Catalan

A Catalan city council fined an individual for “cutting down some trees.” They have discovered an international network of illegal garbage trafficking

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The Civil Guard, Europol and the French Gendarmerie They just arrested four people for illegally bringing at least 46,000 tons of French waste into Catalonia. And the case has a crumb. Because when you talk about ‘international garbage trafficking’ you imagine trucks passing in the dark through lost ports in the Pyrenees and ships unloading in the middle of the night. But the truth is that no truck had to hide: they crossed the border between France and Spain without any problems. The papers were, “in theory”, in order. In theory? There was the kid of the matter and what confused the authorities. It made no sense to bring garbage into Catalonia from France because the Catalan fee (75 euros) is higher than the French one (69): although the overall costs are higher, the savings would be very small. The key was something else: that the trucks moved around Europe declaring that what they were carrying in their vats was “soil.” And that was what was new. The network had gone one step further and was no longer “selling” cheap landfills, it was selling completely reclassifying the waste. In this way, the garbage traveled to Spain as material and ended up buried in a fruit field. By using the term “land” everything was radically simplified: no one got paid, no file was activated. Do we have a legal loophole? Not exactly: the legislation is not only clear, but even in this case, the alerts were activated. Sant Esteve Sesrovires detected the irregular actions, opened a file, informed the Prosecutor’s Office and proposed a fine of 814,900 euros. Why concept? Due to land spills and felling of trees. It was when investigating the matter that the bottom of the matter was discovered. Why is it important? Because it is the third episode of the same pattern in four months: in March, a European macro operation with 337 detainees; in April, 167,000 tons of rubble and asbestos in Axarquía; now, this. And, above all, because Spanish legislation continues to be very lax. Our management requires “seriously damaging the balance of natural systems.” It must be modified (it is a European requirement), but we have not done so yet. Therefore, this case will be judged in terms of document falsification, tax crime, money laundering. That is to say, although environmental crimes are among the crimes charged, recent experience suggests that the conviction, if it comes, will come because of the paperwork. It is a good metaphor for a country that has built one of the most expensive tax systems in Europebut we have left it entirely in the hands of responsible self-declaration. Image | Zibik In Xataka | Europe has a problem with waste management, to the point that there are mafias illegally “exporting” it from Italy to Cuenca

Who are Openchip, the Catalan company that designs RISC-V chips… and has just received 115 million from the Government

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This Monday, June 29, the Council of Ministers authorized an investment of 115.77 million euros in Openchip & Software Technologiesa microelectronics company based in Barcelona and five years old. The operation is channeled by the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETTthe digital SEPI, dependent on the Ministry for Digital Transformation) through the Next Tech facility of the Recovery Plan. It is the largest one-time injection of public capital received by a Spanish technology company in the sector to date. It comes just a week after another move. On June 23, The Generalitat converted part of a 35 million bridge loan into sharesan operation that gave him 5% of the capital and set a implicit valuation for Openchip in around 700 million. With that reference, the 115.77 million from the SETT would be equivalent to a participation of up to 16.54%, which would place direct public control (State and Generalitat) above 20%. Both administrations will have a seat on the council. The Government also included a veto right over any transfer of the headquarters outside of Catalonia. Added to the 111 million already received via PERTE Chip, public support accumulated is close to 262 million. The public supports a good part of the structure. A company that designs, not manufactures Openchip was born in 2021 as a joint initiative of the Catalan engineering group GTDaround 54% of the capital, and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), the center that operates the MareNostrumaround 46%. Today it employs about 300 people, almost all of them engineers, and operates under a fabless– Designs intellectual property and outsources manufacturing to external foundries. The CEO himself has admitted that this production will leave Europe, which in practice points to where these types of projects usually aim: TSMC. The industrial plan estimates investments close to 500 million to deploy the entire infrastructure. What it designs are processors and accelerators based on RISC-V, the open source architecture that has become the European bet (and, ahem, China) to avoid the dependency on x86 (Intel, AMD) and ARM. Its specific product is a vector accelerator for AI and high-performance computing, integrated into DARE SGA1a 240 million European initiative led by BSC itself that distributes the design between Openchip (vector accelerator), the Dutch Axelera (AI processing unit) and the Czech Codasip (general processor). The goal: a European hardware and software proposal operational by 2028. The schedule, the equipment and the exam This is where it is good for everyone to temper expectations. In November 2025, Cesc Guim (pictured above), CEO and former Intel, said that the company had just sent its first prototype to the factory and that commercial production was planned for 2028. The commercial argument is energy efficiency: its designs promise to reduce electricity consumption by 20% to 30% compared to current alternatives. The real comparison can only be made when there is working silicon, not plans. A few weeks ago, in May, Openchip signed Tobías Martínez as presidentformer CEO of Cellnex for almost a decade. Replaced Carlos Kinder in a change that the company did not officially confirm. His profile provides what a startup of 300 engineers with a round of hundreds of millions was missing: plenty of experience in the capital markets. The operation is sold under the convenient modern mantra of ‘European technological sovereignty’, and the truth is that the framework is real: Europe today designs a minuscule part of the world’s chips, and certainly none of the leading ones. But There remain questions that public investment does not solve on its own: Whether Openchip will achieve a competitive product against rivals with a twenty-year advantage (Guim himself has admitted it). Yes, manufacturing will continue to depend on TSMC, which keeps Europe away from the critical link in a long-term dependence. And whether the intensive financing model, with two administrations on the board and a regional veto over the headquarters, will allow the flexibility and agility that a semiconductor business requires to compete. The State has bought shares, a seat on the council and qualified employment in Catalonia. What remains to be seen is whether the chips arrive. And they work as promised. In Xataka | The Valencia family that made a fortune with guano and Coca-Cola now has another project: photonic semiconductors Featured image | Openchip, Xataka

Chargebacks are the silent hemorrhage of e-commerce. A Catalan startup is making money by covering it

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Yesterday Paco bought a product on Wallapop and received it. Then came the problem. Paco called the bank and lied saying that it was not the product he expected or that he did not receive it, thus managing to keep the product and recover his money. Free product for him, headache for Wallapop. This is where a promising Catalan startup called Kloutit comes in. Fictional situation, real problem. Paco does not exist as such and the situation is fictitious, but it is the reflection of a very palpable reality among e-commerce companies: many are affected to a greater or lesser extent by the so-called chargebacks or chargebacks. Kloutit has an AI to solve it. The Catalan startup Kloutit has created an AI tool to manage these chargebacks on e-commerce platforms. Founded in 2024 by Albert Algarra (CEO), Alexis Pairetti and Adrián Algarra, the company already has almost 200 active clients and operates in nine countries, as indicated in CincoDías. Among those clients are Wallapop, Cabify, Playtomic, Factorial, or TaxDown. A problem that they manage to mitigate. The phenomenon of chargebacks negatively impacts 30% of the gross operating profit (ebitda) of companies, according to Kloutit. However, thanks to their AI system, companies multiply the amount of money lost and later recovered by 5.5. Not only that: as those responsible for CincoDías indicate, “Reducing chargebacks not only protects income, but also improves the relationship with payment service providers, and avoids penalties for high ratios.” They may be legitimate, but they may not be.. Unlike a normal return in which you go to the store, deliver the product and receive your money back, in a chargeback the bank withdraws the money directly from the merchant’s account and returns it to the customer while it investigates what happened. Chargebacks typically occur in three cases: Real fraud: someone has stolen your card and made purchases, so you notify the bank indicating that it was not you, and the bank returns your money. Problems with service: you bought something that never arrived, or the product that arrives is broken or the service (hotels, flights) was not as promised. “Friendly fraud”: This is where the problem lies for companies, and it is the fictitious case we have described. A chargeback is not just about losing a sale. For a business it implies a double loss: both the product they already sent and the money from the sale. In fact, after the chargeback the nightmare begins, because the implications are several: Penalty: Banks charge a penalty fee to the merchant for each chargeback received regardless of who is right. Blacklist: If the store has many chargebacks, Visa or Mastercard can blacklist you and prohibit card payments. Expensive defense: defending against a chargeback is a cumbersome bureaucratic process: you have to demonstrate with evidence (delivery notes, screenshots, emails) that the customer did receive the service. AI vs. obsolete systems. The platform developed by Kloutit promises a much more effective alternative to traditional systems that they describe as obsolete: manual processes, a lot of time investment and disappointing success rates. The Catalan startup’s AI system promises to automate these processes and free teams from this burden. That they have more and more clients is a promising sign that they are doing something right. Images | Nathana Rebouças In Xataka | Online commerce was supposed to kill shopping malls. The reality has been just the opposite.

The most unexpected object has become the last battlefield of Catalan independence for a detail: the letter e

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A letter. The E. thus, in capital letters. And a fine. Capital for some if we consider that it is about paying 200 euros for covering a letter. Because that is the sanction that those who cover in Catalonia are receiving the letter E of the registration of their cars. The same that identifies the plaque with Spain. A lyric. And what lyric is it? The E. of “Spain”, “State” and “confrontation”, to give only some examples. At least for those who consider that this letter in their enrollment is an act of submission to the Spanish State and, therefore, is a cause for political confrontation. That letter that some Catalan independence disappears from their tuition to replace it with the CAT letters, next to a SENYERAas a political claim or small subversive act before what they consider the submission of Spain in the region. It is not new. The confidential collects the return of this way of acting by some Catalan independence. But this act of protest is not much less new. At the end of 2024a Catalan was fined for this reason, when considering the Mossos d’Esquadra that had manipulated the registration, which is considered a serious infraction that entails a sanction of 200 euros. But these attempts to replace the license plates either since then. Already in the last decade You can find some publications that point out this way of acting by some drivers. In some yes the European Union flag was maintained. However, it has been in the last two and three years in which the most noise has been generated. The Galician case. But it has been in the last three years when the phenomenon has taken special relevance. In 2024 a driver complained in social networks of having received the aforementioned fine. In the answers there were those who assured that carrying the CAT on the registration was not illegal. The origin must be found in Galicia. There, Bieito Lobeira, Secretary of Organization of the Galician Independence Party BNG, was fined for covering the E of Spain by a GZ in reference to “Galiza”. After various resources, Lobeira won the procedure because it was pointed out that the small modification did not prevent the correct reading of the registration. To this are grabbed those who act in this way, such as David Miñana (ANC leader) either Jordi Cabré (writer). The matter is slippery because in article 49.4 of the General Vehicle Regulations the following is specified: “It is prohibited that the registration plates be placed, registered or painted ornaments, signs or other characters other than those indicated in Annex XVIII, including advertising inside them (…) It is prohibited that in the anterior and posterior parts of the vehicles they will be placed unauthorized complementary plates or fix or paint marks or distinctive marks or distinctive Difficult readability or may induce confusion with the regulatory characters of the registration plates “ However, in the Traffic Law, where the serious sanctions (200 euros) are reflected, it is specified that the following compliance is sanctioned: “Failure to comply with the obligation of any driver to verify that vehicle registration plates do not present obstacles that prevent or hinder their reading and identification” Lobeira won when the judge understood that he took part in his appeal that the GZ letters did not prevent or hindered the reading and identification of the registration. 25 years. In the newspaper AraThey point out that this fight for the letters of the registration has been living for a quarter of a century. In 2000, the Spanish registration plates changed. They adapted to the obligation to carry the letter E and the flag of the European Union for the identification of a vehicle outside the country of origin. However, the government of José María Aznar also eliminated the references that existed to the regions. Before the year 2000, Spanish registrations were made up of one or two letters that referred to the province, four numbers and two additional letters. Already then The nationalist parties and the United Left complained about the absence of the autonomic badges. Already at that time some media and independence groups they encouraged this little protest actiondistributing stickers to incorporate into registrations. And in Europe? The truth is that in Europe there is a good handful of countries that have maintained regional badges despite having to change the registration plates to adapt to European regulations. In France, in Germany or in Italy Shields, letters or any other badge that specifies the region of origin of a vehicle are maintained. Photo | Wikinight2 Logan Armstrong and Oriol20 In Xataka | How to know the last registration that has been issued in Spain

A jeweler has found a rolex that gives the date in an unusual language for luxury watches: the Catalan

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The sale of high -end watches has become a More investment formthanks to the high value that certain pieces acquire. In recent months, the second -hand watch market has suffered A drastic fall After a pricing bubble derived from the shortage of supply against high demand. That has made this a good time to find Pieces at a good price. The tiktok @jewelrybarcon account, shared The discovery of a curious piece that bought a few days ago: a rolex day-date, also known as Rolex President with very special gold finish. The initial emotion of buying a rolex like that, became surprise to discover that the days of the week that are shown in the sphere were in Catalan, instead of having them in Spanish or English as usual in the Swiss brand watches. Something that in principle could light alarms in front of falsifications. At first, the young man thought this could be a problem if he decided to sell it in the future since the clock would have less demand to be in a different language. However, after an initial investigation he discovered that the story that locked that clock made him a very limited and exclusive piece. The mystery of the Catalan rolex The user explains in his video that it was very strange that a Swiss company like Rolex manufactured a clock in Catalan. The explanation that found that curious finish was that, in reality, a group of Andorra businessmen had asked Rolex to make a special roll with texts in Catalan. This limited edition occurred until 2007, which, according to the young Tiktoker, makes it a very sinned rarity. What initially seemed a possible inconvenience became a distinctive feature that apparently increased its value significantly. Now, your rolex is not only a luxury accessory, but also a collection piece With an interesting story. So far what social networks say. Rolex Day-Date is the most international rolex The reality is that Rolex is an international brand and, within its catalog, the Rolex Day Date, better known as Rolex President, is The most international of all. So much so that it not only has daily dials translated into Spanish or Catalan, but can also be found in Vasco, in Farsi, in Chinese or in Ethiopian. As he points out in his own Rolex’s official pageDay-Date speaks the language of who takes it and, since 1973, it is Available in 26 languages including alphabets in Latin, Arabic, Cyrillic, Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese ideograms and even the ge’ez alfasilabarium used in the horn of Africa. The linguistic peculiarity of Day-Date makes, in reality, the language is not an exceptionality itself because of the fact that a group of Andorran businessmen asked for their watches in the official language of their country. However, it is a distinctive feature, because it is a rolex of a certain year, with a certain finish and with the addition of being in Catalan that is not a highly demanded option. In no case would it be a rare and exclusive piece since anyone can choose the language of the dial with the days of the week when configuring this watch. Its second -hand price can range between 20,000 euros and 45,000 euros according to their status and characteristics. In Xataka | A farmer thought a cow had eaten his rolex. 50 years later he recovered it, but he needed a good cleaning Image | JewelbarconRolex

A Catalan tells his most northern city experience in the world

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He Svalbard archipelago It is the most northern place in Europe. It is a huge ice cream far away above the Arctic Circle where about 2,500 people They are officially forbidden to die. There, right there, there is a Catalan. A Catalan? Indeed. Born in Sant Cugat del Vallès 29 years ago, Nil Rodés It has become the head engine of the Department of Geology of the University Center of the Svalbard Islands. And just being Interviewed in Via Lliure de Rac1 where it gives details about how it is to live very (but very) to the north of the polar circle. “A few months ago it is night,” Rodés said. “Between eleven and one, we now have a blue light (like the end of the day) and, for the month of March, there will be a sun.” It does not carry it very well and, in fact, the Catalan engineer takes advantage of the months of greater darkness to go outside the island. Of course, the doubt of whether “is something related to the Mediterranean blood” always because, in the five years he has been living in the north, he has met many people who worship the darkness “deep of the Arctic Night. An island without indigenous … There are no native peoples of the islands because it is too north. And the first stable inhabitants arrived with the mining companies that began to exploit the coal of the islands at the end of the 19th and early twentieth. Before that, there were only small fishermen bases that were used sporadically. The truth is that, anyway, there are not many natives in strict sense. It is prohibited to be born in the islands. When an advanced stage of pregnancy is reached, mothers have to go to Norway to give birth safely. In the same way, It is forbidden to die (and be buried) on the island. Except for cases of accidental deaths, no one dies there. … but with many bears. There are about 3,000 bears in the region compared to 2,500 people. 300 of those animals live on the main island (and that means that whenever you leave the settlement you have to be armed with rifles or guns of Bengal). In fact, there is a traffic signal in which the area is indicated in from which the safety of individuals depends on them same. And what does a “chief engineer” do on such an island? A good part of the activity of the islands has to see with education and research of all kinds (from questions related to climate or geology to studies on fauna and conservation of ecosystems). Do not forget that The “end of the end of the world” is right there. Rodés’s work has to do with the logistics and safety of all projects linked to geological research. As I say, the villages themselves are safe areas, but beyond those limits any unforeseen can be critical. To the limit of the impossible. According to Rodésthe site must really be overwhelming. A place where in winter it is not clear what is land and what is sea ice (beyond the “llaneza” of the land can give you important clues); and in which, for six months, they can only move with snow motorcycles. In recent years, the Svalbard Islands have only jumped to the media for the problems that the Ukraine War (and the associated sanctions)) created in the relationship between the capital of the islands (Longyearbyen) and a small Russian settlement (Barentsburg) at 50 kilometers. For the rest, it is a small haven of peace in Miad in one of the areas that more is changing due to climate change. Image | Janik Rohland In Xataka | A Spanish scientist in the most inhospitable place on Earth

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