clear: It is common for there to be clubs where people who are not so well known to each other make collaborative purchases. In this case, make sure that everything we have told you before is fulfilled and that everything is perfectly clear in writing. You can share it on WhatsApp: You can also send a photocopy of the number with all the data digitally. Whether you do it by email or WhatsApp, it will serve as proof as long as the details of the depositary, the participants and the participation of each one are included. All with the same photo or copy: Having a copy or a photo of the ticket with all the participants’ information does not guarantee you will collect it. Sometimes someone may claim that it is a fake photo and you will have to prove that the document is real. To do this, it is important that you all have the same photo or copy, since this makes it easier to prove that it is real, and do not forget that you must have the aforementioned data. Never post the tenth on social networks: NEVER share a photo of your lottery tickets or photocopies of participation on social networks. Come on, don’t let anyone see the complete number with its barcode, since they could try to charge it for you. If you want to share it anyway, delete or cover the barcodes and QR codes that appear. Don’t take too long to get paid: If you have had something, you should know that the tenth expires after three months, so don’t think about it too much. The sooner you collect it and distribute the money the better. Precautions when buying the Lottery Let’s start by giving you advice when it comes to buy Christmas Lottery. These are basic precautions to ensure that the purchase is safe and that you are not scammed, thus avoiding scams and deception. Buy on official sites: The first thing is to avoid buying the lottery from administrations that are not official. There are more than 11,000 official points of sale spread throughout the country, such as administrations. And if you buy it from an intermediary or from your trusted bar, always make sure it has a seal from the administration. Be careful with online purchases: If you are going to buy lottery from home, always do it from official websites or applications or from real lottery administrations. We have told you about several apps and pages in our article about buy Christmas Lottery. Be careful with individuals: Be wary of people who sell you tickets online, and who resort to scams such as sending them to you by PDF. Also always be wary of anyone who sells you a tenth below its usual price of 20 euros, because it will be false. When in doubt, it is best to always buy it only at official points of sale. Avoid suspicious websites: The advice from the previous point applies to second-hand buying and selling pages like Wallapop and similar. Never buy from those sites from individuals. For more peace of mind: We always use the example of a good website as YourLotero. There you will be able to buy lotteries from many administrations in Spain and search for specific numbers. If you want to buy online, it is always one of the best options. Be careful with payments: And if we have told you to buy from official or reliable websites, it is no longer just because they can scam you out of 20 euros. If you are going to take the risk and risk spending 20 euros on an unknown website, pay special attention to the payment gateways. Never give your security number along with the card number on those pages. Unless it is a well-known site such as large administrations, lottery services or similar, never enter your card information or 20 euros will be the minimum they steal from you. In Xataka Basics … Read more

two draws on the same day separated by 500 km

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The Civil War marked the 1930s in Spain to the core. The conflict was felt in their society, in the culture, the economy, demographics and also in something as deep-rooted (and seemingly innocuous) as the Christmas Lottery. In fact, the war influenced the draw to such an extent that it left a unique chapter in its history, one that continues to arouse astonishment almost nine decades later: the December 22, 1938 Two El Gordo draws were held, two practically simultaneous ceremonies separated by 500 kilometers. A reflection of the division of the country. Two Christmas Lotteries? That’s how it is. The origins of the Lottery date back to 1812 and the ‘Christmas Raffle’ (as such) began to become popular around 1892, which has a very long history full of anecdotes behind it. One of the most surprising came in one of the most tragic episodes in the recent history of our country: in December 1938, in the middle of the Civil War, when a fragmented Spain saw how it was organized two different draws. When and how? Both were celebrated on the same day: Thursday, December 22. Although between one draw and another there were actually a good handful of kilometers. One was organized in Burgos. The other in Barcelona, ​​more specifically in the Café Lyon d’Or of the Rambla, in the ground floor of the Main Theater. The coincidence of dates did not transfer to the drums either. That day they were lucky two numbers very different: in the Burgos draw the number 36,758 was awarded, which fell in Andalusia, Málaga more specifically. In Barcelona the winning figure was 22,655, sold in Barcelona itself. But… What was the reason? What happened in Barcelona and Burgos actually has little mystery. In 1938 two Christmas draws were held because there were basically two Spains: the national one, which was the one that held the Burgos draw; and the republican, promoter of the Barcelona Lottery. In fact, once the war was over, in 1939, the draw returned to Madrid. What were they looking for? The most curious thing is that in theory both the national and republican draws seek exactly the same thing: to appropriate one of the country’s Christmas traditions, play a propaganda trick and, in the process, raise funds in times of war. It is still ironic because it is often pointed out that the Christmas raffle itself was created in Cádiz, in 1812, with a war purpose: obtain resources with which to fight the French troops. “In Cádiz, the Lottery was used to cover expenses, care for refugees and pay for the war. Apparently it was the Captain General of Cádiz, Gervasio Gasca, who proposed the implementation of the Lottery in order to find resources to alleviate the situation of the displaced and strengthen the resistance,” explained years ago to The Country Manuel Moreno, professor of history. At the end of 1938 the scenario was quite different in Spain, but both the rebel and republican sides could use a resource injection. Did the war affect the Lottery? For three years the shadow of war loomed over practically every facet of Spanish life. And the Lottery was no exception. The diary ABC remember that before the conflict the draw had been organized in Madrid, but after the uprising the Republic decided to move it to Valencia. The following year (1937) it was taken to Barcelona, ​​where a raffle was even held in January 1939days before the arrival of Franco’s troops. The rebellious side also ended up becoming interested in the Lottery, its symbolic value and sales. There are those who even slide that the shadow of the war and the division of the country was felt beyond the drawing of December 22, 1938, in the prizes distributed. At the end of the day, the winners of that edition were in a turbulent context that affected monetary policy and the economy. Was it a special chapter? Yes. Although how they recognize from State Lotteries and Betting (Selae), if something is not missing in the history of El Gordo, it is special chapters. In 1938 two draws may have been held on the same day, but in 1837 “two first prizes of equal amount”. Another curious fact is that El Gordo was not always sung on December 22, as it is now. Perhaps one of the greatest curiosities of the draw is that there are combinations that have come out lucky on several occasions. For example, 15.640 gave joy to those who played it in 1956 and then again in 1978. And something similar happened with 20.297, although on much more separate dates: in 1903 and 2006. At the opposite pole there are endings very ‘unattractive’like 09, 21 or 82. Images | Wikipedia and SELAE In Xataka | It has always been said that the King of Spain plays Gordo with the number 00000. There is a part of truth and part of a lie

The price of olive oil has begun to skyrocket at Christmas

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The price of olive oil sang “the wolf is coming” a few months ago. At the end of August, and after a few months of free fallwith prices very far of the peaks from a couple of years agothe “liquid gold” seemed to was picking up again. This has been the case, and a worse than expected harvest has negative consequences on the price of extra virgin oil. The good news is that it is not as alarming as it was a few years ago. In short. 2024 and 2025 have not been years of good harvests for some products. In South America it has spent with coffee (and we carry the consequences throughout the year). It has happened with the grapes (and we will notice it in the wine), and it seems that it has not been favorable for the olive either. As they point out from The Confidentialthe latest data from Department of agriculture (some great graphs for database lovers) indicate an average price at origin of 4.56 euros per liter of extra virgin. The data offered in Oleista (which shows both extra virgin and virgin through various market sources) are in the same line: 4.11 euros, which translates into 53% more in the last 10 days compared to the previous period. And you may think “it’s not that much”, but the problem is that a white label bottle (final product, not origin) is around 4.65 euros per liter. Margins. Those nine cents difference are few, but it means that the chains have fewer margins, which is why they raise the price of that final product. Some chains are already doing it. There are several ways to see the price history of some supermarkets to follow its evolution. An example is SuperSupersbut FACUA also offers a somewhat clearer service: less historical, but more short-term information that can help us see recent evolution. According to their information, a liter of Hacendado extra virgin olive oil cost 4.65 euros 30 days ago. Today it is for 4.95 euros after an increase of 6.45%. But you don’t have to go back a month: according to the ‘snitch’, a week ago the price was 6.45% lower. When will we notice it?. The answer is obvious: now. And, of course, the question that arises is why a few months ago it took us a while to see that oil prices in the supermarket were still high when originally they had fallen sharply… and now that the situation is the other way around, they are readjusting so quickly. Times depend on several factors, but above all on stock and supply contracts. In general, adjustment is usually seen after a few monthsbut when that applies to increases, the change is much more immediate. In the end, it is a tremendously volatile market and, although In March the rains invited optimism in the price of olive oil, if these last years have taught us anything it is that two weeks of heat are enough above normal so that an entire olive campaign goes to waste. Far from the peak. It is similar to egg pricewhich has had a negative streak, but when the stabilization was there, the outbreak of avian flu appeared, which has skyrocketed the price of eggs and has had other disastrous consequences: touch the price of nougat. It’s like a pyramid of cards. However, and despite those close to five euros per liter of white label extra virgin oil, the way to console ourselves is that we are far – very far – from what we experienced just two years agowhen going to the ‘supermarket’ was a pain because you knew you were going to pay about 10 euros per liter of oil. Preumification. But in the background there is another important issue – that house of cards that I was commenting on. A few prices is a sum and continues in a supermarket basket that is increasingly more expensive when salaries do not rise at the same rate. It is one more element that supports household income, especially in countries like Spain where olive oil is a basic product. And, although this is a much more personal note, it will be a sad day when olive oil in Spain is a premium product like in other countriesand we have to use other vegetable oils or even butter to cook. A cultural and even identity loss. Images | David Clode, Antonio Molin In Xataka | Mercadona has bought the company that has been supplying pallets and boxes for decades. And there is a very simple reason

Welding in space is a physical nightmare, but the UK has a good reason to try it

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We have entered a point where great nations have one objective: spatial autonomy. And, although many factors come into play, one of the most important is the ability to manufacture and assemble in space. As? Welding directly in space, but although we have seen it in science fiction on numerous occasions, things get complicated when we want to apply it to the real world. Now, a British university believes it has found the solution. A ‘Wall-e‘ welder. Nightmare. Soldering on Earth is an extremely simple process. We only have to apply a very high temperature and both gravity and the atmosphere make it easy for us. In space, the thing changesturning something routine into a real physical nightmare. There are three elements that come into play: Microgravity: on Earth, gravity causes the drop of the binding metal (tin, for example) to fall on the elements to be joined. In space, since there is no gravity, surface tension is the dominant source: the molten metal does not stay in place, but tends to form spheres. Additionally, gas does not escape from the molten metal, causing porosities and further structural weakness. Pressure: There is no oxidation because there is no oxygen, but there is also no pressure, which lowers the boiling point of certain alloys. This can cause, at certain temperatures, some critical components of the metal to evaporate rather than melt. Again: the chemistry of the solder and the properties of the joint are altered. The politics of discard. If that were not enough, welding in space is a nightmare for astronauts who have suits that limit their movements and who would always be under the pressure of a spark or slag piercing the suit. Goodbye astronaut. That is why administrations have become accustomed to the logistics of disposal: rather than repairing something, it is better to throw it away and launch something new from Earth. Less risks, fewer headaches. ISPARK. Clearly, it clashes with the most current policy: that of recycling. A few days ago we saw that, while NASA wants to throw down the International Space Station to the trash, there are those who want to recycle it to take advantage of all the elements it has. And building platforms in space based on smaller parts is more reasonable than launching those pre-assembled structures from Earth. That’s where the discovery from the University of Leicester, in the United Kingdom. In collaboration with TWI Ltd, they have launched what they have called “ISPARK Project”, or “Intelligent SPace Arc-welding Robotic Kit”. It is not a new physical welding, but a robot to do the work. There are still issues that can compromise the integrity of the weld itself, but having a robot do the job eliminates the extreme risk for astronauts. And, precisely, the researchers point out that achieving this “will redefine how large structures are built and maintained in orbit” in the new era of the space economy. They are not the only ones, since companies like ThinkOrbital wave University of Texas they are also pushing this possibility. Roadmap. It must be clarified that it is a technology that has to be tested. The first step will be to subject the robotic system to tests in chambers that simulate the vacuum of space to verify both that the electric arc and that the behavior of the materials are stable in an environment without an atmosphere. In addition to the direct results, they will compare with a digital twin. It is a technology that virtualizes (thanks to computer calculations) the physics of welding in vacuum and microgravity. It is data with which they will train the robot, but also with which they will compare the results of the physical world. And, if everything goes well, in later phases the objective is to test it in orbital reality conditions. This is where other factors come into play such as radiation or dynamic thermal cycles (conditions of extreme cold and heat in a matter of an instant). In search of autonomy. Little joke with this. The “Smart Space Arc Welding Robotic Kit” has received funding through the UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme. Specifically, 560,000 pounds to develop this system. Everything is framed within a larger program of the Agency, which will allocate 17 million pounds to 17 space innovation projects. If we look at the global European “photo”, it is contextualized within a reality in which we also see that the European Space Agency seeks one thing: autonomy. The British agency and the ESA are tired of depending on NASA either Roscosmos for their space missions, and we are seeing how they develop technologies or inject more than 900 million euros to find a European replacement for SpaceX. And, obviously, assembling and fixing in space is much more sustainable than continuing to create technology that costs hundreds of millions of euros and is disposable. Images | University of Leicester In Xataka | We are launching more things into space than ever before. And the next problem is already on the table: how to pollute less

China wants Chinese people to have more children. So he’s going to put a special tax on condoms

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China wants more babies. Many more. Enough to increase their birth rate and stop the population loss which has allowed India ahead as the most populous nation on the planet. After repealing his ‘one child’ policy and display a wide range of measurements pro-natalism at a political, social and economic level, Xi Jinping’s Government has made a radical decision: make condoms more expensive and other contraceptive items. By first time in 30 yearswhoever wants to buy them will no longer enjoy a VAT exemption. In summary: sex becomes more expensive…at least the insurance. Sex with a condom? Pay more. have sex you will be more expensive in China from now on. At least if you want to do it with contraceptives. In the context of a broader tax reform that basically affects the value added tax (our VAT), Xi Jinping’s Government has decided remove exemption tax that condoms enjoyed until now. The decision is not exactly new. The law on which it is based was approved at the end of 2024, but it is now generating noise on social networks and the media for a very simple reason: its effects will begin to be felt shortly, from the January 1, 2026which is when Chinese couples will encounter rising prices on contraceptives. One figure: 13%. The change is important because this type of contraceptive items enjoyed a VAT exemption since 1993when China implemented the rate nationwide. From now on the scenario will be different and those who want to buy condoms will find themselves with a VAT of 13%. Today, precise Guardiana package of standard prophylactics costs between 40 and 60 yuan ($5.7-8.5). The contraceptive pill, available in the country without a prescription, ranges between 50 and 130 yuan, from 7.1 to 18.5 dollars. The price increase will not be exorbitant, but it has generated criticism on networks such as Weibo. “I was very angry when I saw that condoms were going to have taxes and increase in price,” he complained recently a user on RedNote. “Is it so easy to profit from us workers? I got so angry that I placed an order at night for the condoms that I like… I accidentally bought too many.” Why now? The million dollar question. The Chinese government has not simply imposed taxes on condoms. The measure is framed in a broader initiative that seeks to modernize the tax system and check the list of products and services exempt from VAT. At the end of the day, the consumption tax represents a crucial part of the tax revenues that feed the Chinese coffers. All in all, it is striking that Beijing decides to make contraceptives more expensive precisely at a time when the country loses population and look for ways to encourage their birth rate, which has led the State to act as a matchmaker, help to couples with babies or even go household by household to encourage women to have children. It has also not gone unnoticed that the same tax reform contemplates a tax reduction for childcare services. There is more at stake than Chinese demographics: there is the country’s economy, supported by its enormous domestic market, and the challenge of what to do with million pensioners. “Unlikely”. The other question is… Does the Government really expect that applying a 13% tax on condoms will result in more babies? An IndexBox report shows that in 2020, close to 5.4 billion condoms. There is who thinkslike Quian Cai, from the University of Virginia, that a price increase may “reduce access” to contraceptives, especially among the poorest population, but warns of the consequences. “It could lead to more abortions and increased health care costs,” prevents Cai. The risk? That in an attempt to increase the birth rate, China finds itself with more terminations of pregnancies and a resurgence of diseases sexually transmitted. Others are simply skeptical that making condoms more expensive is going to influence the number of pregnancies, especially if one takes into account that one of the brakes on birth rates is the high cost of parenting. “The tax itself is unlikely to have a noticeable effect on birth rates,” explains to TIME Yuan Mei, professor at the School of Economics, Singapore Management University. “Decisions about having children in China are mainly influenced by economic and lifestyle factors, such as the cost of raising a child and long working hours. These factors outweigh small changes in the price of condoms.” So what for? There is who considers that the rate has a symbolic nature and really seeks to delve into a message. “Now that China’s birth policy has shifted toward promoting birth and no longer promotes contraception, it is reasonable to tax condoms again,” reflect He Yafu, Guangdong demographer. Nor does it seem that the initiative will have a notable economic impact. Not at least if you put it in context. Lee Ding of Dezan Shira & Associated explains to Guardian that taxing condoms will add around 5 billion extra yuan a year to state coffers (about $710 million). It is a considerable figure, but very small when compared to the billions that the country collects in general. “We don’t believe that income generation is the main motivation.” Images | Fenghua (Unsplash) 1 and 2 and CDC (Unsplash) In Xataka | While the birth rate in China plummets, a region does not stop having children. Their secret: being a large family has a reward

MediaMarkt’s five best tech and entertainment deals today, December 21

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There’s nothing left until Christmas, so the current campaigns of stores like MediaMarkt will end very soon. But it’s still early, so we can take advantage of the many discounts that are still available. In this article we are going to review the five best deals on technology and entertainment that are now available at MediaMarkt. nintendo switch 2 by 469 eurosa very reasonable price for the pack that comes with ‘Mario Kart World’. Asus Rog Xbox Ally by 499 eurosan offer on the new established Asus PC. Google Pixel 10 Pro by 764.15 euros with coupon, a high-end mobile phone that has double discounts. Kobo Clara Color by 149 eurosan eReader with a color screen that is ideal for devouring books. Fire TV Stick 4K Plus by 29.99 euroshe dongle from Amazon that offers 4K resolution. nintendo switch 2 The nintendo switch 2 It was launched this year and we have already seen a huge number of offers. The current one from MediaMarkt is quite interesting because for 469 euros We are talking about the same official price as the console without the game. In this case, it includes ‘Mario Kart World‘, a very fun title to play alone or with friends. Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Asus Rog Xbox Ally A little over two months ago, the new established Asus PC arrived, the model Asus Rog Xbox Ally. It did not take long for the price to drop in many stores, since, for example, MediaMarkt considers it 499 euros instead of 599 euros. Among the highlights, it is worth mentioning that it comes with the Ryzen Z2 processor, incorporates a 7-inch IPS screen with anti-reflective treatment and has 512 GB of internal storage. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 10 Pro Almost all Google phones have dropped in price many times in recent months and MediaMarkt right now has one of the best offers we have seen to date. Through direct discount and entering the coupon “MM15GOOGLEPIXEL“, you can buy the Google Pixel 10 Pro by 764.15 euros. However, it is worth mentioning that this coupon is valid with all Google Pixel 10 and its storage configuration variants. These are the prices on base models (with the smallest storage capacity): Google Pixel 10 by 594.15 euros instead of 769 euros. Google Pixel 10 Pro by 764.15 euros instead of 1,079 euros. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL by 883.15 euros instead of 1,199 euros. Google Pixel 10 Pro (128GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Kobo Clara Color If you like to devour books and want to make the leap to digital format, MediaMarkt right now has a discount on the Kobo Clara Color by 149 eurosalthough Fnac has it a little cheaper: for 129.99 euros. It is an eReader with 6-inch color anti-glare screen which is ideal for reading at home or on the go. It’s not so much geared toward reading comics or magazines, but rather for enjoy the covers and color illustrations or to underline dialogues with different colors and thus differentiate them from, for example, characters. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Fire TV Stick 4K Plus MediaMarkt also has on offer the Fire TV Stick 4Ka dongle from Amazon that is perfect for watching streaming content on almost any TV that at least has an HDMI port, whether it’s an older TV or a smart tv (if we want to have another operating system or if the software is not updated). The most notable thing about this model is that it offers good performance and is compatible with 4K content and technologies. Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Its price in this case is 29.99 euros. 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 | MediaMarkt and Compradicción (header), Nintendo, Asus, Google, Rakuten Kobo, Amazon In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2025), we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best Amazon Fire TV. Which one to buy and recommended models to convert your TV into a smart TV depending on use

TRAPPIST-1 was the most promising solar system to search for life. Now our joy is in a well

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spent years searching for planets that could serve as a Earth 2in 2015 it happened. Thanks to the TRAPPIST telescope, we discovered an ultra-cool dwarf star which had three planets around it. They published the discovery in 2016, but a year later it was concrete that in the system there was a total of seven Earth-sized planets. It was clear: we had to continue investigating because there were options for one to harbor life. TRAPPIST-1 (because a way of naming the findings it is with the name of the telescope) became the “holy grail” of extraterrestrial life. The star is 40 light years away and three of its planets are estimated to be in the “habitable zone.” This is the segment with the ideal conditions for life to prosper. The initial enthusiasm was justified: they were small planets, they were not gas giantsand the star is so faint that the temperate zone of the system would favor those ideal conditions. Different climate models pointed out that only a small greenhouse effect would be needed for any of them to be able to house liquid water on their surface. but the same James Webb telescopewhat youit is giving us so much joyis the one who has unmounted almost completely the narrative of TRAPPIST-1 as a system in which to search for life. And in less than a decade, these planets have gone from being the most promising place in our cosmic block to being just another rocky exoplanet. James Webb lowering the soufflé There are multiple reasons why we look for extraterrestrial life. There are the philosophical reasons, the well-worn question of whether we are alone in the universe. Then the scientists, eager to find life to understand how much organisms can endure in other conditionsunderstand the origin and evolution of the universe and even compare ourselves with them. And the practices: experiment in other environments, get resources and to a new home. The telescopes with which we observe the system are good for that first exploration, but more recently the task was left in the hands of one of the most powerful we have, the James Webb Space Telescopeor JWST. The result of an international megaproject is not on earth, but on a satellite, which allows sharpness and detail of the observed objectives unattainable for terrestrial telescopes. And when we have pointed the JWST at TRAPPIST-1, the soufflé has been deflated. His work has focused on the inner planets, known as TRAPPIST-1b, c and d. The conclusion is thatTheir habitability is complicated due to the lack of atmosphere or one so “thin” that it would not protect the planet well against the star’s radiation, also implying surfaces so hot that they would not be compatible with life. Any hint of atmosphere that was initially observed is now practically ruled out. As we read in spacefrom the University of Arizona they comment that “based on the most recent work, the previously reported tentative hint of an atmosphere was likely just “noise” from the host star.” If the star itself gave us hope in the first place by not seeming to be a “killer” of planets, it has now moved to the other side of the spectrum. It is possible that this radiation bombardment allowed Extremophilic microbes will develop on those planets, but to do so they would have to have a denser atmosphere, something that JWST is not seeing. However, all is not lost. The Great Hope: TRAPPIST-1e Although d, c and d no longer look good, the great hope now falls on e, f and g. They are the planets located in a more temperate orbit, where the balance between radiation and atmospheric loss may be more conducive to having a denser atmosphere that allows life. Among them, astronomers consider TRAPPIST-1e to be the most promising. A few weeks ago, a article showed how JWST observed TRAPPIST-1e during four different transits at the time when the planet came closest to its star. The telescope’s near-infrared spectrograph recorded subtle changes in the light around it, which would indicate the presence of chemicals in the atmosphere. Their estimate is that the atmosphere is composed of a majority of nitrogen and methane, and not carbon dioxide as occurs on Venus or Mars. Now, is this the case or is it once again noise from the host star.” It is a possibility that they do not rule out, but as they comment, need more observations and analysis. The researchers are clear that “if TRAPPIST-1e has an atmosphere, it is habitable.” It is a bold statement, but the second part of the question is “is there an atmosphere?” For now, it remains an enigma, but the next step is what will allow researchers to rule out the planet as habitable or get excited again. What will they do? Observe the transit through the star of TRAPPIST-1e when it coincides with that of TRAPPIST-1b. This way, ‘e”s signal will not be contaminated with noise from its star and observers will be able to “separate what the star is doing from what is actually happening in the planet’s atmosphere. If it has one.” Therefore, there is a thread to hold on to, but it is better not to get too excited about a planet that is right here in the neighborhood of the infinite vastness of the universe. Images | IT/M. Kornmesser, NASA/JPL-Caltech In Xataka | The James Webb has broken another historical record: a supermassive black hole older than expected

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