city

Mexico City began a battle against the last of its markets that sold live animals. And he just won it

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Mexico City says goodbye to a historical image: the stalls dedicated to the sale of live animals in the Sonora Marketa complex of almost seven decades located southeast of the historic center of the capital. Since January 1, CDMX applies a restriction to this type of commerce, which in practice means that stalls with cages of chickens, ducks, sheep pigeons or fish tanks will no longer be seen in the square. The veto also extends to the marketing of dogs or cats. The authorities of the capital warn that the measure aims to mark a before and after in the sector: “There will no longer be the sale of animals in the public markets of Mexico City and the example begins with the Sonora Market.” New times, new approach. “As of today, the Sonora Market begins a new stage, leaving behind the sale of animals and moving towards a model that respects the law and protects sentient beings,” claimed on Thursday the head of Government of CDMX, Clara Brugada. According to the data managed by the Venustiano Carranza district, where the Sonora Market is located, there were 84 locations (out of a total of 400) dedicated to the sale of living creatures. The idea is that they will now refocus their positions towards other areas, such as the marketing of pet accessories and food or herbalism. Precisely for this purpose, the authorities have committed to giving them financial support: about 50,000 pesos (2,400 euros) to each affected person. Why that decision? What matters, but (at least in this case) when matters even more. The decision comes after a court order that responds to a request from the animal rights group. ‘He goes for his rights’ and calls into question the sale of live animals in the capital’s markets. However, the controversy around Sonora goes back much further: in 2021 a fire which affected several locations and has already attracted interest in the situation of their animals. Complaints on the subject can also be traced years back and they explain the ruling that now forces part of the market to refocus. Those who ignore it and continue selling animals risk closing their stores or even losing their concession. Among the affected merchants there are those who consider the measure “unfair.” “We live in a country with double standards: everyone eats chicken, but criticizes those who sell it,” laments in The Country a saleswoman. Why is it important? First, for its impact in Sonora. Second, because the CDMX Government wanted to present the measure as a turning point, a change that will go beyond the venue and extend to other similar spaces. “It is a historic day in which we tell Mexico City that there will be no sale of animals in public markets. And the example is set by Sonora,” claimed on Thursday Brugada. “We are an animalistic city.” The truth is that the Sonora Market has been particularly controversial. In December the Efe agency cited to an animal rights organization that claims to have documented the presence of mutilated dogs, with ailments or even painted to pass them off as exclusive breeds. The agency assures that it is not unusual for animals to be purchased in markets that are then dedicated to unorthodox uses, such as rituals, target shooting or bait. Click on the image to go to the tweet. What does the law say? The legislation already restricts the sale of live animals, as the deputy recalled Manuel Talayero during a speech in the Congress of Mexico City in September, when was banned the exhibition of pets in cages. “Removing animals from display cases is one more step to tell society that they are not things. This initiative is a step to end something that is already in the law: the prohibition on the sale of live animals in markets.” The Animal Protection and Welfare Law of CDMX, reformed in 2023, makes clear the prohibition of “selling live animals in public markets” or places that do not meet certain minimums, which include guaranteeing “good sanitary conditions” and facilities that prevent the spread of pests. Businesses also need a permit to raise and sell pets. Are there exceptions? In case there were doubts about the role of venues like Sonora, in a resolution In November, the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) clarified that “the exception to the general rule of allowing the sale of live animals in places that comply with the regulations does not extend to public markets.” The Chronicler was echoed yesterday that the Court declared that the CDMX congress has jurisdiction to legislate on issues related to animal protection. Images | Sasha India (Flickr), Thomas_H_foto (Flickr) and Carlos Adampol Galindo (Flickr) In Xataka | If the question is how to protect bees and other insects, in Peru they are clear: recognizing their legal rights

While all cities are removing their last phone booths, Mexico City is putting them back

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The 21st century is that of smartphonesInternet, networks, 24/7 365 connectivity, virality and immediacy, a scenario in which telephone booths seem like an almost antediluvian vestige. Spain began to retire them a few years agoalthough many had been out of play for some time, vandalized, converted into little more than billboard posts. After all… Who wants a cabin when most of us walk around with a cell phone in our pockets? In Mexico you have the answer. In fact, the country is so convinced that booths make sense that it is installing hundreds and hundreds in its streets. What has happened? That Mexico is doing something (apparently) extemporaneous in the era of smartphonesInternet, social networks and permanent connectivity: the public company CFE Telecomunicaciones is installing hundreds of telephone booths. The diary Expansion talks about 848distributed mainly in the southeast of the country, in states such as Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas. It’s actually nothing surprising. In February 2024 CFE already announced their plans to “roll out” telephone booths throughout the country. But… Why? Because even though in 2026 the smartphones have become masters and lords of our pockets, not everyone has one, nor does they feel comfortable handling them. With the cabins CFE wants precisely that: to close the “generational or digital gap” in the country and “guarantee the connection” of the entire population. Hence, telephone poles are being installed especially in rural areas after reaching agreements with local authorities. “The project adds an alternative to guarantee the connection of the population who, due to the generational or digital divide, may see their communication with their loved ones affected,” claims the company. The idea, precise The Countryis that the phones can be accessed at no cost and the devices also offer an Internet connection and the possibility of making calls outside of Mexico, to the US or Canada. On your website CFE recalls that the project is carried out with “institutional linkage” and agreements with local administrations. And how many cabins are there? That is one of the most curious details of the initiative. And also those who have given the most talk. Expansion assures that CFE Telecomunicaciones has installed at least 848 booths, especially in the southeast, but the same media recalls that throughout Mexico there are still thousands of the old booths that people went to years ago, before cell phones and WhatsApp radically changed our way of communicating. Are they all the same? According to the Federal Telecommunications Institute, in December there were still 580,199 cabinsa considerable number, although they represent 10.6% less than in 2019. The majority are in the hands of Telmex, although the firm BBG Comunicación is also present in the market. This inheritance has not been without controversy, especially due to the state of some booths. Not long ago the Congress of Mexico City proposed withdrawal and dismantling cabins that are disused, abandoned or obsolete. The reason: from being key pieces for communication, they have become annoying obstacles that hinder pedestrian crossing and generate a bad image. It may seem exaggerated, but according to authorities’ calculationsin the country there are thousands of population centers that still have “public telephony” and most of their facilities “no longer function correctly.” Many of the booths are not removed despite being obsolete because prevents it an agreement from the 90s. Do you all agree? Although the country seems determined To find a way to end the digital divide, not everyone considers that the installation of new booths in rural areas will be the solution. This is what Jorge Bravo, for example, from the Mexican Association of the Right to Information warns (Amedi), who warns that the booths are part of an anachronistic connectivity model. “There are no clear criteria for the installation of these cabins. Although I have observed some in good condition, I have never seen people using the service,” he says. Images | Honorable Municipal Council of Silacayoápam (Facebook) and Mateusz D (Unsplash) In Xataka | Americans have been devouring pizza for generations. Now they are changing them for something else: Mexican food

Someone believed that ‘GTA Vice City’ could be played for free in the browser without consequences. Take-Two has reacted firmly

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Whoever played ‘Grand Theft Auto: Vice City‘ You probably remember well that it was not exactly a light game for its time. It was published in 2002 on PlayStation 2 and later came to Xbox and PC in 2003. In those years, installing it and making it work was part of the ritual with requirements that not everyone could meet. That is why it is striking that, more than two decades later, that same title appears running directly in a browser, without installations or disks. The question is inevitable: why now and with what implications. The response has come in the form of a cease and desist request directed at DOS Zone. The notice, that the platform itself has made publicmaintains that the website is “hosting and promoting a browser-based project.” The document demands that the game and any associated functionality be removed, and warns that if this is not done, the company reserves the right to take additional legal action. Where preservation ends and the legal problem begins A cease and desist request is not yet a demand, but rather a notice with clear consequences. Its objective is to force the removal of content that the rights holder considers infringing, leaving a formal record of the claim. From that moment on, the designated platform usually faces a clear decision: comply or assume the risk of the conflict escalating. The letter itself anticipates possible subsequent steps, such as communications to the accommodation provider or legal action if the request is not met. In this case, the notice has not been managed through direct communication between editor and platform, but through EBRANDspecialized in digital surveillance and content removals. This model is common in large catalogs, where the detection and management of potential violations is outsourced to dedicated teams. EBRAND acts as a technical and legal intermediary, in charge of documenting the case and conveying the demands of the rights holder, without publicly assessing the context of the affected project. DOS Zone, for its part, is presented as a project driven by video game enthusiasts with a stated objective of preservation and accessibility. In its own texts, the team emphasizes that it does not obtain financial benefits, does not display advertising and does not monetize access to the games it hosts. It also claims to reject any form of illegal distribution and ensures to operate within the legal frameworks it considers applicable. As part of this positioning, the platform maintains that it is willing to remove content immediately upon official request and to cooperate with rights holders. Screenshot of DOS Zone The version of Vice City accessible from the browser allowed you to start games with local saves and offered, optionally, saves in the cloud through the js-dos platform to continue the session on different devices. Access was limited in demo form, with progress blocked after the first story point at the Ocean View Hotel. To go further, the system required the user to upload an original game file, which was verified to match the commercial assets. The claim comes from Take-Two and is part of a broader debate about access and preservation, where the concept of “abandonware” is often invoked. However, that term has no legal validity: The fact that a work stops being sold or changes format does not extinguish its copyright. In the case of ‘Vice City’, the validity of the copyright in USA extends until 2097regardless of the channel through which you try to access the game. In this specific case, furthermore, the abandonment argument does not even hold up in practical terms. Take-Two continues to sell Vice City and also versions such as ‘Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition’ on multiple platforms. Its owners continue to exploit it commercially more than twenty years after its original release. This context reinforces the publisher’s position against any unauthorized execution and helps to understand why the case does not go unnoticed, even in an ecosystem where other similar projects manage to survive without friction. Images | Rockstar Games/Take-Two | DOS Zone Screenshot In Xataka | I can turn on, control and play my PC from anywhere in the world: three ingredients that make it possible

It’s bad news for the rest of the city.

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Like any big city in the world, in Barcelona there are quieter neighborhoodsothers in which cultural and leisure activities live in constant effervescence and, then, far from the madding crowd and prying eyes, they are the wealthiest neighborhoods. At least that’s how it was until not long ago. Now the rich already They don’t want to live isolated in the neighborhoods that were traditionally inhabited and are beginning to abandon historical enclaves of the wealthy classes of Barcelona, to settle in neighborhoods with more economic, leisure and cultural activity. This is bad news for the residents of those neighborhoods. Goodbye to the isolated upper area. Traditionally, neighborhoods in the upper area of ​​Barcelona, ​​such as Pedralbes, Vallvidriera or Bonanova, were the natural habitat of the richest Barcelona residents: large houses with gardens, stately apartments with separate entrances for the staff, lots of privacy and international schools next door. The average income data per person in 2022 for these neighborhoods already revealed that 52% more wealth is concentrated in them than the Barcelona average. But now, that tranquility seems boring to the wealthiest in Barcelonawho prefer the energy of the city. “Hiding in the mountains of Barcelona is no longer so fashionable,” assured to The Vanguard Joan Rubiralta, real estate expert and co-founder of Luxline Real Estate. According to the expert in the luxury real estate market, instead of isolating themselves, the rich of Barcelona now seek to integrate into the cultural and commercial bustle, letting those high areas lose a little of their exclusive shine. Eixample, the top neighborhood now. The Eixample has become in the new favorite place of the best of the Barcelona elite and the ultra-rich attracted for the Mediterranean and cosmopolitan life that Barcelona offers. The reason: it mixes stately apartments and the comfort of being much better connected to the center. “Luxury today is defined more by the quality of the experience than by ostentation,” assured to The Vanguard Sven Odia, executive president of Sotheby’s in Spain. The most sought-after properties in this neighborhood are spacious renovated apartments of between 120 and 140 m2. The modernist style buildings and the high ceilings of their apartments have contributed to the sale price of these apartments exceeds 8,000 euros/m2placing the average at 6,299 euros/m2 for the neighborhood. This represents an increase of 11% in the price in just one year, standing out from the rest of the city which is around 5,000 euros/m2. Offer price m2 in the Eixample of Barcelona in 2025. Source: puntohabitat.es The million euro apartment. As and as they pointed out in Open Metropolisthis growing demand for apartments in Barcelona’s Eixample has made housing that meets the demands of this buyer profile scarce, which has caused a shortage of supply. This makes it difficult to find these days. a luxury three-bedroom apartment in that neighborhood for less than a million euros. In 2026 everything below two million will have been liquidated. It is urgent to activate mechanisms that generate new supply. “We have no product,” warned Albert Milián, managing partner of the Barnes luxury real estate. It begins to spread to other neighborhoods. The new fashion among the rich of living in central neighborhoods, is also spreading to other neighborhoods in the city, putting Diagonal Mar and Poblenou in the spotlight for price increases. These neighborhoods are characterized by having become the technological heart of Barcelona, ​​with large companies and startup incubators, which makes them the preferred destination for international millionaires who took the opportunity to buy apartments already on the horn of the end of the “Golden visa”, which gave them access to residency in Spain in exchange for an investment of more than 500,000 euros. In these neighborhoods, for the same million euros that you would pay in Eixample for a 3-bedroom apartment, you get about 140 m² with all these extras. This situation won’t last long. Rubiralta confirmed that these areas “have experienced a notable increase thanks to their consolidation as the new technological and creative hub of Barcelona, ​​with the arrival of multinationals and international talent.” In Xataka | The list of the richest people in Spain in 2025: many changes in the figures, but not in the protagonists Image | Unsplash (Logan Armstrong)

The ‘trash’ has become the hot potato of Madrid politics. One that has forced the City Council to rectify

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It’s not the only town hall of Spain that has been shaken by he ‘garbage’but the controversy surrounding the new waste collection rate has had a special impact in Madrid. Because of its reach. And due to the formula chosen by the City Council to calculate receipts, a system that the OCU has come to call “original and unfair”. Now the Government of José Luis Martínez-Almeida has decided to reconsider the calculation of the tax to take into account a fundamental factor: the number of people registered in each residential property. The question is… Will it settle the debate? What has happened? That the Madrid City Council has decided to change your calculation system for the new garbage ratea tax that has been forced to adopt (like the rest of the cities in Spain with more than 5,000 residents) to comply a law of 2022. As a backdrop are the guidelines set by Brussels to improve waste management in the EU. After the neighborhood criticism and organizations like the OCUthe Government headed by José Luis Martínez-Almeida has decided to rectify its initial criterion and give more weight to a key factor in the equation: the number of people residing in each home. In that way, they assure from Cibelesthe average increase in the garbage rate for next year will be minimal: from 141 it will go to €142.6. Why so much trouble with the rate? To understand it you have to go back to at least April. It was then that the deadline for the Law 7/2022 It gave Spanish municipalities with more than 5,000 residents to adjust to its guidelines, which basically oblige the majority of councils to provide themselves with “a specific, differentiated and non-deficit rate” for waste collection, one also based on “payment per generation” (‘Whoever pollutes, pays’) and that “reflects the real cost.” Some town councils, like Barcelona, ​​had been preparing the ground to soften the blow of the rate. In other parts of Spain they are far behind, in case of Malaga or the Balearic Islands. In Madrid the receipts began to arrive in september, not without stirsomething that is explained by three main reasons. The first, the impact that the capital has. The second, because in 2015 the then mayor (Ana Botella) had decided “eliminate” the tax for the sake of “less fiscal pressure for the citizen.” The third (and most important) factor was the calculation system chosen by the Madrid City Council to calculate the new rate, a formula that the OCU came to cross out “original… and unfair.” Why’s that? Due to the elements that the City Council took into account when calibrating the rate it charges each neighbor. Among them (in the case of residential properties) included the cadastral value, the generation rate of each neighborhood and the waste separation coefficient. I didn’t like the formula to the oppositionto part of the neighbors (who went beyond Madrid and charged against the law) and the OCU, which after knowing the calculation criteria launched a very critical statement. What do they criticize?. “The problem is that the criteria chosen in Madrid are not really fair. There are large price differences depending on the neighborhoods and it is the case that neighbors may have to pay for garbage that they are not actually generating,” warned the consumer organization. In his opinion “it is already quite new” that part of the rate is estimated based on the cadastral value of the home, but the rest of the criteria are also far from being perfect. For example, the OCU pointed out that if the tons of garbage collected in each neighborhood are taken into account, without further ado, the calculation ends up being distorted. The reason? “The incorporation of waste whose origin is not strictly residential, such as tourist apartments, shops or businesses whose collection is done jointly with the ordinary collection”, warns. “The result is a strong penalty for residents who live in more central neighborhoods, with greater tourist or commercial activity.” And what has happened? That after weeks of complaints and criticism, the Madrid City Council has ‘rectified’ taking into account part of the proposals brandished by the opposition. On Thursday the City Council revealed that next year “a new ordinance” of the Waste Management Rate (TGR) will be approved “as a result of the need to include new parameters, which will provide greater equity and legal certainty in its calculation.” Which is it? Specifically, one stands out: the number of people registered in each home, “an aspect that has resulted from great technical complexity.” “Thanks to this, rates will be established distributed in ten sections (from one registered person to ten or more) depending on the number of registered people in the property on January 1, 2026,” ditch Martínez-Almeida’s team. That variable is completed with others. “For the calculation of the basic rate, the information on the individual cadastral value of each home or premises has been taken into account, while for the generation rate, the amount of waste generated and the percentage of quality of the separation of each of the 131 neighborhoods have been taken into consideration.” Have you announced anything else? Yes. The City Council has clarified that, according to its calculations, the average collection rate received for 2026 will be 142.6 euros, “practically the same amount” as this year. The advertisement It has also come preceded by other developments in municipal taxation, such as a lowering of the IBI rate that will benefit more than 2.2 million properties. The City Council assures that in total the reduction in taxes and fees planned for next year will allow Madrid residents to pay 33.5 million euros less than in 2025. Matter settled? Not at all. The one known as ‘garbage’ has generated a considerable political stir that extends far beyond the capital and pivots around a key debate: Is the 2022 law that has led cities to review their garbage rates the result of the community guidelines that they aspire … Read more

BYD has built a megafactory in record time. And it’s not just a car factory: it’s a city

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The chinese automotive industry has one goal: flood the west with their cars. BYD is one of the companies that, while wanting to take over the national market, wants a good slice of the international pie. For this you have as many employees as a small countryand to carry out its vision it has the most beastly car factory you can imagine. This is the Zhengzhou plant, and more than a factory, it is a city. Gigafactory? Best Uberfactory. Everything that surrounds the Zhengzhou plant It is imposing. Starting with the times, BYD and the Henan government they signed the project in September 2021, in just one month the works began and less than two years later the factory began production. His ability It is imposing and, already in its first operational phase in April 2023, it demonstrated that it could have a ability 400,000 vehicles annually. Not only did they get it up and running in record time: its dimensions are also impressive. The plant is estimated to have an area of ​​10.68 square kilometers in factories alone, but when the project comes to completion, it will occupy about 130 km². Context. Ten times more than Tesla Gigafactory in Nevadawith its 12 km², and larger than the area of ​​the city of San Francisco (it is approximately 120 km²). It is not unusual for large technology companies to have “cities” under their control and, without leaving China, Huawei has a similar campus (and another that copy different European cities). But BYD is overwhelming. More than cars. The factory is a “living” project of which four phases have been completed so far. The first two have focused on the production of cars, but as we said, we are talking about a factory that goes beyond vehicles. The third phase launched a plant for the battery manufacturing and the fourth has the necessary facilities for the production of semiconductors. They are underway new phases to expand production to two million vehicles annually and it is estimated that the facility generates a complete vehicle every 50 seconds. Technology. This is achieved thanks to an automation rate of 98%, one of the highest in the automotive industry worldwide. For example, the welding process is carried out with 91% robot labor and there are hundreds of them operating in other sectors, such as assembly or logistics. It is not due to a lack of human work, since the factory currently employs about 60,000 people, 90% of them coming from Zhengzhou or its surroundings and there are plans to reach up to 200,000 employees in 2026. Imagine all of Salamanca working in the same factory. Independent Republic of BYD. That is why we are not just talking about a factory: it also has housing and everything necessary is being built to make it a full-fledged city. Apart from housing blocks for employees, the megafactory has canteens, commercial areas, recreational facilities such as soccer fields and other areas for playing sports, as well as an internal transportation system. It also has additional facilities to carry out tests on their vehicles, such as a 1,758 meter circuit with nine curves, sand dunes to carry out off-road tests, a 70 meter pool (this is where you can see the Yangwang U8 in action) and multifunctional areas to carry out braking, acceleration and other more specific tests, such as autonomous parking. Apart from testing, it is like an amusement park for those who want to see the benefits of the brand’s EV cars. International connection. In the end, it is a mix between ambition and space (something that is abundant in China), which gives rise to a city focused on a single task: producing new energy cars with which China is setting the standard globally. In addition, it is an economic engine for the region and such a strategic element that, in 2024, Zhengzhou inaugurated the International Land Port with a one kilometer railway line to the BYD base. In this way, BYD can produce cars and instantly send them by train to the international market. It is also easier to load them into RO-RO boats with capacity for reach Europe in three or four weeks. Such is the importance of Zhengzhou for the company that its seventh ship car carrier was named after the city. Images | BYD In Xataka | Volkswagen is determined to copy China to make its electric cars attractive in Europe: put a gasoline engine in them

Crossing the A-5 works on foot has become a risky sport. The Madrid City Council solution: AI

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He burial of the A-5 It has become a headache for the neighbors. It is not only that traffic jams are the daily routine or that the works have forced the route to be diverted, creating a kind of Mario Kart where drivers have to avoid unexpected curves, unexpected exits or the appearance of cranes and heavy machinery. Pedestrians also begin to look with horror as his life becomes complicated every time they have to cross from one side of the highway to the other. The promise Being able to cross the road at the top of it surrounded by a park instead of dark and uninviting passageways is closer. But, for now, crossing from the Batán neighborhood to Lucero or Aluche is nothing short of a pipe dream. One in which the Madrid City Council has decided to intervene with artificial intelligence. With a little AI A couple of weeks ago, the large underground work on the A-5 appeared with a couple of unexpected traffic lights around Villagarcía Street, near the junction with Batán. The intention was to regulate traffic at one of the most complicated intersections in the area. Taking advantage of this unnecessary action, the neighbors began to demand that zebra crossings be set up so they could cross on foot to the other side of the road and have a quick access to the neighborhoods of Lucero and Aluche. In this way, residents would also have access, for example, to public transportation that circulates a little less than a kilometer from their homes, schools or work centers but which are much more difficult to reach on foot since the works began. Now we know that the Madrid City Council is going to take advantage of these works to also test one of the latest purchases announced: traffic lights with artificial intelligence. They explain in The World that current traffic lights already have cameras to control road traffic. This will help, taking advantage of an artificial intelligence system, to regulate traffic on demand. The traffic lights will detect the number of pedestrians waiting for the green light to turn and the system will decide when to let vehicles and pedestrians pass. Thus, it will open the way to the latter for a more or less time depending on demand. The area is conflictive because there are schools that are currently wedged between the Casa de Campo and the underground works of the A-5. With the installation of traffic lights with artificial intelligence, an attempt will be made to prioritize the passage of pedestrians at peak times when entering and leaving educational centers. The use of the system, as we said, is not new. a few weeks ago the Madrid City Council confirmed the installation of these systems in various parts of the capital, especially complicated by the large influx of pedestrians. For example, they already adjust the steps at the intersection of Calle Princesa and Alberto Aguilera, on the Segovia and San Isidro bridges (Madrid Río area) or in the Plaza de Grecia next to the Metropolitan Stadium where traffic lights with artificial intelligence regulate the passage if there are concerts or large events to improve fluidity. Photo | Xataka and Madrid City Council In Xataka | The residents of Madrid had been longing for the A-5 to be buried underground for years. Now he’s making their lives miserable.

How to use Ruta-E, the government app to find cheap gas stations and charging points in your city or your route

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We are going to tell you how to use Route-Ethe new application of the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Service, creators of My Citizen Folder among many other apps. It is an application that seeks to help you find the cheapest gas stations and electric charging points. It is a simple but versatile application. You can choose between gasoline or electric chargers, and then you have the options of exploring on the map or trace a route and see all the gas stations or charging points along with the price of fuel, so you know which one allows you to save a little money on your trips. Look at the price of gasoline with Ruta-E The first thing you have to do is download the Ruta-E application, available on Google Play for Android and in the App Store of iPhones. Once inside you will have a map, and at the top right you will have a filter in which you can choose fuel type for which you want to find a gas station or charging station. When you choose the type of fuel, you will see information about all the pumps in your city. But you can navigate the map to explore the entire country in case you want to look at those of some place you are going to visit. In the gasoline pump preview you will see the price of the fuel you have chosen. The app also has an option to trace the route of a trip what you want to do, with origin and destination point. When you do, you will see all the gas stations you have along the route along with the prices of the type of fuel you have chosen, and also the charging points. When you press at a gas stationyou will be able to see their hours and prices, and thus compare the cheapest ones or those that are open. And if you click on a charging point you will not see the price, but you will see the types of plugs available. In Xataka Basics | Gasoline price on Google Maps: how to see nearby gas stations and their prices on Android or iOS

Hangzhou is the city of DeepSeek, Alibaba and Unitree without any of the typical Silicon Valley ingredients. His secret is another

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Hangzhou, a city of 12 million inhabitants 180 km south of Shanghai, is home to a striking number of powerful technology companies: Seven reference technologies (the six ‘little dragons’ plus the giant Alibaba) in a city that does not have any of the elements considered essential in Silicon Valley: Abundant venture capital. Leading universities. Links between university and industry. And a robust industrial structure. How could you then Hangzhou emerge well? The facts. Venture capital is plummeting in China. Funds in yuan have fallen from 88.42 billion dollars in 2022 to 5.38 billion in 2024. Funds in dollars, from 17.32 billion to 750 million. Hangzhou has not been a major recipient of investment until last year, when its province –Zheijang– stood out with 41 new corporate venture capital funds. But it was only after Unitree or Game Science had gained national attention. Missing. Hangzhou has only one elite university – Zhejiang – compared to 26 in Beijing, 11 in Jiangsu or 10 in Shanghai. The admission rate at Tsinghua and Beijing Universities for students from the capital (0.85%) is almost ten times that of students from Zhejiang (0.09%). None of the founders of “the six little dragons” or Alibaba created their company directly from university. Liang Wenfeng founded High-Flyer, the hedge fund after DeepSeekeight years after graduating. Jack Ma was rejected for 30 jobs after finishing his studies. Yes, but. The city has innovated by doing away with those ingredients. The explanation offered by Zilan Qian, a researcher at the Oxford China Policy Lab, points out ChinaTalk to “flexible governance”: a model where officials adopt “waiters” and “babysitters” mentality that facilitate rather than control. The context. Hangzhou does not have the political, financial or industrial importance of first-tier cities, which has given it greater local autonomy to shape its technology sector. Zhejiang province was a pioneer since the 1980s in promoting private enterprise during the early phases of Chinese economic reforms. Jack Ma He tried to establish Alibaba’s headquarters in Beijing or Shanghai, but failed due to the cost of rent and bureaucratic barriers. In 2015, Ma explained her decision: “Beijing favors state-owned enterprises, Shanghai favors foreign companies, and Alibaba was nothing in their eyes. If we return to Hangzhou, we become the local only child who receives all the attention and support.” Hangzhou is part of the sometimes called “chinese technology triangle“(sometimes also”golden triangle“) along with Shanghai and Shenzhen. More than a geometric reality, the functional metaphor describes the complementarity of three cities: Shenzhen provides industrial capacity and hardware. Shanghai concentrates finances and internationalization Hangzhou stands out in the internet, AI and an ecosystem favorable to private companies. Each vertex of the triangle has different strengths that, combined, generate an ecosystem where geographical proximity facilitates collaboration and flow of talent between the three poles. Between the lines. The model is described as “market-oriented” but maintains a level of centralized governance. The Hangzhou government sees quality of life as a strategy to attract businesses and talent, but positions itself as an enabler, not a controller. The absence of state-backed research institutes and a strong industrial base contributes to the government’s humble attitude. If Hangzhou were more strategic or more industrial, DeepSeek might not have had the creative space to emerge and provoke the earthquake that caused in January. The narrative of “self-made industry” and “entrepreneurial bureaucracy” admits conflicting readings. What some interpret as facilitation, others read as a euphemism for “dirigiste intervention by the State”, with a very defined plan of action and long-term objectives. “Flexible governance” can be both real local autonomy… and dirigisme disguised as pragmatism. At least it is no longer “a city south of Shanghai” but “Alibaba City” or “DeepSeek City”. In Xataka | China is selling us a future full of humanoid robots. We have (many) doubts Featured image | JinHui CHEN in Unsplash

allows you to see how your city will disappear underwater

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Climate change has a consequence that is undoubtedly greatly feared by everyone: the sea ​​level rise. Far from being a distant threat, its effects are already are feeling all over the world and future projections force us to prepare for a scenario where our coasts are going to be altered, even having to prepare simulations to find out which buildings will be submerged under the seabed. A simulator. To understand the magnitude of this challenge and precisely visualize which areas will be submerged, there are tools such as ‘Sea Level Rise Viewer‘, a 3D map that allows us to peer into an uncertain future. A map created by developer Akihiko Kusanagi and consisting of an interactive simulation away from traditional 2D maps to offer us a photorealistic, and above all alarming, experience. A great result that has been achieved using the powerful photorealistic 3D mosaics of Google Maps and rendering technologies such as deck.gl and three.js. Something that has allowed any user to become a direct witness of the consequences of climate change. Furthermore, the code is completely open as it is published on GitHub. How it works. The genius of ‘Sea Level Rise 3D Map’ lies in its simplicity. When accessing the website, we find a 3D map of the world accompanied by a very minimalist interface that focuses on two key elements: Sea level: in this case it is possible to visualize how the coastal geography will change when the sea level increases meter by meter. With each increase, a layer of blue water will rise to cover the entire terrain, first flooding the port areas and beaches and then entering the urban centers. And we must take into account that For every cm that sea level rises, the coastline retreats 100 cm. Time of day: a second control located at the bottom that allows us to change the time, adjusting the lighting and shadows to have an even more realistic effect. Simulation on the coasts of Motril (Granada) that shows the impact that an increase in sea level of 58 meters would have. But the best of all is the search engine that is at the top of the map and that allows us to go to any city in the world with Google 3D coverage and see streets, monuments or emblematic neighborhoods that can end up underwater. And from the Statue of Liberty in New York to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona or Big Ben in London, the tool offers a unique and personalized perspective of a global crisis. The science behind. Although the tool is a visual demonstration and not a predictive model with the precision of scientific studies, it puts face and volume to the data that the scientific community has been warning about for years through papers or conferences. It must be taken into account that the rise of the sea is caused by two key factors. The first of them is thermal expansion, since the oceans have absorbed more than 90% of the extra heat generated by human emissionscausing the water to expand much more, which causes the coastline to end up receding. This also adds to the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, as well as mountain glaciers, dumping billions of tons of water into the oceans each year. Few solutions. Even if we started doing things right now, according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), even if the global warming at 1.5°C, sea ​​level would continue to rise inevitably. Projections for 2100 vary from about 43 cm in the most optimistic scenario to exceeding 84 cm in the most pessimistic. But clearly with this tool, what represents just two or three meters of climbing gives us an idea of ​​the magnitude of the long-term challenge to finish raising awareness of where we can venture and what we are going to leave to our descendants. The conscience. Projects like the “Sea Level Rise 3D Map” are more necessary than ever. By transforming abstract data into a visual and personal experience, they achieve something that scientific reports often fail to do: generate an emotional impact and a sense of urgency on society. Images | Chris Gallagher In Xataka | What is a dana: how it forms, how it differs from a normal storm and how to act in one of them

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