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This is the recipe with which they want to turn around the energy map

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Against all forecast –And in the middle of Trump was in the White House– California is demonstrating that the sun can with the night. The recipe has no technological mystery: a lot of photovoltaic, many batteries and an increasingly fine demand management. The result is that natural gas, for decades the king of the evening peak, yields ground quickly. The key is in batteries. And the state of California is more than clear. The solar generation has increased in this half year by 18% compared to the same period last year and the discharge of batteries grew by 63%, allowing to cover up to a third of the maximum night demand, According to Ember. That cocktail allowed to cover the maximum night demand, a space that until nothing dominated the combined cycles of gas. The impact has been fulminant: the production of gas plants fell 25% in one year and 43% in just two. During the summer, in 41 of the last 49 days, the Californian network was able to meet the entire demand exclusively with solar, wind and hydro, sometimes for more than nine consecutive hours. In several days, the renewable supply exceeded 140% of the demand, with surpluses exported to neighboring states, As explained by Professor Mark Jacobson in an interview with Bruce McCabe. The kitchen of success. The key to the Californian turn can be summarized in a word: capacity. In just four years the state went from having 0.6 GW of batteries at a network scale (2020) to 11.7 GW in 2024, almost half of the entire National Park. That year it installed more storage (3.8 GW) than large -scale solar (2.5 GW), a milestone that reflects the change of priorities, as they have detailed in an Ember report. However, we are not talking only about the hardware of the matter. The Caiso operator He opened the door that the batteries arbitrate intra -diagram prices – cargar when the energy is abundant and cheap, sell in expensive hours – participate in regulation services and reserve part of their capacity for the so -called “critical hours” in the afternoon. In 2024, even with more moderate price peaks, its role in the Net-Peak was consolidated, displacing the gas turbines that used to dominate that section. Two factors that have helped. On the one hand, solar roofs already produce the equivalent of 13% of the electricity sold in the state, reducing the daytime demand of the network and, when combined with domestic batteries, also the nocturnal. On the other hand, the Demand-Side Grid-Sport (DSGS) program has given rise to one of the world’s largest power plants in the world, with more than 200 MW operations and 720 MW of customer batteries. In the summer of 2024 it was activated 16 times during heat waves and tested its stabilizer effect. However, its future is uncertain: the state budget deficit and a cut of 18 million dollars put both DSGS and the Microredes Deba program at risk, warns PV Magazine. The impact on prices. The most immediate result for consumers is that prices have relaxed. The renewables sank the wholesale cost: the spot fell 53 % year -on -year and many noon sections recorded negative prices, damping thanks to the fact that the batteries already absorb 15 % of the demand in those hours. According to Jacobsoncomplete electrification can save between 60% and 65% of the annual energy invoice compared to the current fossil -based model. All pink color? No, California still faces challenges. Demand response programs depend on public budgets that are not guaranteed. As Jacobson has pointed out In a study published in Standfordthe network needs to continue improving its flexibility: move hydroelectric to the night, accelerate marine wind and strengthen demand management are essential steps. Spain: The other face of the currency. While California wins the gas battle, Spain lives the opposite paradox: it produces more renewable than ever, but cannot only trust them. After the blackout of April 28, 2025, Red Eléctrica activated a reinforced operational mode which prioritizes combined cycles. The problem is not the lack of sun or wind, but storage and flexibility. Without enough batteries or hydraulic pumping, the network lacks mattress to transfer the noon surplus at night peak. The Government knows and has reacted with an “antiaps insurance”: Royal Decree-Law 7/2025 He opened the door to capacity markets that remunerate firm technologies for being available. The objective is to maintain 9,000 MW of combined cycles that were at risk of closing. But those are temporary crutches. Structural solutions – batteries, hydraulic storage, micro -redes and demand management – will take at least until 2026 to deploy. Two roads, the same lesson. Mark Jacobson He foresees California will reach 80% renewable between 2026 and 2028 and 100% between 2030 and 2033. Ember He estimates that in 2025 A batteria GW will be installed for every 1.7 GW of solar, further accelerating gas replacement. The moral is clear: California demonstrates that miracles or futuristic technologies are not needed: with solar, wind, hydro and batteries enough to bend gas. Spain, on the other hand, remembers that the transition is not improvised: without sufficient storage or management, renewables cannot sustain the network alone. The road is clear; The question is who will travel faster. Image | Rawpixel Xataka | 99% of the Internet travels through submarine cables. Now there is a much more ambitious plan in progress: join the electricity grid

This map exposes the most popular coffee in each country. Capuchino is the undisputed winner worldwide

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On October 1, World Coffee Day will be held. It has no importance for those who already celebrate that ephemeris every day (and more knowing what it is Good for health), but it is the date chosen by the International Coffee Organization to pay tribute to this universal drink (and baptized by Clemente VIII) and value both the situation of coffee growers such as fair trade networks and sustainable practices. Not surprisingly, coffee is the second most consumed drink in the world only behind the water, and something very interesting is to know the coffee tastes of each of the countries. The reason? Although there are two main coffee varieties –The robust and the Arabica-, there are many preparations and machines that give very different results. And this map illustrates it perfectly: Prepared by Coffenessin it we can see what kind of elaboration is most present in the day -to -day life of many of us. Among all, the star is the cappuccinoand by far: according to the map, It is the preferred preparation of 24 countriesamong which is Spain. He is loved in much of Europe, in fact, and a lot of distance from the espresso. This elaboration, stronger and concentrated, is the second most popular. 14 countries, among which are the United States or Germany, prefer this elaboration that causes a sensation for the fascination they generate, on occasion, the necessary machines for their preparation. They are increasingly economical and with more functions -all in one like the Ninja Luxe that we analyzed a few months ago They facilitate things very much- and, although it may shock that of taking an espresso, the truth is that … it is rich. Why can it collide? Because, As Spaniards, an espresso is ‘complicated’ of drinking. The reason is that, if we ask for a coffee alone in a cafeteria that does not have Specialty coffeethe most normal is that We are served a torrefactand it is a tremendously bitter and required coffee, which is why it needs more sugar than it already has naturally with the aim of masking the taste. If specialty coffee is used, although it is still strong, it is much better. The third most popular elaboration is filter coffee, and here I am surprised that it is not the most consumed in the United States, the place of the famous ‘office coffee’ and that of the ‘dinners’. It is popular in 12 countries, including South Africa, United Arab Emirates or Bulgaria. And what about Italy? Well, no matter how much coffee tradition they have, in Italy they don’t have coffee. Not yet, at leastsince tradition comes from the title process and some of the most famous elaborations, being one of them, precisely that of American coffee. Because yes, it was not invented in the United States, but for Italian hoteliers that, during the Second World WarThey reduced the espresso coffee with water to be the taste of American soldiers. According to Coffeness, it is the most popular in Italy, but also in South Korea, Argentina, Costa Rica or Uruguay. In Latin America, basically. Turkish coffee is thick and the most attached to a specific place Then there are peculiarities, such as the Irish coffee that conques Ireland, the Turkish coffee they only want in Türkiye, Where is Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanityor the espresso macchiato, which apart from a Stera of Eurovisionis the favorite in Australia, Honduras or the United Kingdom. Where is China? I ask that too, since China in recent years has become One of the main players in the coffee market worldwide. The drink has gone from insignificant to cause fury, so much that they are opening many coffee shops in large cities And it is something that has even become In a claim so that companies like Huawei attract foreign workers. The problem is where they have taken the data from Coffeness, and it is the reason why, although nice and may be very right, We are not facing a rigorous study or anything like that: They clarify that they are based on a search data analysis on Google, so although far from offering definitive data, they can determine what are the most popular coffee elaborations in many countries. And there is the matter: China and its great blockade They enter the equation, preventing that data can be collected. But well, apart from rigor, the results ‘quad’ with what, in many cases, we could expect. And it does not surprise me a little that the most popular elaboration is my dear capuccino. Images | Alet123Coffeness In Xataka | How much does a cup of coffee in each country in the world cost, explained in a fantastic map

In this map we can see the countries in which cannibalism is technically legal. It falls very short

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He cannibalism It is one of the stars of horror cinema, but also of the most cases Morbose of serial murderers. Some of the most rugged (if you haven’t seen ‘Dahmer‘, in Netflix, it is very good) They have inspired films and series. And although we might think that it is illegal to be associated with serial killers And it may seem to us A prehistoric actwe would be wrong. At least, in much of the world. The act of eating the neighbor. Eate for each other It is something that has been present for millennia. Some societies enemies ate as supremacist actsreligious or simply to obtain nutrients. In other situations, it is the despair that leads us to cannibalism. Currently, we know that it is nonsense because We don’t have too many nutrients. Now, cannibalism continues to exist. It is associated with erotic fantasies that involve eating or being eaten as part of a sex Jeffrey Dahmer either Dorángel Vargas They ate parts of their victims as an act of extreme possession and cannibal acts have also been performed as part of magical rites, such as Red Zwazulu-Natal dismantled in 2017 In South Africa. We have cannibalism stigmatized for a good reason, but a few years ago this Map by Reddit in which it was stated that there were countries in which cannibalism was legal. The image problem? Well, it falls very short. A mess. That cannibalism is technically legal in some places does not imply that it is … legal. And the keyword is “technically.” In them, and in many others, cannibalism is not explicitly prohibited by any specific law. Does not appear in the Criminal Code or in the Constitution and, For example in SpainWhen cannibalism is mentioned, it is done in the context of animal protection against cannibal practices of its species. But of course, although there is no explicit criminalization, the acts to be performed to eat human flesh do constitute a crime. The murder, the damage to the neighbor, the manipulation of human remains or the illegal exhumation are acts pursued by the law. Therefore, although we can think that there is a legal vacuum, if we want to eat the neighbor, we will have to make a crime that, usually, is persecuted. In fact, a Armin Meiwesthe ‘Canibal de Rotiburg’, He was condemned for homicidenot by cannibalism (the victim was supposedly consented, but died in the process). Legal vacuum. We entered an extremely rugged gray area here with two cases that were given in Europe not so long ago. In 2010, the Norwegian artist Alexander Selvik He ate himself. Specifically, he consumed remains of his hip extracted surgically to prepare a dish that ate as part of an artistic project. A year later, in the Netherlands, there were two television presenters who They ate fragments of their own flesh and on the other in a live program. Both cases were investigated, but since cannibalism is not a crime, as was under its will and no other crime were damaged by law, No charges were presented. What there was was a debate about ethics and the limits of art. Requests. Of course, sporadic movements have been given for politicians to study if it would be worth including cannibalism as a crime in itself. In Spain, although some voice has been manifested to legislate, no serious request has been recorded. In the United Kingdom, a citizen petition for cannibalism was included as a specific crime. After six months, the platform record 38 firms of the necessary 10,000. In the petition, they detailed the following: “Canibalism is potentially dangerous and we believe that it is a little ethical act that should constitute a crime, even if the person whose flesh and/or part of the body and/or organ is being consumed has given its consent. There should be a minimum mandatory penalty of five years in prison for committing said crime.” Asterisks. In Papua New Guinea has been mentioned as illegal Sometimes and in the Central African Republic It was missing due to social contexts such as war conflicts. It remains a gray area and that, in some cases, is an implicit activity in others that are considered punishable. For example, in Canada it is not typified as autonomous crime, but the Criminal Code sanctions “Any outrageous interference with a human body or human remains.” And then there is the case of the United States. Although a rule similar to the rest is followed in the country (there is no specific prohibition, but performing cannibalism implies acts that are crime), There is a state in which The law is mentioned cannibalism expressly, penalizing it With up to 14 years in jail. It doesn’t matter if consumed with or without consent and does not only imply direct consumption: in 2024 the law was modified so that it is also punished if another person is supplied. There is only something that would free you if you eat the neighbor in Idaho: that it is a case of extreme survival. It means that what it means (it has not been given the case, until now). Image | The XXVIII terror house of ‘The Simpsons‘ In Xataka | A person has made Media Spain hook the most horrendous crimes: Clara Tiscar and ‘Criminopathy’

The main car manufacturing countries, exposed in a devastating map that shows the Asian domain

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It depends on what car segment let’s put the magnifying glass, but I know esteem that in 2024 They sold Between 75 and 85 million vehicles worldwide. It is a growth of more than 2% compared to the previous year, and if you have wondered which country is the one that manufactures the most cars, this map responds to perfection and highlights its own name: China. There are also trend changes that should be analyzed. Asian domain. Prepared by Visual Capitalist With data from the OICA (International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers), we can see in blue the countries that dominate cars manufacturing. China produced more than 31 million Of vehicles in 2024, the United States more than 10.5 million and Japan more than eight million. Among the three, 54% of all vehicles built during the past year, but we put the focus on Asia. Apart from China and Japan, India with six million and South Korea with four million are two other countries of that Asian “axis that contribute to the domain of the area in exports worldwide. All have more or less stable production compared to the previous year, being Japan that stars in a 10% decrease in production, but staying between the powers. The opposite case is Thailand, which closes the Top 10 with 1.4 million vehicles produced, assuming a 20% downturn compared to the previous year.

This Europe map is the test

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There is still almost a month ahead, but the summer of 2025 will already be remembered as The fire. You have to go back three decades ago, to 1994to find a year in which the flames will devour more forest area. The fire has devastated hectares, lives have been charged, He has calcined houses and Farms and has affected natural icons such as Las Médulasin the region of El Bierzo, now dyed black. Despite the strength of all these images there is one that even more resounding the scourge of fire in Spain: The map that compares the open surface this year in our country with the burned in other nations, such as France or Italy. What happened? If we talk about forest fires, the saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is more true than ever, although the strongest images do not always show flames, calcined trees or smoke columns. Recently The World in Maps, a community with more than 700,000 followers on Instagram, published A map of Europe in which the surface razed in several countries of the continent. And the difference from Spain with respect to some of its closest neighbors, such as Portugal, Italy or France, is overwhelming. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Why’s that? Because it shows that on August 19 in Spain more than 348,000 hectares had been burned compared to 216,200 in Portugal, the 125,400 of Romania, 65,100 of Italy or 35,600 in France. Each nation has a different extension (only quintuplica peninsular The surface from Portugal), but still the comparison is eloquent. Spain is the one that has seen carbonized more hectares, surpassing other more extensive countries from afar, Like France. Where do the data come from? The World in Maps does not need it, but its estimates correspond more or less with those of Effisthe European Forest Fire Information System, included in the Copernicus program. The graph was prepared with data a week ago and EFFIS table It is constantly updated, so that the drawing has changed slightly since then, but the differences between nations remain more or less stable. What do they show? Right now Effis speaks of 415,300 hectares in Spain, 271,000 in Portugal, 126,000 in Romania, 72,100 in Italy and 35,600 in France. Eduardo Rojas, spokesman Official College of Engineers of MontesRemember that these figures should be handled with some caution. At the moment it is only “an advance”, an area estimation affected by the flames made with satellite data but that may not correspond exactly with reality. “Not everything has burned and not everything is forest terrain, there are reservoirs, roads …”, he warns. Effis also shows that, beyond the number of hectares razed, if we talk about the percentage of national surface affected Spain It is not the worst stop. In that case, the most tragic balance has it Portugal and Chipre. But … how is the difference explained? They are more or less precise, which reflects the map of The World in Maps (and The tables of EFFIS) is the clear difference of burned surface in Spain and other countries in Europe. So the question is obvious … What is the reason for that challenge? Rojas recalls that a key factor in the case of the Iberian Peninsula is climatology. Drought and heat waves like those suffered throughout July and August “exacerbate” fires. “Meteorological severity has a huge effect and causes hectares to vary.” Spain is not in fact the only one that has suffered fires more voracious of the usual. In early August, in full heat wavesouthern France saw them with its worse forest fire since the end of the 1940s. And it is not the only one. Portugal has also dealt with a Historical scourge In their mountains. The climatic, temperature and humidity differences in the different regions of the continent are an important factor that influences the voracity of the fires. Is it the only explanation? No. Rojas remembers that “the basic problem” is really another: progressive abandonment from rural and the accumulation of biomass and weeds that, at a given time, can feed the flames. The spokesman of the College of Engineers of Montes dimiates in fact to go beyond the data of each year and assess “the trend”. And in that case what is observed is a more or less stable number of fires and the effect of the effort to reduce landfills and control agricultural burning, although they are still present in Spain. Recently the Professional College itself He pointed out as a successful model the “ancestral forest management” of the Pinares regionbetween Soria and Burgos, where despite the enormous wooded surface there are no fires as devastating as those he has suffered The triangle formed by Ourense, León or Zamora. The reason? Partly the system of “Good luck of pines” That its inhabitants apply, a method that traces its roots to the Middle Ages and allows local communities to favor the care and management of forest masses, while also reinforcing their link and feeling of belonging. Is it something expected? The answer is affirming again. Javier MadrigalMontes engineer and researcher at the Institute of Forest Sciences of the CSIC, insists on the importance of meteorology but points to “structural reasons” in the background. “It is summarized in the abandonment of forest and agricultural management in Europe, which in a climate change scenario makes a year of adverse meteorology as this is being in the Iberian Peninsula we have broken surface records burned since 1994,” slides: “This trend was predicted by all models.” “The one in different parts of the Mediterranean is a cyclical process that depends on the meteorology,” abounds the ICF-CSIC expert, who remembers that already There are studies which show that the fire regime is not the same in different Mediterranean countries. “At country scale, the meteorological reasons more influence than socioeconomic, also seeing very aggressive fire regimes in Algeria, Greece and Türkiye, for example,” he concludes. Images | Ume … Read more

Deepseek put China on the AI ​​map. The danger is that this revolution stays in a day flower

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Deepseek R1 was eating the world At the beginning of the year. This Chinese model, apparently out of nowhere, caused A true shock In the AI ​​industry, but since then there has been movement. Actually there has been one, but the disturbing thing is precisely what that movement has been. Hi, Deepseek v3.1. The startup advertisement Last week the launch of Deepseek V3.1, a new version that stood out for being an improved hybrid of Deepseek V3 (fast response) and Deepseek R1 (reasoning). There was also good news in terms of their performance: according to the Benchmarks published by those responsible, it was significantly higher than their predecessors. Visible (but non -dramatic) improvements. In the “model card” (model card) that those responsible offers In Hugging FaceDeepseek v3.1 (in reasoning mode) proved to behave slightly better than Deepseek R1-0528, —Your previous version, more powerful-in areas such as programming or in mathematical tests, but some users who have tried it there comment That except in those areas, the model is worse and “it behaves poorly when following instructions or prompts provided by users.” Others confirm it and They assure which is useful for programmers, but not for other areas. It also has limitations on its multimodal support, and focuses on the text instead of providing more options for another type of interaction, for example from voice, image, video or audio messages. A Chinese model for Chinese chips. But even more interesting it was that Deepseek V3.1 has been designed and launched with a clear objective: avoiding the dependence of foreign chips. The FP8 precision used makes this model behave very well In the next -generation Chinese chips. The strategy seems very interesting for the startup, which could thus have a very aligned model with the priorities of the Chinese government. This is: use local models for local chips as much as possible. And R1, what? From there some doubts arise. The first, which affects Deepseek R1, the model with which the startup “broke” the market at the beginning of the year. The company has eliminated all references to this model in the characteristic of “deep thought”, which has generated doubts about the potential appearance of its expected successor, a hypothetical Deepseek R2. Loses users. But while that theoretical model comes – if it does – the company faces a more immediate threat. As they point out In SCMPDeepseek is losing users (or at least relevance) in recent months. In the first quarter of the year its market share within the scope of the IA Open Source models used on the PPIO cloud platform was a spectacular 99%. However, in the second quarter that percentage has dropped to 80%. Fierce competition. That fall relevance has an obvious reason: its local competitors are squeezing. And a lot. Among them is the family of models Qwen from Alibaba, but Also others like Kimi-K2-Instructof the startup Mosohot AI – in which Alibaba has also invested – which is becoming one of the most popular models of recent weeks. Delays and deceleration. Precisely the focus on being able to make the most of future Chinese chips seems to be the reason that this hypothetical Deepseek R2 is being delayed. At least that is the hypothesis that consider In Financial Timeswhere they revealed that the startup has failed when trying to train with Huawei chips. The situation has made them Training with Nvidia chipsand that are using the Huawei Asce for the inference stage, that is, the interaction with the model via web or API by users. But this attitude is “very Chinese”. We may in Western countries we are accustomed to a much more frantic pace and that we expect constant updates and improvements with an eye on the short term. In China, philosophy is usually the opposite, and companies adopt A long -term strategy even if immediate benefits are lost. Maintaining a low profile is also usual among those companies, which try not to make much noise … until they do, as Depseek has already demonstrated. Thus, we will have to remain very attentive to the activity of this startup, because surely he will be working to continue being one of the protagonists of the AI ​​panorama. Image | Tim Reckmann In Xataka | Deepseek has suggested that Nvidia chips no longer needs. We believe to know who is buying them

What is seen at the bottom of the map is an extreme anticyclonic dorsal. And that is what is going to put Spain again to boil

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It is a story that has been repeated from the beginning of summer: an anticyclonic dorsal will dominate the atmosphere on our heads, which in turn implies the return of heat. The return to 40º. The next few days will be, again, of extreme heat. The State Meteorology Agency (Aemet) has warned of temperatures that They can exceed 40º in large areas of the South and that could also reach 42º in specific areas of the Peninsular South. An extreme dorsal again. The person responsible is a dorsal, and a considerable magnitude: 600 DAMMERS (DAM) Geopotential with the center located in North Africa. This means that we have to ascend about six kilometers in the atmosphere before reaching the point where the atmospheric pressure is 500 hectopascal (HPA), when the “normal” value of this altitude would be around 5.5 km. Although the geopotential in most of the peninsular Spain is rather something above the 594 DAM, this involves “record” levels for this time of year in the southwest peninsular quadrant and part of the center, indicated on Twitter The physicist, meteorologist and disseminator JJ German. Stability and sun. The dorsals They imply An anticyclonic context that in turn entails stability and clear skies and high insolation. If we add its ability to drag air from North Africa and its recurrence we will see with a situation like this, a summer that has already served to break numerous records in temperature and other atmospheric variables. Yellow and orange warnings. Temperatures may not reach the levels of previous warm episodes, and the fact that we are already in July (one month on average warmer than June) implies that this geopotential anomaly will not translate into large anomalies. Despite this, mercury will rise enough to Aemet activates various notices associated with extreme temperatures in much of the country between today and Thursday. The orange notices between today and Wednesday will be concentrated in areas of the center and southwest peninsular: Valleles del Tajo, Guadiana and Guadalquivir, especially. On Thursday, extreme heat will also affect the East, with part of the Ebro Valley, La Mancha Albacete and the interior of some Mediterranean provinces under orange warning. High maximums and tropical nights. The agency’s prediction For these days they talk about temperatures that “will exceed 38-40 (Grada) in large areas of the southern half of the Atlantic aspect” tomorrow Wednesday, with areas of the Guadalquivir Valley, being able to exceed 42º. The forecasts for Thursday will be somewhat less extreme, although the 35º will be exceeded in most of the southern half and in the northern plateau. As if this were not enough, the minimums will also remain high: large areas of the south and the Mediterranean basin will see how mercury does not fall from the 20º. Again the Guadalquivir Valley would be the most affected Peninsula area: the minimum could stay here above 25º, that is, we could see the return of the “Equatorial nights” Change of trend. For now, the dorsals have alternated with tormentous episodes driven by vaguadas, danas or other phenomena associated with a low pressures zone. This week the pattern will be repeated with a thermal relief that will arrive on Friday, accompanied, yes, storms that already concern some experts. In Xataka | The hydrological bonanza could not be eternal: drought is a real threat after an extremely warm, and also dry June Image | ECMWF

The countries with the most immigrant population in the world, exposed on this map

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The number of migrants has not stopped growing in the last 50 years. Since many countries They opened their doors to immigrationinternational migratory flow has not stopped intensifying. In fact, some of those countries, such as the United States, They could not explain without immigrationbut in recent years, economic, labor, war and even climatic issues have caused the number of migrants to exploit. And it is something that is perfectly reflected in the following maps. Immigration map in 2025. On the upper map, prepared by Visual Capitalist With the last data United Nations Migration Reportwe can see the 20 countries with a greater proportion of international migrants until 2024. A migrant is defined as someone who lives in a country other than his birth for at least 12 months, regardless of reason. And what we can see is that Qatar, United Arab Emirates or Monaco are countries in which more than 70% of its population are international migrants. Around 50%, we have both European countries (Liechtenstein, Andorra or Luxembourg) and the Middle East (Kuwait, Baréin or Jordan) and Singapore. Trend. Beyond this map, there are other resources to understand the Magnitude of these migratory movements In recent years. One of them is provided by the United Nations report itself, a graph in which we can see the evolution of the number of migrants in the last 25 years. Of the 150 million of 1990, where there was already an upward trend, we went to 304 million in 2024. Distribution. The region that hosted the most migrants during the past year was Oceania, with 21.5%, followed by North America with 15.9%, Europe with 12.6%, North Africa and the Middle East with 9.3%, Latin America with 2.6%, sub -Saharan Africa with 2%, this of Asia with 1%and south of Asia with just 0.9%. It is very clear what are the regions that welcome those migrants. And another interesting resource to see those migratory movements in the last 25 years is this interactive map in which we can see the total number of immigrants from 1990 to 2024. International runners. Putting the cursor over Mexico, we observed 4.49 million people who migrated in 1990, less than half of the more than 11 million people who left the country last year looking for something better. And, of course, these people go somewhere, there are favorite destinations for cultural reasons, of language or, simply, close. These movements are summarized in the ‘runners’, and the Next graphic It allows us to take an eye on those favorite international corridors. An example, the clearest, is that of Mexico and its almost 11 million inhabitants going to the United States. Others are 3.5 million Indians going to the United Arab Emirates, another 2.8 million traveling to the United States and another 2.5 million moving to Saudi Arabia. Chance. Immigration is an opportunity for those people looking for something better, but also for the countries themselves. For example, thanks to this immigration there are countries that seek to improve their demographic situation. The case of Europe is clear, with countries that They do not approach the replacement rate and others that, thanks to immigrants, The pension system is strengthened. And then there is Japan. It is no longer that they look for that Demographic salvationbut They need labor. They do not find it in the country due, among other things, population agingand that’s why they trust and give You help whoever wants to start a new life In the country. And need. And, obviously, that immigration is the exit for situations that, unfortunately, are becoming more frequent worldwide. From the beginning of the Russian invasion, eight million Ukrainians moved internally due to the crisis, but others six million They became refugees. In Palestine, se esteem that almost six million people are refugees. In total, according to estimatesin 2024 there were more than 123 million people displaced by force around the world. Of these, 42 million were refugees and another 73 million moved internally. In Xataka | Thousands of Americans want to flee from the country because of the political climate. And they have a preferential destination: Spain

The size of the submerged economy of all countries in the world, exposed in this developer map

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It is said that, each one does what they want with their money, but in the future there is the question of whether each one You can pay as you want. Cash is still a important part of day -to -day paymentswhat has generated an unequal career in half the world and a problem: the submerged economy, which in many countries is a good percentage of GDP. And on this map prepared by Visual Capitalist It is perfectly reflected, although we must bear in mind that the percentages … they deceive. In the shadow. There are countries that have A crusade against cashand that is why you are promoting payment in digital and tools such as Digital euro. The map is based on the Global Report of Economy in the 2025 shadow of Ernst & Young and reflects which part of the GDP of each country escaped to fiscal control in 2023. Complicated. While this informal economy represents a significant loss of tax revenues for governments, it is really complicated to obtain an exact figure. That is because they are all those economic activities that are not declared and, therefore, regulated. For example, payments without invoice to avoid VAT, but also not declared and without contract, Rentals without contract or something that seems as innocent as some private classes in which no invoice is issued. Depending on the study, percentages of GDP by country or others are handled, but there is something that does not usually vary, and it is the difference between hemispheres. North. Worldwide, it is estimated that the submerged economy is equivalent to 11.8% of GDP and, although there are exceptions, there is a clear line that divides the world into north and south if we get carried away by that percentage of GDP that would correspond to money from the submerged economy. In Europe, countries such as Poland, Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece have higher levels of submerged economy. Countries like Greece, Romania or Ukraine raise the average, and in others as Albania we talk about more than 27% of its economy belonging to the submerged economy. Canada and the United States remain at 4.5% and 5% respectively, Saudi Arabia has 5.2%, Japan 6.7%, Mexico 18% and in Central America we see that the level of submerged economy is increasing. South. Australia with 5.7% is one of the exceptions of countries in the southern hemisphere with a submerged economy contained, since in most of the rest, the percentage is overwhelming. Latin America It has a high level of submerged economy, but nothing is left if we compare it with what we see in Africa and some Asian countries. Africa takes the palm and it is estimated that, if Sierra Leone had a GDP of 6,400 million dollars in 2023, it had another 4.1 billion dollars, or 64.5% compared to GDP, in submerged economy. It is not an isolated case, since Nigeria, Ethiopia or Burundi are also cases in which the submerged economy is 50% or more of its GDP. And Asia. In Asia, the film is not so dramatic, but it is also not the region with the more transparent economy. India submerged would be comparable to 26% of its GDP, in Iran and Iraq it is similar, in Nepal it rises to 51% and then we have the case of China with 20%. It is not much if we compare it with the rest of the territory, but taking into account the amount of population that hasWe talk about important quantities. The same happens in Indiawith 26% that is much less than what is seen in many African countries, but that in total numbers, is much more. The percentages deceive. Because here there is something to take into account, 64.5% of Sierra Leone GDP has nothing to do with 5% of the United States. The higher an economy, although the percentage of submerged economy is lower, the total will be astronomical. In This other graph It can be seen perfectly, since that 20% of China translates into a total of 3.3 billion euros and the United States, with that “scarce” 5% submerged economy, translates into the largest economy in the shadow of the planet with 1.3 billion euros. Cash safety. As we said, there are countries trying Face this economy In the shadow. Portugal, for example, has converted invoices into lottery ticketsbecause not all activities that are not declared are illegal and the objective is that there are higher tax revenues. Paying with a card or digital media seems to the solution and, although it raises doubts about its operation without internet or electricity, the recent April blackout showed that There were TPV terminals prepared for it And that the future digital euro … It is too. If it arrives one day. In Xataka | The sudden enthusiasm for a society without cash or physical portfolio: the geek and the accommodation, a drama for the poor

This map distributes the “heart” of Europe over the Iberian Peninsula. And reveals the key to the success of the region

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Maps are useful, fascinating and sometimes almost almost An art form. However, they do not always allow us to understand real dimensions and distances well. Especially when we talk about broad territories. A map published in Urbanity.one (and shared by Madrid projects) With a peculiar approach: its author has taken some of the main cities of Central Europe, the metropolis of the one known as “Blue Banana”and has distributed them on a plane of the Iberian Peninsula respecting The real distances. The result reminds us of two things. The first, the considerable size That has Spain. The second, how close the cities of Central Europe, a crucial factor to understand the history and economic development of the region. As a picture is worth more than a thousand words, at the end of the 1980s the Geographer Roger Brunet decided to invent A visual metaphor to refer to the most populous and urbanized region in Europe. He called her The “Blue Banana”. Maybe it sounds strange, but it makes enough sense when a map is taken. If the cities of the European industrial axis are connected, covering from England to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and northern Italy, that is: the drawing of A huge banana Located more or less between Manchester, Munich, Zurich and Rome. How big is that “Banana” imaginary? The first response to mind is obvious: very much, right? In Madrid it projects They have shared However, a map that helps to understand that this abstract axis is actually much smaller than what intuition suggests. At least if we compare it with Spain. The reason is very simple. Its author has selected the metropolis that are distributed by that theoretical axis that structures Europe Central and has arranged them on a map of the Iberian Peninsula respecting the real distances between them. The result It shows that Cambridge would be more or less where Vigo is, Rotterdam would stay up to Valladolid, Bremen in Pamplona, ​​Stuttgart almost where Alicante is and Paris would more or less occupy the place of Badajoz. In the center of the Peninsula, in Madrid, it would be located (kilometer up, kilometer down) Düsseldorf and the Barcelona space would occupy by Linz, an Austrian city. The cast may be striking, but it arrives with pulling Google Maps and its measurement tool for Check the distances. Between London and Paris there are about 340 km in a straight line, just under those that separate Madrid and Granada. If we pull a straight line from Rome to Munich would measure approximately 700 kilometers, a little less than Barcelona to Córdoba. Comparisons are interesting for several reasons. The main one is that they remind us The great size of Spain. The Iberian Peninsula measures just over 583,000 km2 and Spain occupies approximately 505,000taking into account the 12,500 km2 of island surface. That makes our country one of the most extensive of the community club, together with France and Sweden and Germany. A wide disposition of land is both an opportunity and a challenge in aspects as a distribution of the population or provision of services. The other great conclusion left by the map Shared by Madrid projects It is the close thing that are actually the Central European metropolis and their main industrial poles, population centers and strategic axes of political decision -making, a proximity that has influenced the development and integration of Europe. Images | Urbanity.one and Madrid projects (x) In Xataka | The demographic debacle in Europe, exposed on this map with a misleading guest: Monaco

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