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Europe has grown tired of being NASA’s “supporting actor.” And that is why it is starting to work with China

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The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have teamed up to launch an ambitious mission, aimed at studying the mechanisms used by the Earth to protect itself from solar inclement weather. The SMILE mission was scheduled to launch this April 9, but a small technical problem has forced it to be postponed until a date that is still unclear. In any case, it is just a small stone on the road for a mission that reinforces Europe’s intention to join forces with the Today it is considered the direct competition of NASA on many space issues. Given the ups and downs that the United States faces in scientific matters, it could be an interesting idea. The terrestrial sunscreen under a magnifying glass. The SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) mission has four instruments aimed at analyzing the interaction of solar winds with the magnetosphere that acts as the Earth’s shield. It is a necessary mission for many reasons. On the one hand, because many of the mechanisms used by the Earth to protect itself from solar radiation remain partly a mystery. And, on the other hand, because data analysis could help predict solar storms more accurately. Currently it is possible to know with high probability whether they will occur, but the situation is far from being exact. Since these types of events affect terrestrial communications systems, forecasting would be a key point. Four instruments. The instruments that SMILE has They are the Soft X-ray Imager (SXI), the Light Ion Analyzer (LIA), the Detector Plane Assembly (DPA) and the Ultraviolet Imager (UVI). The SXI is responsible for taking X-ray images to study the boundaries of the magnetosphere, while the DPA provides mechanical and thermal support. That is, it helps keep the imaging systems at a stable temperature, something essential given the proximity to the Sun. As for LIA, its function is to analyze ionized particles. Solar winds consist of a flow of ionized particles that form in the Sun’s corona and are released into space. They are directly related to the harmful effects of solar storms, so it is important to analyze them. For its part, UVI is responsible for taking images in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum. Above all, they will take images of auroras, closely linked to peaks in solar activity. European and Chinese contribution. The European Union has provided the SXI and DPA instruments, in addition to the Vega rocket that will propel the satellite and all its instruments into space. For its part, China has developed the UVI and LIA instruments, as well as the SMILE suite satellite platform. Spain is not missing either. One of SMILE’s instruments, the DPA, It has been developed at the Spanish National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA). Little recognition. NASA has given Canada a seat on the Orion capsule to travel to the Moon. Canadian Jeremy Hansen is one of the crew members of Artemis II, despite having never traveled to space. Canada has not participated in the technological development of the mission. Europe, on the other hand, has provided the engine system that has propelled the four astronauts towards our satellite. Even so, little mention has been made of ESA’s important contribution during the development of Artemis II. Why China. A long time ago, China stopped being an emerging space power and became one of the most consolidated on the current scene. With its Tiangong Space Station Located in low orbit, it is the only facility of its kind besides the International Space Station. Its lunar mission has great relevance thanks to the exploration of the Chang’e unmanned missions. Besides, hopes to take its own taikonauts (as Chinese astronauts are known) to the satellite in 2030. Its exploration on Mars is also important thanks to rovers like Zhurong. Tiangong Low hours for NASA? Donald Trump’s government wants to make drastic cuts to science with public investment in the United States and possibly NASA will not escape. Therefore, it may be a good time to seek other support in the space race, as ESA is already doing with SMILE. That does not mean that it will stop collaborating with NASA, but it is true that it is open to exploring new partners. If there is one thing that history has taught us, it is that the best way to advance in the space race is to put egos aside and move forward as a team. Closing yourself off only to a traveling companion can end up being counterproductive. Images | ESA | Shujianyang In Xataka | Astronauts’ food is not appetizing at first, especially in China

Video games have grown a lot this year. But the money goes to China, Roblox and the owners of mobile platforms

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The global video game industry had a turnover of around $185 billion in 2024 and continues to grow. But there is a catch: this growth does not reach the studios or the area that traditional players look at, those of the console wars and the old PC Master Race. Matthew Ball’s usual annual report leaves a less complacent diagnosis: revenue is concentrated in China, on platforms like Roblox and on the owners of mobile operating systems. The rest survive as best they can. The Old Times (2021): There is still talk about how great the year 2021 was for video games. It seems like it was yesterday when the pandemic (insert meme of Grandpa Simpson telling stories to the kids here) confined hundreds of millions of people to their homes, and games (mobile, console, PC, free, subscription) absorbed the benefits of that confinement. As Ball, CEO of Epyllion, analyzes in The State of Video Gaming in 2025the factors that drove that peak were an extraordinary sum of factors: mobile platforms, free-to-play models, games as a service, the cross play and new genres like battle royale and social play. Downhill. The flip side of that was a much bigger recession than expected: global spending on video games fell 3.5% in 2022 and barely recovered a few percentage points towards the end of 2024. According to the consulting firm MIDiA Research, the sector had enjoyed growth of 26.3% in 2020 and 9.8% in 2021, and the rebound was inevitable. According to Ball, the engines that had driven the industry between 2011 and 2021 stopped all at once: the smartphones They were no longer surprising with each interaction, social networks were paralyzed, the free-to-play was normalized. 6.5% of total gaming time in 2023 corresponded to new video games, says Ball, and only four titles shared half of that percentage. Layoffs in full force. He report also speaks how the sector’s layoffs since 2022 illustrate this adjustment: more than 44,000 jobs, 61% of them concentrated in North America. This does not mean that it is the end of the industry or that the same pattern is being repeated. crash 1983, as has been said (the industry is too diversified and globalized to repeat a systemic collapse of that magnitude). What we are paying is the cost of having built a structure designed for an industry in continuous growth during the pandemic. The Chinese monster. Ball puts on the table that global spending on video games grew by approximately $10 billion between 2021 and 2025. But… where did that money go? The report assures that to Beijing: about 4,000 million of that growth is from the Chinese market, and another 1,500 million are from titles developed in China sold in international markets. In total, Chinese publishers have racked up about half of global growth since 2019. And there are more data: Gamer spending in China reached $49.2 billion in 2024, with a base of 722 million active gamers, more than double the total population of the United States. China is already the first market in the world by income. Not foreigners. Very significantlythat market remains almost closed to foreign games. 84% of Chinese gamers’ spending goes on titles produced in China, and that percentage has increased, as unusual as it may seem: 20% of Chinese domestic spending goes on imported titles (a figure that also registered a decrease of 5% between 2023 and 2024). It is comparable to what happens with cinemawith local films devouring foreign ones at the box office. A situation favored by a combination of factors: First, the Chinese regulatory framework favors national titles through a licensing system; second, development costs are substantially lower than in the West; Finally, the work culture of the country’s studios allows for more intensive production cycles. You don’t have to dig far to find examples of great Chinese international successes: ‘Genshin Impact‘, from miHoYo, raised more than $3.5 billion in its first year70% outside China with a character design rooted in anime. ‘Honor of Kings‘, from Tencent, dominated the Chinese mobile market for years before making the international leap with adaptations of character names. AND ‘Black Myth: Wukong‘, developed with support from Tencent, sold ten million copies in its first three days launching in August 2024, betting on the opposite of assimilation: an unequivocally Chinese mythology without thematic concessions to Western taste. Roblox sweeps. The numbers sing: 70% of the growth of the video game market outside of China in 2025 was absorbed by ‘Roblox‘. Which is an infrastructure on which millions of creators build interactive experiences using the platform’s own tools. Players access it for free and spend real money on cosmetic items and access within these worlds, transactions that are carried out in Robux, the ecosystem’s virtual currency. Of every dollar spent,’Roblox’ historically retained around 70% leaving the creator with approximately 25 or 30 cents. In September 2024, ‘Roblox’ announced a new delivery model for paid games that increases the creator’s commission up to 70% on titles that sell for $49.99. What does this translate into? In 2024, ‘Roblox’ paid around $923 million to its creators (an increase of 25% compared to 2023), while its total revenue grew by 29% until reaching 3.6 billion dollars. Its intentions are colossal: CEO David Baszucki stated that the company’s goal is to capture 10% of the global video game content market. Some more questions. Just to finish outlining the portrait: ‘Roblox’ registers sustained net losses (a accumulated deficit of 3.5 billion) with the logic of the platform in the expansion phase, sacrificing immediate profitability. Some observers they point because ‘Roblox’ has become the video game equivalent of YouTube, a platform that extracts value from the work of its creators in the form of data, advertising and infrastructure. And one last thing: two titles on the platform (‘Blox Fruits’ and ‘Brookhaven RP’) each accumulate 60% of the monthly gaming hours of all of Electronic Arts. 30%. If the global video game market reached an all-time high in … Read more

While Madrid becomes the “European Miami”, a group has grown to historic numbers: Venezuelans

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In the streets of Madrid every time it’s easier hear Latin American accents, but there is one in particular that stands out above the rest: Venezuelan. The number of Nicolás Maduro’s compatriots has skyrocketed in recent years in the community. So much so that the latest data from the INE show that they have already overcome the barrier of 200,000 peoplewell above the 120,400 of just five years ago. In fact, there are those who already refer to part of the capital as the “Little Caracas” or see one in Madrid “European Miami” which attracts immigrants of all kinds, including rich people who want to buy. The data shows that they are not wrong. The “Latin American” Madrid. That the Latin American population and specifically the Venezuelan has been growing for years in Madrid, it is nothing new. A year ago The Country revealed that the region had for the first time surpassed the symbolic figure of one million immigrants arriving from Hispanic America, a milestone achieved largely due to the increase in Venezuelans. Now the latest data from the INE They confirm that, far from reversing, the trend continues. And clearly. Community of Madrid Venezuelans Romanians Moroccans 2025 210,408 111,309 100,939 2024 184,387 115,911 98,360 2023 158,422 117,274 94,631 2022 130,779 123,834 92,563 2021 120,434 128,793 92,279 One figure: 210,408. The figures They speak for themselves. In 2021, the INE counted 120,434 people born in Venezuela in the Community of Madrid, the following year there were 130,779, in 2023 there were 158,422, in 2024 there were 184,387 and this year the figure has taken another rise until reaching 210,408. In short, a growth of almost 75% in a matter of five years. If we look back a little further and go to the last decade, the growth is even clearer. In 2020, 115,289 people born in Venezuela resided in the community, in 2019 there were 90,254 and in 2018 the indicator marked 66,421. A collective at the head. Beyond the percentages, there are two other approaches that demonstrate the extent to which the Venezuelan population has grown in the region in recent years. The first is that right now it is the most abundant foreign group in Madrid, significantly above the other most populous groups: Colombians (199,760), Peruvians (164,786), Ecuadorians (140,794), Romanians (111,309) and Moroccans (100,939). What’s more, The Confidential remember that Venezuelans in the region now exceed the sum of Romanians and Moroccans. The other clue is obtained by looking beyond Madrid and analyzing the Venezuelan diaspora in Spain as a whole. According to the INEIn our country there are 692,316 people born in Venezuela, of which 210,408 (almost a third) live in the Community of Madrid. The capital’s figure far exceeds that of any other region. In fact, the other two with the largest volume of population from Venezuela are the Canary Islands and Catalonia and in none of them do Venezuelans even reach 90,000 people. In Andalusia, there are barely more than 47,000. Year Population born in Venezuela registered in Spain 2025 692,316 2024 599,769 2023 518,918 2022 440,953 2021 411,996 One question: Why? At this point the big question is: Why? What is the reason for this migratory flow to Madrid? There are several factors at play. One (crucial) is the Venezuelan diasporathe volume of people who have left the country in search of better opportunities or as exiles. UNHCR estimates that 7.9 million of people have left Venezuela in search of protection or a better life. In 2024, Nicolás Maduro himself assured that between 2013 and 2023 2.5 million Venezuelans They emigrated from the country, although at that time he maintained that half (1.2) had returned between 2020 and 2023. The Trump factor. Beyond the dance of figures, the undeniable thing is that Spain has long been one of the main destinations of Venezuelans who choose to pack their bags as immigrants, refugees or asylum seekers. Years ago many of them headed to the US, but with Trump’s return to the White House “the American dream became a nightmare” for a large part of that diaspora refugee in the US, such as recognized in May Saray Díaz The Country. He knows well what he’s talking about. She is Venezuelan, she had resided in the US since 2024 thanks to a humanitarian permit and basically dedicated herself to cleaning houses. After Trump activated his policy anti-immigration Saray received an email from Department of Homeland Security inviting him to “leave” the US. A few days later he was on a flight to Barajas. It is not a unique case. During the first trimester 23,724 Venezuelans They requested asylum in Spain, a record. But… Why Madrid? That so many Venezuelans choose to settle in Spain and more specifically in Madrid is not a coincidence. Influences the open arms policy applied for yearsthe presence of relatives who have already migrated to Spain (this is, for example, the case of Saray, who had relatives here) to help them upon their arrival and of course the cultural ties with the country. Like other cities in the country, Madrid has also welcomed protests of critics of the Maduro regime and in defense of the opposition María Corina Machado. “There are several ingredients to take into account. The political and economic crisis in Venezuela is worsening. Trump’s immigration policies, together with a possible military intervention, with this situation of insecurity, also have an impact. And we must take into account that in other Latin American countries the entry of Venezuelans is being rejected,” comment to The Confidential Elisa Brey, expert in international migrations and professor at the Complutense University. “In Madrid there are already many Venezuelans and more arrive through contact and support networks.” Beyond the statistics. The influx of Latin Americans and specifically Venezuelans is felt beyond the statistics, in society, the economy and even in the residential market, as explained in 2024 the BBC network, which reminded that not only people in difficulties come to the capital. In fact, … Read more

Mercadona has grown so much in Spain that for the US it is no longer just a supermarket chain: it is a “cultural phenomenon”

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The US Government has noticed a growing “cultural phenomenon” in Spain, one especially interesting for its exporting companies and which comes accompanied by millionaire turnover figures. What phenomenon is that? Mercadona. Literally. In your report Retail Foods Annualthe US Department of Agriculture dedicates special attention to Juan Roig’s company and slips that its weight in the retail It already transcends the limits of the retail sector. He even theorizes about the formula for his success. Under the spotlight of Donald Trump. It is not strange that Mercadona makes headlines. After all, it has become a crucial piece of the retail Spanish. Your market share in the sector around 30% (in some regions already exceeds that percentage), far above other competitors such as Carrefour, IFA or Lidl, and has been expanding for the country. What is much less common is for the Valencian retail chain to make headlines because it has caught the attention of US officials, which is exactly what has just happened. Table extracted from the report of the US Department of Agriculture. Attention, USA exporters. Mercadona is cited at least seven times in a report 10 pages published a few days ago by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), a document designed primarily for exporters from the country interested in the Spanish market. In it, the Washington technicians review the billing figures of Juan Roig’s firm, highlight its high weight in the sector (well above competitors such as Carrefour, Lidl, DIA or Eroski) and reflect on the keys to its commercial success. To be more precise, USDA recalls that last year Mercadona recorded sales worth an estimated $34.5 billion. The figure does not exactly match the disclosed by the company, but it is more than double that of Grupo Carrefour (12,000) and well above other well-established chains in the country, such as Lidl (7,500), DIA (6,150), Eroski (5,800) or Alcampo (5,500). “Mercadona occupies first place in the food retail sector in Spain, with sales almost three times higher than those of its second closest competitor,” check the reportwhich theorizes about the bet that has given the chain a market share of almost 30%. The formula for success. USDA highlights two features of the Valencian company. First, its Spanish food offering. Second, its strategic commitment to retail brands, especially Hacendado. “Private labels are very popular in Spain, driven by consumer attention to prices and quality. According to a study by the Aldi chain, Spanish households allocate 44% of their purchasing budget to private label products,” collect the reportwhich goes so far as to refer to the company as a “cultural phenomenon.” Is it something new? No. Washington is not the first to focus on the Valencian chain’s commitment to its own brands. A report from Kandar presented in 2024 by Promarca already pointed out the clear increase in distributor brands in Spanish supermarkets, a general trend that was accentuated in the case of Mercadona. Its external brand offering was cut by 45% between 2018 and 2023, while the value share of white label products reached 74.5%. Other sector reports have highlighted the same idea in recent months: Mercadona’s growing commitment to its brands. Added to this strategy are others deployed by the firm, such as the interest for foods already cooked and ready to eat. Roig himself has recognized openly that he is convinced that mid century Kitchens will disappear from Spanish homes, so people will eat prepared dishes. It is so sure of this that Mercadona has been betting on its section for years. “Ready to eat”. X-raying the sector. Beyond Mercadona, the report from USDA reveals some reflections on the food distribution sector in Spain. Its technicians are struck by, for example, the pace of opening of new stores (244 only between January and April of this year), the promotion of self-service stores and regional super chains (key piece of the national sector) or “the growing popularity” of healthy and convenience products. “Consumers are combining physical and online channels, favoring digital platforms for larger purchases and in-person purchases of fresh products. Retail strategies focus on efficiency, AI technologies, personalization and healthy products,” he comments. the USDA studywhich draws attention to the high “fragmentation” of retail trade and the concentration of the food sector, with Mercadona leading the way. Images | Mercadona, Gage Skidmore (Flickr) and USDA In Xataka | The shadow companies that are making gold with Mercadona: the silent success of Familia Martínez or Profand

Scotland has grown tired of tourists on its difficult inland roads. So he put a special plate on them

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Every year hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of British tourists travel to the Canary Islands to enjoy a relaxing holiday on their beaches. It was not the case of Robert Marshall. From his visit to Tenerife he came back with a much less pleasant experience, the “horrible” feeling he had when he sat behind the wheel of a car and wanted to drive around the island without being accustomed to its signs, its roads or something as ‘simple’ as drive on the right side. From that trip Marshall returned home with something more than “stress” of the experience: an idea so that the same thing would not happen to any other tourist. Marshall is neither a politician nor an expert on mobility, but he does know about tourism. After all, he is the owner of a hotel located in the Highlands, the Scottish Highlandsa region that has experienced its particular tourist boom in recent years thanks to its mountains, castles and coast. When Marshall traveled to Tenerife some time ago and drove around the island, he understood much better the difficulties that foreign tourists encounter when traveling on the roads of their homeland. Added to the challenge that driving a new vehicle, in a new country, with unknown roads, customs and perhaps even rules, is the change of driving direction: on the left in the United Kingdom, on the right in most countries (including Spain). In his case, the result was a “horrible” experience that left him “completely stressed”. “When I reached the roundabouts, the intersections, as soon as I started the trip, I was going in the opposite direction to the one I usually drive. All the controls and buttons were in a different place. I kept shouting at my partner: ‘I wish these people knew that I was a tourist,’” remember. The sensation was not entirely unknown. He himself had seen how stressed foreigners get when they have to do the opposite and get behind the wheel of a car on the narrow, winding roads of the Highlands. To solve it, Marshall had an idea: What if drivers could actually recognize tourists? What if there was a simple way to identify the cars of travelers who do not know the area or are not used to the way of driving in a certain place? Would it help the rest of the vehicles you share the road with to be more understanding or even more cautious? The result of those reflections is the Tourist Platea registration for tourists. The idea is similar to that of the plate that identifies new drivers: a sign that warns other drivers that whoever is behind the wheel is not used to the area, something that the Tourist Plate achieves with an adhesive rectangle designed for the back of the car. White background, a large green T for “Tourist” and reflective surface to ensure that the plate is visible also at night. “It’s a simple idea, but it has generated conversation about road safety,” celebrates Marshall. And so much. The proposal has aroused the interest of media such as BBC, cnn, The Telegraph either The Timesamong others. And although a priori the plates have not been approved by any authority, Transport Scotland recently suggested to the cnn and BBC that in his opinion there is no problem in showing them. Stickers are sold by £9.99 on the Tourist Plate and Marshall website assures which already has orders from countries like the US, Pakistan or India. That the idea arose right in the Highlands is no coincidence. The region is experiencing a particular tourist boom thanks in part to the success of the route North Coast 500where visitors circulate who (like what happened to Marshall in Tenerife) are not used to Scottish roads, single-lane roads and driving on the left, which has resulted in a higher accident rate. Official figures show accidents in Scotland caused by drivers traveling on the wrong side they shot up 46% in one year: from 24 collisions attributable to “inexperience of the driver on the left” in 2022, the following year it rose to 35. The balance of recent years also leaves victims and accidents caused by Italian, German or American travelers. The Scottish police have even worked with the US embassy to raise awareness tourists about the importance of being cautious behind the wheel. For now, the Tourist Plate seems to have worked for Laura Hanser, activist of A9 Dual Action Groupa group that calls for improvements to road safety in the A9 road. Hanser recently decided to go from theory to practice and tested the ‘tourist license plate’ by adhering the sticker to his own car. “I drove down a single lane road at 80 km/h. I let different vehicles catch up with me. You could clearly see that it took them a couple of seconds to notice and then they slowed down when they recognized that I had that license plate on the car,” Hanser relateswho trusts that the sticker will help foreigners “acclimatize to your environmentthe car and the environment in which they are. “The infrastructure of the Highlands is under great pressure from the influx of tourists. Anything we can do to help, prevent or raise awareness can only be seen as positive,” he concludes. In Xataka | Ibiza is fed up with the waves of tourists every summer. And it has begun to limit them by leaving them without a car Images | Tourist Plate, Robert Bye (Unsplash) and Bo&Ko (Flickr)

So much ice has melted in Greenland that the plankton has grown 40%. It is not good news

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The Antarctica and Greenland have become two of the Climate change thermometers. The Ice loss in Greenland It is something that has been monitored for years because not only influences sea level: also in the Sinking of the seabed. It is estimated that Greenland’s glaciers have reached a point of no returnand its implications go beyond sea level. In fact, a recent NASA study He points out that there is a beneficiary of the thaw: the phytoplankton. And it is not good news. Short. A few months ago we commented that Greenland was getting greener. The estimates point out that, during the last 30 years, the region has lost 1.6% of its ice, which may seem little, but it is something equivalent to the Galicia area. The air temperature is about 3 higher Celsius degrees in the period between 2007-2012 than in 1979-2000, and That thaw It is causing a huge increase in fresh water. How much? According to the investigation of San José State University and NASA, of up to 266 million tons per year that are discharged into the sea, especially under the Jakobshavn glacier, the greatest in Greenland. It is the equivalent of 1,200 cubic meters of fresh water that are poured into the sea every second. As is fresh water, it is less dense and lighter than the salty, and what it does is like a whirlpool, dragging nutrients from the seabed to the surface. The study. These nutrients are mainly iron and nitrates, and it is phenomenal to phytoplankton. It is, however, an anomaly, and the researchers wondered to what extent that rapid growth of the plankton could affect the ecosystem. In it studypublished in Nature, detail how with the help of a model developed in the JPL and the MIT and using superoringers to accelerate the calculations, simulated the interaction between the water of the thaw, the nutrients and the phytoplankton. The greatest areas is where an increase in chlorophyll has been seen in recent years They have discovered that the growth of the body in the studied area increases between 15% and 40% in summer, at which time the maximum point of the thaw is given, thanks to those nutrients that the fresh water current sends to the surface. In total, NASA has observed That, between 1998 and 2018, the growth of phytoplankton in argic waters had increased by 57%. Consequences. On the one hand, that increase in phytoplankton can be positive for marine life, since it improves the basis of the ecosystem to be able to feed more animals, and also phytoplankton Atmospheric co -capture (that is not bad for us) To do photosynthesis. However, there is a paste: changes in temperature, chemical composition and water salinity can alter ecosystems. In the study they have not launched predictions about what will happen, but it is evident that it is a substantial modification of the marine properties of that specific area. Its conclusion is that those Changes in the Food Chain They can modify the composition of marine species, from bacteria to fish, affecting both the equilibrium of the ecosystem and fishing activities, which are a key engine for Greenland. Because phytoplankton is tiny, but it is the food of Kril and other small herbivores that, in turn, are the larger animal food baselike fish and whales. Only in Greenland? This study was carried out in a very specific area, that of the Jakobshavn glacier, but the results have similar implications for the more than 250 marine glaciers in the region and, possibly, for other glaciers that end in the sea in other regions of the world. Researchers comment that this simulation method is adaptable to other systems and that, therefore, it is likely that other areas where glaciers are pouring water into the sea They are also living, to a greater or lesser degree, a similar phenomenon, modifying ecosystems and affecting both fauna and fishing activities that are carried out in the area. Therefore, the thaw of glaciers is no longer that it affects only at sea level, but has the potential for alter the ecological balance of the regions in which it occurs. As they say, we were few and the grandmother gave birth. Images | POT In Xataka | 400,000 years ago all Greenland ice melted. The map he drew is not flattering

Denmark’s life expectancy has grown. His politicians have taken the opportunity to raise the retirement age up to 70 years

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Demographic aging is putting serious to the labor market and the pension systems of countries around the world. Most European countries have already taken measures in this regard delaying retirement age legal for your workers. However, Denmark has been the most expeditious: from 2040, Danish workers will have to wait until he turned 70 to retire. With this reform, Denmark is like the country with the Higher retirement age from Europe. Progressive increase up to 70 years. According to what was published by The media Danes, the Danish Parliament has approved with 81 votes in favor and 21 votes against the new law that will raise the retirement age from the current 67 years to 70 years in 2040. According to explained The British BBCthe process will be carried out progressively, progressively looking at 68 by 2030, the 69 by 2035 and, finally, reaching up to 70 years in 2040. More pensions for a longer time. In 2006, the Danish parliamentary arc parties signed the well -being agreement in which the country’s life expectancy was indexed. That measure served as the basis for Danish retirement age It will rise From the 65 years they had in 2004, at the 67th that was reached in 2019. However, last year the Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that the variable escalation of the retirement age should be renegotiated to shorten the increases in increases. Reducing these deadlines would serve to adapt to the current life expectancy of the country. According to data of the Better Life Index From the OECD, Denmark has an 82 -year half -life expectancy. Are they too many years? Some Danish workers consider the new retirement age excessive. In statements To the public station Denmark Radio, Tommas Jensen, roof assembler, assured that he had undergone knee surgery, shoulder and back. “I just turned 47 and I see that I have many years left in the labor market. Maybe I have to look for a new profession.” Jesper Ettrup Rasmussen, president of one of the main union confederations in the country, described the proposal as “totally unfair.” “Denmark has a healthy economy, and yet imposes the highest retirement age of the entire European Union. A later retirement means losing the right to a decent life in old age.” In the same line He manifested Trade union leader Henning Overgaard, who considered that working until 70 was unfeasible for jobs with greater physical demand. “Many politicians have gone to university. You can read reports and see statistics, but that does not replace having risen at four in the morning with frost in the beard and the back hunched over by yesterday’s turn,” said the unionist. Europe retires between 65 and 67 years. Given the progressive aging of the European population, most European countries have chosen to delay the retirement age of their workers to maintain the stability of their pension systems. Nevertheless, According to data From the Finnish pension center, most European countries have maintained their retirement fork between 65 and 67 years. The measure that the Danish Parliament has taken is the most ambitious in terms of postponement of the retirement age of its workers. In Spain, the legal retirement age It remains in the 65 years until 2027 provided that a minimum of 38 years and six months have been quoted. If this requirement is not met, the minimum age to retire will increase progressively until reaching 67 years in 2027. In 2025, the legal age to retire if 38 years and three months or more have been quoted and more is 66 years and eight months. In Xataka | There is a man who has been working for the same company for 86 years. And you have no plans to retire In Xataka | From the “great resignation” to “great prejubilation”: the labor market loses the experience of those over 55 years Image | Unspash (Diana Parkhouse, Hannah Thiel)

Players want more relaxing games. So much that its demand has grown by 1000% in the last five years

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Pandemia and confinement of a few years ago changed the industry forever In many ways. One of the most notorious was the consolidation of a genre that has always existed, but virtually hidden. The search for titles that distract us from a depressing and abusive reality made a legend to many titles and generated a new way of understanding the games. As confirmation that we live a golden age of the titles CozyNetflix announces an online multiplayer in which we will not have to strangle anyone. What are Cozy Games? Games of any kind that offer a relaxing, comforting experience, without stress. Of often contemplative and little demanding rhythms, they usually value exploration without goals, the creativity of their proposals, the emotional connection with the player. The competitive is usually out of its proposals, as well as macabre issues or that can generate the slightest anxiety in the player. That is, it is a more spiritual or thematic classification than of genres: within the Cozy There are rpgs, puzzle games, graphic adventures or even Arcades. But all very low of revolutions. Like the meme, also very pandemic of the anime girl and the cat studying with Lo-Fi music. 7 tricks to make Netflix the most Diffuse origins. Sometimes the legendary ‘Little Computer People’ is mentioned, a precedent of ‘THE SIMS‘For eighty microororders as one of the first Cozyand some reason there is: it demanded a minimum interaction and its great attraction was to observe the behaviors of the small inhabitants of a house. A kind of digital fishbowl that set in the 2010s, with the explosion of indies titles, such as ‘Journey’, ‘Stardew Valley’ or ‘Harvest Moon’, which favored new approaches to the environment beyond commercial titles. Pandemic relaxation. Animal Crossing: New Horizons arrived at Switch in March 2020 and became one of the sensations of that year, with more than 13 million copies sold in a month and a half. Take care and cultivate a farm and establish relationships with the neighbors who went beyond the usual in the rest of the games became one of the favorite activities during confinement, establishing a psychological parallelism between what was being that season in hell and what the players aspired to be: an idealization of the “moving away from the worldly noise” that was not working so well in real life. The Cozy explosion. In the last five years, gender has gained incomparable relevance with any other. For example, Games labeled as “Relaxing” In Steam it increased 309% between 2019 and 2023, from 523 to 2,142 games. The “Cozy” label grew no less than 1,091% In the same period, from 15 games in 2020 to 371 in 2024. It is a growth that shows interest in this type of games. And now, Netflix. It is the last company to get into the car of the Cozy Gamesand has done it with ‘Spirit Crossing‘, which has just opened the possibility of signing up to a closed beta. It is an ambitious anime style MMO developed by Spry Fox, creators of one of the relaxing fashion canonical games, ‘Cozy Grove’and that it may well be its most ambitious bet to date: it is significant that it belongs to the genre more in vogue in recent years. The game focuses on cooperation between players, allowing them to build communities and participate in collective activities such as parties, as well as the exploration of a world in constant evolution and full of secrets. Header | Netflix In Xataka | ‘Animal Crossing’: The title apparently for the children’s audience that has captivated adult players

The average salary in Spain has grown up to 1,987 euros on average. Inflation leaves us 578 euros a year in the pocket

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The average salary in Spain maintains Your upward trend of 2021, managing to link fifteen consecutive quarters of interannual ascent in the State as a whole. This climb leaves the average salary in its historical maximum, according to The semiannual report points ‘Adecco of opportunities and employment satisfaction’ monitor ‘that has been monitoring wages and the Workers’ satisfaction. Best average salary for all. The average salary in Spain has received A remarkable improvement Since 2022.al and as indicated by the authors of the Adecco Group report, this recovery is due to a 3.8% increase in nominal wages during 2024. Despite the good data, the authors of the study remember that this increase is the second lowest of the last fifteen quarters, only ahead of the 3.4% increase recorded in 2021. With this increase, the average salary in Spain is located in the historical maximum of the 1,987 euros per month on average and, for the first time in the series, no autonomous community has an average salary of less than 1,600 euros per month. Rich autonomy, poor autonomy. Despite this generalized improvement, there is still a large salary difference depending on the community in which it is resided. The best average remuneration is given in the community of Madrid and the Basque Country, with average salaries of 2,384 euros and 2,248 euros respectively, followed by Navarra and Catalonia that close the group with salaries above 2,000 euros. At the tail in salaries we find Andalusia, with an average salary of 1,750 euros, the Canary Islands, with 1,668 euros and closes the Extremadura list with 1,641 euros on average. However, despite registering the lowest average salary in Spain, Extremadura is the one that has received the greatest interannual increase, with 7.4%, which has allowed it to cut distances with the Canary Islands. The purchasing power is improved. Although the salary increases They are always good news, the inflation can dilute them cutting the purchasing power of those salaries. By putting salaries in relation to prices, Adecco Group Institute has observed an improvement in the average purchasing power of salaries, encrypting the increase in 578 euros per year for the whole of Spain, which implies an improvement of 2.5% average in its purchasing power. “Even so, the purchase capacity of the current average salary is 7.9 % lower than the largest purchasing power of the historical series, reached in 2009,” the authors of the report point out. Inflation ballast. Again, the autonomous fluctuation of inflation has made differences in this data. The ones who have seen their purchasing power most have been the workers of Balearic Islands and Madrid, with 1,351 euros and 1,213 euros per year of improvement respectively, followed by the Region of Murcia and Extremadura with 871 euros and 757 euros a year. However, despite generalized improvements, two communities They have lost purchasing power In the last year. The salary increase in Cantabria could not cushion inflation and its workers lost 72 euros of purchasing power per year. Worst are the data of the Canary Islands, whose salaries lost 209 euros a year in purchasing capacity. In Xataka | How much is really charged in Spanish technology: of the 27,000 euros as Junior at 170,000 euros Image | Unspash (Sam Moghadam)

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