Ammonite. They are lousy news for the fans of the planet nine

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In the Dark confines From the Solar System, beyond the orbit of Neptune, a new world has appeared. First detected in May 2023 from the top of the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii, astronomers have just called a name: ammonite. But not everything is good news, especially For those who hoped to find The planet nine. Short. 2023 KQ14 “Ammonite” is a new transneptunian object between 220 and 380 km in diameter that revolves around the sun in an extremely wide elliptical orbit. The peculiar of his orbit is that he is not aligned with other similar objects. According to a study Posted in Nature Astronomythe finding challenges the hypothesis that a distant planet still to discover (the elusive planet nine) could be aligning its orbits. A true cosmic fossil. The Amonite nickname, like ancient marine fossils, is not accidental. Astronomers believe that this object is a solar system relic, a time capsule whose orbit has remained virtually unchanged for 4.5 billion years. In fact, its discovery was possible thanks to the Fossil II Project (Formation of the Outer Solar System: An iory legacy), which tracked this type of objects with the Subaru telescope in Hawaii. What they found exceeded their expectations, because Ammonite is quite special. A very exclusive club. In addition to having a considerable size, Ammonite is far away. It has the third most distant perihelio ever detected: the point closest to the sun of its orbit is 66 astronomical units, more than double that of Neptune. The interesting thing is that what astronomers occupy the “perihelium gap”, an area between 50 and 75, where they had not found objects of this type. Ammonite is what is known as a senoid, an ultra -exclusive category of transneptunian objects of which we only knew three specimens: Sedna (The candidate for dwarf planet that gives name to the group), 2012 VP113 and Leleākūhonua. What makes them so special is that their orbits are enormous and extremely elliptical, but its closest point to the sun is so far that Neptune’s gravity barely affects them. They are gravitationally isolated. Problems for the planet nine. For years, The planet’s hypothesis nine He has won traction to explain a strange anomaly: the orbits of the sedoids and other extreme transneptunian objects They seem to be groupedas if the severity of a massive planet, too dark to be easily detected from Earth, were directing them. In addition to dark and distant, we now have another complication that makes it difficult to find. Amonite’s orbit is not only aligned with that of the other three senoids, but points in the opposite direction. With most of the models proposed for planet nine, Ammonite’s orbit would be unstable: it would have been expelled from the solar system a long time ago. So what happened? If it is not the planet nine, what molded those strange orbits? By simulating the orbits of the four senoids known back in time, Synica Academy researchers They discovered something. Although today they are scattered, simulations show with more than 97% confidence that about 4.2 billion years ago, their perihelios were grouped. This suggests that a cataclysmic event occurred about 300 million years after the formation of the solar system placed them all in their strange trajectories. But what was that power so powerful? There are two great candidates. The near passage of a wandering star who approached our sun in his childhood and that could have gravitationally scrambled the confines of the system. Or the existence of a giant planet that, after interacting with these objects, was subsequently expelled from the solar system. Not a planet nine, but a rebel planet. Image | Synical Academy In Xataka | Good news, the solar system has a new minor planet. Bad news, it’s so far that appears every 25,000 years

A “real” quantum computer before 2030

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Spinq is one of the main manufacturers of Quantum computers from China. We discovered this company in early 2023 because it placed in the market An amazing quantum team Very compact that looked much more like a PC than one of the huge and exotic quantum computers of IBM, Google or Honeywell. However, Spinq machine technology It was very different to which the equipment with Superconductor cubits or ion traps. And it is that their cubits were implemented taking advantage of the possibility of measuring spin states of certain atoms of a molecule using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques (NMR). A brief note: the spin is an intrinsic property of elementary particles, as well as the electric charge, derived from its time of angular rotation. This strategy has allowed this Chinese company to point out some reasonably simple cubits, which can also operate in relatively little demanding environmental conditions. Spinq has ties with the Chinese government The computer we can see in the cover image of this article is the machine with spinq NMR cubits. This is a mature technology that has been known for more than two decades. In fact, the quantum computer that executed for the first time the quantum algorithm of Shor numbers factoring it. This happened in 2001. However, these cubits are very sensitive to noise, so this technique is not appropriate to put quantum processors with many cubits. Spinq plans to have a quantum machine of 100 cubits before expiring 2025 Another advantage of NMR cubits is that they are much simpler than superconductor cubits or those of trapped ions, so putting them ready is cheaper. Spinq says in Your website That their quantum computers Gemini Mini and Mini Pro, both of two cubits, and Triangulum II, of three cubits, They are low -cost quantum equipment. It makes sense that they are much cheaper than quantum computers with IBM or Google Superconductor cubits, and also that computers with Honeywell or Ionq ion traps. Even so, they are much more expensive than our PC. In fact, the first version of Triangulum, the most advanced of these compact quantum computers, cost approximately 56,000 euros in 2023. In any case, Spinq does not manufacture quantum machines for educational projects and to address some simple scientific problems; It also designs and produces quantum computers with much more ambitious superconductor cubits. According to SCMPthis company plans to have a quantum machine of 100 cubits before it expires 2025. It does not seem a great achievement if we are in mind that IBM has since 2023 ‘Condor’a quantum processor of 1,121 cubits, but Spinq’s plans do not end here. And before this decade ends up having prepared a quantum computer “useful to solve real world problems”, According to Spinq itself. To carry out this successful plan you will have to develop a machine with thousands of superconductor cubits, and, in addition, with the ability to amend your own mistakes. There is something that is worth not overlooked: this company has Very narrow ties with the Chinese government. In fact, has received a subsidy of the administration of Shenzhen and collaborates with the Harbin Institute of Technology and the Ministry of Education. There is no doubt about one thing: quantum technologies are a priority, and Spinq is one of its main assets. IBM also plans Having a quantum computer equipped with the ability to amend your errors before this decade ends, so for China it is essential to match this milestone. Image | Spinq More information | SCMP In Xataka | China manufactures quantum computers as if it were life in it. Its best plant is capable of producing eight at the same time

In full European rearme, Belgium has just expanded his f-35 fighter request. The next step is much more ambitious

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In full European rearme, not exempt from obstaclesBelgium will expand your request for F-35 With eleven new units. Thus adds to other allies such as the United Kingdom, who continue to bet on the American hunting Despite the problems that its deployment has raised. The current geopolitical context has once again placed aerial superiority in the center of the strategic board. Belgium had already commissioned 34 F-35 in 2018 With a clear objective: replace its aging F-16 fleet, a hunt that has been in service decades. At that time, the Belgian government opted for the American model against other proposals such as the Eurofighteralleging interoperability reasons, costs throughout the life cycle and compatibility with NATO nuclear weapons. Why the F-35 is the option that Belgium continues to see how more solid To date, eight units have been delivered, All in US baseswhere they serve as a training platform for the first Belgian pilots. The new order will raise the total figure to 45, in a decision framed in the reinforcement of the military budget agreed by the current government, that has committed to achieve 2% of GDP in defense in 2025 and climb up to 2.5% in the following decade. The investment planned for this extension amounts to about 1.6 billion euros, According to the strategic vision document. Although the F-16 have been updated over the years-and remain operational in several countries-it is a fourth generation platform, without furtive abilities and with less integrated sensors. They are versatile, reliable and relatively economic fighters, but belong to another era. In some scenarios, the technological difference with F-35 is abysmal. The new Lockheed Martin hunt offers a poaching, fusion of real -time sensors, advanced electronic warfacities and, above all, It is certified to carry American nuclear armament. Beyond conventional combat, this renewal of the fleet has deep strategic implications. Belgium is one of the European countries that actively participates in the strategy of NATO nuclear deterrence. To fulfill that paper, you need compatible aircraft with nuclear pumps that it is believed that they are stored in the base of Kleine Brogel. The current F-16 are certified for that mission, and the F-35 not only inherits that function, but reinforces it with more stealthy and precise technology. The delivery calendar also imposes its own limits. According to VRTthe Lockheed Martin production line is practically saturated, and the first additional fighters will not arrive until after 2033. The decision to expand the fleet, in that sense, is also a long -term commitment: future governments may resume the issue and add more units if the budgetary conditions allow it. Apart from F-35, Belgium seeks to gain weight in the air defense of the continent. In parallel to this acquisition, he has reserved 300 million euros to fully integrate into the second phase of the FCAS, The New Generation European Hunting Program. The objective is to be at the table where the technological standards of the next decades are defined, without renouncing the US fleet. On the horizon, a future coexistence is even contemplated between the F-35 and the plane that emerges from the FCAS after 2040, if the staff and the budget allow it. Images | US Air Force (1, 2, 3) In Xataka | China will need 9,000 new airplanes in the coming years. And a manufacturer takes the lead to Boeing: Airbus

part of Azure’s support was in China

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The last thing one expects when you think about the digital security of the US Department of Defense is that part of the technical support passes through engineers that are on the other side of the world. But that is just what has been happening. A group of Microsoft workers based in China participated in assistance tasks linked to Pentagon contracts, under a remote supervision system. Now, after a revelation, that scheme no longer applies to defense contracts. The cloud is not in heaven. Although it sounds ethereal, the cloud is very real. They are physical servers Distributed throughout the world, managed by technological giants such as Microsoft, Amazon or Google. These companies offer remote access to infrastructure, platforms and applications through the Internet, which allows saving costs, operating from anywhere or climbing services in seconds. But that comfort implies a huge dependence on a few suppliers. Azure not only serves private companies: It also manages government contractsincluding the US Department of Defense. And here the technical support as a key pillar comes into play: people who resolve incidents, help with configurations and guarantee that everything works without interruptions. That was where the controversy we talked about today emerged: part of that support was lending from China. A model that now makes noise. An investigation published by Propublic He revealed more than the participation of engineers based in China in sensitive contracts. He uncovered an inherited system, designed more than a decade ago, which Microsoft used to meet the security requirements of the US government. These foreign engineers did not directly access the systems: their instructions were replicated by authorized personnel from within the country. That model is known as “digital escorts.” In theory, it offered a protection layer. In practice, it opened the door to errors. Those who executed the orders – American employees with access – did not always have the necessary experience to understand what they were doing, according to the medium. In an environment of increasingly complex threats, that architecture has ceased to be a solution. Microsoft has decided to deactivate it. Microsoft moves card. After the publication of the report, Microsoft soon pronounced. In a statement released by Frank Shawits communication director, the company announced an immediate change in its operations: no team based on China will return to technical support for the Pentagon and other sensitive federal clients. The measure directly affects Pentagon’s contracts and is presented as an adjustment to “guarantee security” in critical environments. The company also insisted that its teams acted according to the protocols established by federal agencies. Even so, he promised to review his security procedures with his national partners. “We continue working to offer the safest services possible to the US government,” said Shaw. The language was diplomatic. The turn, not so much. The Pentagon responds. The reaction of the US government was swift. The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, described the situation as “unacceptable”underlining that such a system has no place in the current context of digital threats. This is an architecture inherited from the Obama era, he said in a video published in X, where he announced a complete review to detect if there are more similar cases in other technological contracts. Another case on stage. The question about which suppliers deserve our trust does not end in Microsoft. In Spain, A contract awarded to HuaweiTo store judicial listening has caused diplomatic tensions with the US and Brussels. Both question if certain technological infrastructure should be in the hands of actors considered sensitive. Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 Flash | Microsoft In Xataka | The impossible challenge of China: becoming 100% of the West to have a bomb -proof chip industry

We have been sending our location to space for 75 years without realizing it. It is now detectable in more than 120,000 stars

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Deliberate attempts for Contact extraterrestrial civilizations, Like the famous Arecibo messagethey have not received an answer. But what takes the dream of a group of cosmologists are not our well -intentioned messages, but those who send without realizing all the airports in the world. An incredibly powerful beacon. We have been shouting at the cosmos for decades without even pretending, betraying our existence in more than 120,000 nearby star systems. A new investigation presented in the Royal Astronomical Society It reveals that the combined electromagnetic leakage of all our airports form a very powerful beacon. According to the study, the signal is so intense that a civilization with technology similar to ours could detect it at a distance of up to 200 light years. Civil and military aviation radars. Researchers at the University of Mercanster simulated how radar signals that are used to control air traffic spread in space. The conclusion is amazing: the combined power of civil aviation radars adds 2 × 10¹⁵ watts, a sufficient figure for a radio telescope to capture hundreds of light years. But the thing doesn’t end there. Military radars, although they have a accumulated power of less than 1 × 10¹⁴ watts, create a pattern that sweeps the sky like a lighthouse. This signal will seem clearly artificial for anyone who observes from interstellar distances. In fact, it can be up to 100 times more powerful than the background signals, depending on the location of the observer. Our accidental technofirma since 1950. While the detection potential is 200 light years, these radar systems only emit with a similar intensity Since the 1950swhich means that our unintentious signal has expanded for now about 75 light years in all directions. Our technofirma has already reached nearby star systems as next centauri (4 light years), the star of Barnard (6 light years) and au microscopii (32 light years), but we still have to wait another 125 years to spread to the maximum and be detected in a radius of 200 light years. There are two ways to take this. On the one hand, we are sending the entire neighborhood an unequivocal sign that there is intelligent life on Earth. Figures such as astronomer David Brin have been Very critical of the idea of “shouting to the cosmos” without first establishing a global consensus. It is an arrogant decision, he argues, because he could end up affecting all humanity. On the other hand, the study gives us an important clue to The search for extraterrestrial life: If there are other civilizations such as ours, perhaps the easiest signs to locate are not their messages, but the radars of their airports. Image | Masterphoto-Dk (CC by 2.0) In Xataka | What is Fermi’s paradox and why the atomic bomb architect took a turn to the extraterrestrial life search

Andalusia has become hostile land for avocado. So an unexpected region is taking over: Galicia

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In Spain, avocado has ceased to be an exotic food to become the new king of the shopping basket. Its demand grows without stopping: only in 2023, tropical fruits became the most consumed in the country, surpassing even the citrus of life. But while the surface dedicated to avocado cultivation in Spain is already 24,000 hectares –With Andalusia at the head-, the south begins to resent. Missing water. There are plenty of extreme temperatures. And the producers look for alternatives in the north and there Galicia enters. A new tropical map. The image of an avocado is not associated, precisely, the wet green of the peninsular northwest. But data and real experiences begin to tell another story. Because in Galicia the avocado not only grows: it is standing strongly. As he collects A report from the voice of Galiciain the province of Pontevedra there were already at least seven hectares cultivated in 2022, and everything indicates that this figure has been doubled since then. “It is a very interesting production that is already being introduced into many Galician cooperatives,” says Higinio Mougán, director of Agaca, the Galician Association of Agrifood Cooperatives. Attracted by high market prices – and for a demand that does not stop growing – Galician farmers such as those of the Horsal Cooperative are already betting on this crop. However, they do it cautiously since not everything is as easy as planting and waiting to collect. But is it land of avocados? In theory, yes. Galicia presents a soft climate, without prolonged frost and with generous rainfall. Characteristics that, like The CSIC Iñaki Hormaza researcher ensures For the Galician medium, “they look more like the climate originally from avocado than that of some areas of Andalusia.” Which does not mean that there are no risks. Temperatures of more than 35º in summer, strong coastal winds, floodable floors or the possibility of unexpected frosts remain limiting factors. “It is not a crop to launch without prior study,” says Pablo Porto, coach of Vivaz Plant, a company that has developed plantations at Baixo Miño. The terrain must have good drainage, be protected from the wind and have deep and aerated soils. And that without talking about the productivity challenges – less than 1% of the flowers bear fruit – or post -harvest, which alerts the damage for forced collection on temporary days. There is evidence that it works. 300 kilometers east, in Asturias, The story of Ángel Sordo and his centenary avocado In Porrúa it is almost legend. Planted in 1906, this tree is still standing more than a century later and is considered the oldest in Europe. “Its cup reaches 30 meters in diameter,” a living emblem of what could be a new agricultural border. Inspired by this legacy, entrepreneurs such as Andrés Ibarra founded Aguacastur to explore the potential of avocado in the Cantabrian. His discovery was revealing: thousands of scattered trees, some with up to four flowers per year. And no, the cold did not kill them. Thanks to environmental humidity, even -5º temperatures did not cause severe damage. “It is a matter of time that the cultivation of avocados in the north becomes a reality,” said Ibarra. A change that accelerates as the South loses viability. A northern axarchy. As my partner explainedthe comparison is not accidental. The Malaga Axarchy has been the avocado mecca in Spain for decades. But droughts, overexploitation of the vineyuela aquifer and heat waves are changing the script. Is the north – with its water, its temperate climate and its lower urban pressure – the future of tropical fruit in Spain? It would not be the first time. Galicia was the land of Olivos in the past and nobody knows well why it ceased to be. And now, what? The interest is there. Plantations grow. Cooperatives are organized. But the Galician avocado path – like that of every crop that ventures in new lands – will not be free of obstacles. Green gold has arrived in Galicia. And this time, it seems that it has come to stay. Image | Unspash and Unspash Xataka | Very few countries in the world are dedicated to the industrial production of avocados. Now an unexpected one has joined: Japan

PLD Space has a detailed plan to become the European rocket factory. And the pieces have started fitting

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With Miura 1, PLD Space became the first private company in Europe to successfully launch a suborbital rocket. Since then, the Spanish company has stepped on the accelerator with a project in mind: launching Miura 5 in 2026. Today the first orbital rocket in Spain is not a project, but a tangible reality that is being assembled in Elche. PLD Space It has already manufactured All its components and prepares to start your engines for the first time. The Treprel-C roars in Teruel. A rocket is, in essence, an engine with a large fuel tank. Miura 5 will have five Treprel-C engines fed by turbobomba in its first stage, generating a combined thrust of 950 kN, 30 times more than Miura 1. The development of the most important component of the rocket advances to counterreloj. The company already tested in its test banks of Teruel’s airport combustion cameras, validating manufacturing technologies such as copper and nickel electrode. The turbobombs, the largest developed by a European startup, They were also tested with a complete ignition before its final integration into the engine. Elements such as gas generators and cryogenic valves were designed, manufactured and tested internally following the lessons learned during the development of MIURA 1. A process that has culminated with the start of the engine series manufacturing: there are already four engines of the Teprel-C family in production for the final qualification campaign. Aluminum plates have gained shape. Parallel to the development of engines, the construction of the rocket structure itself advances at a good pace. In a recent videoThe company details how its Elche factory has been working on the molding and the test of the metal structures (the fuel tanks) and of composite materials (the separation module between stages and the cofia that will protect the satellites of the customers). These components have already undergone all kinds: tests at room temperature, cryogenic, and with compression and flexion loads to ensure that the structure will support the brutal conditions of the launch. The idea is to refine the design with the results of the prototypes to maximize their performance. After validating the engineering models, PLD Space is now manufacturing the final qualification components, the step prior to the series production of Miura 5. The launch ramp is running. The company signed a development contract With the French Space Agency (CNES) to build its own launch complex in the European Space Port of Kouroou, in the French Guiana. The civil works will begin this summer in the same place where France launched its first rocket, the Elm-Diamant. The location is unbeatable: its proximity to Ecuador will allow optimizing the trajectories of Miura 5 and launching heavier loads with less fuel. But PLD Space does not conform and has also signed an agreement with Oman to build a Second launch base In the Etlaq Space Puerto. This movement will give direct access to the Mercado de Oriente. A plan to be the European rocket factory. At the same time that Miura 5 develops, PLD Space is raising an industrial complex to manufacture it in series. The company has designed a plan to climb its production to 32 units per year by 2030. This industrial effort is based on a supply chain of almost 400 partners, mostly Spanish and Europeans, which has invested 50 million euros Since the beginning of 2024. PLD Space has chained a series of crucial milestones that draw a very clear and ambitious roadmap, as European confidence demonstrates. Back of the European Space Agency. PLD Space is already officially one of the five companies preselected by ESA to guarantee sovereign access to space in Europe. The European Launcher Challenge has awarded contracts of up to 169 million euros to the five companies, among which are the French Maiaspace, the British Orbex and the Germans Isar Aerospace and Rocket Factory Augsburg. PLD Space has proposed to Miura 5 as its immediate operating pitcher already His future heavy and reusable rocket, the Miura Nextlike the next step. The ESA final decision will be taken in November 2025, but the pre -selection already positions the Spanish company as a key actor and an industrial leader in the European launch sector. Image | PLD Space In Xataka | 12 years after making fun of Spacex and his idea of landing rockets, Arianegroup is creating a European mini-falcon 9

YouTube has built its empire as an individual use platform. Now hugging group consumption

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Since its inception, YouTube was synonymous with personal entertainment: short videos we saw alone on the computer or on the mobile. However, the video platform has adapted to the times, investing great efforts to become the main streaming platform also on smart TV. And it is a long time since YouTube also won our rooms. More Smart TV, more YouTube. The platform has gone from being a simple alternative to traditional television, its main competitor. According to the last Nielsen datathe platform already represents 12.5% of the total television viewing time in the United States, surpassing Netflix and other streaming services. In fact, according to study figures, US users now pass an average of More than one billion hours a day watching YouTube on its televisions. In Spain, the platform is also sweeping at Smart TV. We have the example in The Barlovento Study in which they explain that, only in June 2025, 10.1 million unique users agreed to YouTube from their television connected in Spain. The sofa phenomenon. This migration to large screens has completely changed consumption behavior. It is not for less, because the smart TV now provide greater facilities When reproducing content from YouTube or any streaming service. Sending content from the mobile is easier than ever, and also many content creators have also adapted their videos to television consumption, with much more elaborate and more ‘suitable’ productions to enjoy them on the big screen (more resolution, production levels, rhythm, etc.). In WSJ They highlight the statements of American YouTube stars such as Rhett & Link with their “Good Mythical Morning” program, who confirm that 53% of their visualizations come from televisions. Group consumption is increasingly widespread, and it is no longer so strange to wear a background background video on TV with family and friends around. Longer, more professional content. Producers and content creators have quickly captured this trend and are adapting their content. Long -lasting proposals (more than 15 minutes) have experienced an exponential growthespecially on televisions. We see this trend reflected from star canals such as Mrbeast and Yes Theory to national referents such as Ibai Llanos, Jordi Wild or Clavero, among many others, where productions of more than half an hour, with professional equipment and with a content adapted to play it on a television with family and friends. In addition to because many times the content asks for it, there are also other reasons: to maintain the viewer’s attention for a longer time and maximize advertising income through intermediate ads. Between the lines. YouTube has not forgotten the consumption of individual content. In fact, their shorts They are paving their transformation towards a multiformat and multidispositive content platform. A strategy that combines the best of both worlds without giving up the original YouTube DNA. In the United States and other regions, the platform has greater similarities to the rest of streaming platforms, since it has functions such as “shows” (which allows you to see complete seasons such as in Netflix and many others), traditional television channels and personalized recommendations adapted to large screens. The conquest of the TV by YouTube is a battle that has been fighting for many yearsonly that they have taken more than what they expected, partly for the arrival of new technologies to televisions to further facilitate their use. The price of success. This transition to group consumption is also accompanied by an increasing advertising saturation. Ads can occupy between 15% and 20% of the total visualization time, especially on televisions, where YouTube has implemented specific interactive formats such as QR codes for direct purchases. The platform has also hardened Measures against advertising blockersconverting Premium YouTube into the only official escape route for an interruption experience. And now what. YouTube is in a unique position: it has made streaming overcome for the first time in history to combined traditional television and cable consumption in its predominant region, according to Nielsen. His next challenge will be to maintain the balance between aggressive monetization and the user experience, especially when more and more content creators who seek user attention arise. Analysts like Wells Fargo They suggest that Netflix should invest 500 million dollars to attract 20-30 from the main creators of YouTube, although several assured WSJ that there is no check large enough to abandon the audiences they have built for years. Exclusive productions as long as streaming platforms is common in large content creators such as the case of The Beast Games Mrbeast in Prime Video. Leaving a channel after so many years to create exclusive content on a platform such as Netflix, Prime or HBO, is something else. Cover image | Xataka Smart Home In Xataka | Tiktok has been contaminating the rest of the social networks for years. Thanks to that, YouTube is going very well

Barcelona has become the European capital of the Neobancos. And he has achieved it unintentionally

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N26, Qonto, Revolut and Monzo, the four major Neobancos, have established their main European operations in Barcelona in the last six years, as collected by a publication from BCN Fintech Collection by Dealflow: N26 opened its third global center in 2018 with 300 employees in the 22@@. Qonto manages its international operations from there with 170 workers. Revolution It plans to reach 400 employees in 2025 and look for headquarters diagonally. And Monzo He has just announced his HUB Barcelona This July. Why is it important. This concentration was not designed by any institutional strategy. Barcelona was not promoted as capital Fintech nor offered specific incentives for Neobancos. It simply happened: each company chose the city for its own reasons and the ecosystem was formed alone. The context. Neobancos see Spain as a strategic market for Europe, but they need technological talent to compete with traditional banking. Barcelona offers a unique combination: Lower operational costs that London or Berlin. Pool International talent in constant growth. And quality of life that attracts developers and Product Managers. Madrid remains the official financial capital with the Bank of Spain, the CNMV and the headquarters of the great banks. But Barcelona wins in the collection of technological talent, especially international. The facts. Among the four companies there are more than 1,000 employees in Barcelona, the majority in product and engineering development. Revolut specifically declared a year ago Having arrived 750 workers throughout Spain, half of them in Barcelona. To those four giants are added companies with a more local approach such as Unibooriented to farm administrators, U 11onzein addition to imagin of Caixabank, for example. Between the lines. The interesting thing is that this has not happened in a planned way. There were no campaigns of attraction or anything similar, each Neobanco made the decision independently, attracted by similar factors: talent, costs, connectivity and lifestyle. It is a good example of how a Cluster Real Technological: Not for a PowerPoint institutional, but for real competitive advantages that companies discover for themselves. In Xataka | India has been moving away from international payment networks. It is a hard blow for the giants Visa and Mastercard Outstanding image | Altumcode and Logan Armstrong in Unspash

Cruise employees with days of 11 hours a day and 7 days a week

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In the brightest covers of the luxury cruises They pass Dream holidaysinfinite pools, spectacular buffes and night shows. But under all that fun, in the lower covers, the true human machinery that operates these is hidden colossi of tourism: A population of employees who work 12 hours. The cruise industry continues to grow: 34.64 million passengers will embark in 2025, according to The latest reports of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which has generated a record demand for personnel. Getting one of these jobs requires, in many cases, to master English, Obtain regulatory certifications and accept contracts for months, with minimal breaks and far from the home. Mass recruitment allows more and more workers in countries with emerging economies and low salaries to be part of the crew, such and As publishes I monde. Life and work on the lower covers. Under the luxuries of the main roofs, a diverse community of employees from India, the Philippines or Peru, Honduras or Colombia is crowded. There, the cabins cease to be private and the carpet is replaced by the cold metal. Most share a room with other companions, in two bunk beds and with hardly any places for personal rest, as confirmed The Alba Sud report ‘work on cruises. Of the extension to the intensification of the working days’. This 2021 report confirms that hierarchically lower positions support an average of 11.3 hours of daily work and 6.97 days per week, accumulating around 80 hours per week. Working conditions prevent having 24 -hour consecutive days and, when the cruise is on the high seas, the crew “does not enjoy any full day of rest. At most, a few hours of holidays,” says its authors. The law of the sea and precarious contracts. Most cruises navigate under convenience flags (such as Panama, Bahamas, Bermudas), with which not only many taxes dodge: they also allow to avoid strict labor regulations. Workers on board lack union representation and there is hardly any margin to negotiate rights or schedules. Social protection is limited to the essential: basic medical care and minimum rest, stipulated by the Convention on Maritime Work. The interpretation of these regulations is very lax and there is no benefit for maternity or guaranteed compensation in case of accident, nor is the right to strike of employees ensures. According to what was published by I mondewages vary according to the position, but the most common ranges for unqualified employees of cleaning, kitchen or maintenance range between $ 900 and $ 1,100 per month. Contracts usually extend between 4 and 9 months, after which employees return to their country for a period of two to three months until they summon them again for a new season. These periods are considered on vacation, but are not paid. Precarious, but save. Despite the hardness of conditions, work on a cruise It is still an aspiration For many employees from Southeast Asia and Latin America. “Working on a ship is a dream for me. So I think I will continue to do it while I can, because after 40, it is difficult to find work in the Philippines,” he said I mondeVanessa, a 45 -year -old Philippine who cleans cabins in one of those cruises. Working on a cruise maintains its appeal for those who seek to save for a specific goal, such as buying a house or setting up a business when you return home. “I can pay the education of my children,” added Glitz, lifeguard and single mother who has left her two children with her parents in the Philippines. Not having maintenance or accommodation expenses on board, they can send virtually all the full salary to their families and plan a more stable future than their country of origin allows. A job with a lot of rotation. According to the Alba Sud study, 81% of the employees surveyed received a Increase in workload After the stop of the pandemic, and 56% say that their day lengthening in recent years. Precarious salaries linked to the long days and the time they spend away from their families, make work on a cruise an activity with high labor rotation. Companies have recognized that it is difficult retain employees Throughout the season. “The challenge for companies is to hire people who are not going to stay in a port port. It often happens, so the company reassures when an employee has a family to send money,” he tells the French newspaper, Cédric Rivoire-Perrochat, co-founder of the Compagnie Française de Croisières Compagnie Naviera. In Xataka | A millionaire has lived as a cruise cruise for 25 years: its biggest problem has not been money, but balance Image | MSC CruisesUnspash (Nestor Pool)

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