record

Renfe has had a record summer of delays, and more than two million AVE travelers have run out of refund for changes

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Summer has been hard for rail transport in Spain. Four out of ten high speed trains They arrived late at their destinationbut only three out of 100 passengers were able to claim some kind of compensation, according to The world. The data comes after hardening Refund conditions of Renfe in 2024, the main reason why the figures contrast both with the data prior to the reform. Change of conditions. In July 2024, Renfe reformed Its ‘punctuality commitment’, multiplying the minimum delay time necessary to claim half of the ticket. If 15 minutes were enough to get 50% of the amount, now a full hour is needed. For total refund, the threshold went from 30 minutes to an hour and a half. The company justified this tightening as an “update” to continue being “the most advantageous for the traveler”, as the medium collects. Summer figures. As They point From the world, between June and August, 6,554 long -distance trains and AVE arrived with delays exceeding 15 minutes, affecting 2.5 million passengers. However, with the new rules, only 444,000 travelers were entitled to compensation. This means that more than 2 million users who would have received a refund with the previous criteria were left without it. This, according to the medium, would mean a saving of about 79 million euros only in these three months. Context. The reform is covered in the European Parliament Regulation of 2021, although at that time, Renfe offered much more generous compensations than the minimum required by European regulations. And while the EU forces to compensate with 25% of the ticket after 60 minutes late, the Spanish operator gave 50% with only 15 minutes. Now he has hardened his measures just when more delays are recorded. Problems that follow there. Minister Óscar Puente acknowledged in September that the rail system will continue to have incidents “at least two more years”, according to collect The world. The problems range from Fissures in Talgo S106 trains (which forced to withdraw the low cost services from AVLO on the Madrid-Barcelona route) up to infrastructure deficiencies caused by fireaccording to the medium. The alternative to service, the conventional bird, costs up to 34% more than the economic option eliminated. What comes now? Bridge has traveled to Germany To look for new trains in factories such as Siemens, recognizing that without renewing the fleet it will be impossible to improve the service, as collect The world. “We must not launch the bells on the fly, but if we do not renew the fleet, it is evident that we will not be able to improve in any case the service we are providing to the citizenship,” admits bridge. And in addition to having been a summer to forget in terms of ferroviar delays, it has also agreed that reimbursement conditions have also worsened. Cover image | Falk2 In Xataka | Renfe has a new and gigantic project in progress: a night train to connect Europe from this to west

Spain has become the great European garden orchard of tropical fruits. And that has led him to a peculiar record: that of the mango

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Europe likes exotic fruits. A lot. And that is encouraging an increasingly juicy business. Only between 2018 and 2022 the value of imports grew almost 20%which connects with a trend that goes back to at least The last decade. Spain He has managed to position himself In that upward market thanks to its fields of avocados, custards, maneuver or mangoes, a fruit of the latter that is preparing to A record harvest which promises to duplicate last year thanks to a lucky mixture of droughts, spring rain and business commitment. The news, yes, comes accompanied by some challenges. The field reinvents. It is nothing new. Nor exclusive from Spain. As the weather changes, tastes, demand in markets and crop profitability, the fields also change. In recent years we have seen how fruits that until recently had a relatively discreet (or almost null) weight on the peninsula have gained little by little hectares: it occurred with The pistachio, The avocado, The kiwi, The papaya… And it is also happening with the handle. Although Its origins They are in Southeast Asia, it did not reach the Canary Islands until well into the 18th century and its commercial cultivation began in Spain relatively a short time, the hoses have been opening little by little passage in the fields of Spain. Its exploitation is very recent, it began towards the 1970s in the Canary Islands and 1980 in the southeast peninsular, but now it is estimated that it covers near 6,044 hectares In the country, with a very localized crop. Looking at Axarquía and Granada. To prosper the mango demands certain weather conditions, such as a warm climate, well drained soils and especially the absence of frost. Hence its cultivation has prospered especially in the Malaga region of the Axarquía and the Tropical Costa. According to the data handled by the Ministry of Agriculture, of the 1,180 ha Cultivated in Spain in 2007, 950 concentrated in Andalusia and 230 in the Canary Islands. Today that figure is considerably higher, although both regions remain as large producing foci. A few days ago The country He pointed out that the hoses are already extended by 4,600 ha of the axarchy, which makes this Malaga region European epicenter of the cultivation, and 500 ha of the Costa Tropical, which also includes the coastal coast. The Canary Islands have a surface similar to that of Granada, the Valencian Community is around 25 hectares and the Region of Murcia approaches at 17. The mango has not only gained ground. Its farmers are organized and have promoted associations and brands to gain visibility. The best examples are the Tropical Association either Tropswhich has just promoted a new advertising campaign to promote the consumption of national mango in Spain. The harvest harvest. The most palpable result of that expansion will be seen this same campaign, when farmers hope to reach A production record In Andalusia. A few days ago the sector spoke about 35,000 tonsan interesting figure for several reasons. First because, although it is far (far away) from the millions of tons harvested every year in India, China or Thailand, Heavyweights From the mango internationally, it is a historical brand for Spain. Second, because would double the records last year. The record fact is not explained only by the increase in hectares dedicated to mango. At stake, another or even more relevant factor enters: the weather. The current harvest has been favored by the spring rains of Malaga and Granada and the fact that the drought of recent years gave the handles a respite. “The trees are rested for the low years of a lot of drought. They have recovered and that has facilitated this explosion,” José María López points outof the Tropical Association. “In addition, we have learned to better handle irrigation and pruning.” Why is it important? For several reasons. The most obvious is that, if confirmed, the between 30,000 and 35,000 tons will be A record For Spanish producers. The data also confirms The referential role From Spain in European production of exotic fruits, which is an opportunity for farmers in the country. “European imports of tropical or exotic have tripled in value and duplicate in volume in the last 10 years,” Remember From the Association of Avocados Producers in The newspaper. Financial Food Point out that in a matter of a decade (between 2014 and 2024) Spanish exports shot around 75% in volume and about 174% in terms of value, which would place our country as the main producer and third supplier of tropical fruit of the European Union. That potential explains that plots that until not long ago were dedicated to oranges or manecs are now oriented towards new crops, such as avocado. The collective calculates that only in 2023 the surface dedicated to that fleshy fruit in Spain grew by 7% until adding 23,953 hectares. Avacateros today They have overcome The 24,000 ha barrier. And as is the case with mango, its production is very localized, especially in Andalusia, although in recent years the crop It has grown too In the Valencian Community. Opportunities … and challenges. The mango gains ground, Spain is positioned as European reference of exotic fruits and farmers have achieved that important part From its cultivation it is allocated to the national market, but that does not mean that the sector does not face challenges. There are, as the farmers themselves recalled in early September, when They regretted that good production forecasts are accompanied by something less attractive: downward prices. According to the union of small farmers and ranchers (UPA) at the beginning of the campaign in the Malaga Axarquía and the Costa Tropical, the kilo was being paid to between 70 and 80 centsfar from the average of 1.5 euros last year. Result? Despite the best harvest they predicted a fall of € 12,600/ha with respect to last year’s campaign. The collective explains that a handle between 400 and 800 g can be paid to one euro, but … Read more

Billing record, dismissal avalanche

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The Spanish video game sector exceeded 2,400 million euros in turnover in 2024. A historical record that hides a bitter reality: mass layoffs, emblematic studies closures and the first sector strike in history. The panoramic. Spain is the third European market and one of the ten World Cups. More than 22 million people play 75 minutes average and revenues grew 3%. But the industry is fractured: multinationals with record benefits while national studies fall into chain. Between bambalins. The closure of Tequila Works and Novaramatwo of the most emblematic studies in Spain, has been only the tip of the iceberg. The list continues to grow every month. The pattern is repeated: foreign multinationals buy Spanish studies promising growth and stability, and then close or jibarize their templates when business priorities change. The backdrop. Pandemia created a bubble of unreal expectations. The consumption of video games shot 75% during confinement, and that attracted huge investments that expected perpetual growth. But when the world returned to normal, the demand stabilized. By then, business structures had grown excessively. Investors have retired almost 20% in the last two years and large technological ones have responded with mass dismissals: Xbox and PlayStation They accumulate thousands of layoffs this year. Electronic Arts, a almost 700. Globally, more than 14,000 Workers lost their employment in 2024. In 2025 the account continues. Yes, but. The sector continues to generate opportunities. Scopely has opened a HUB In Barcelona With 700 employees. Electronic Arts announced last year The creation of 600 positions in Madrid. The most agile small studies find profitable niches. But these exceptions do not compensate the general bleeding: More than half of Spanish studies invoice less than 200,000 euros per year. The threat. The AI ​​looms over the sector. King used his own workers to create an AI tool that designs levels, as they said The countryand now that same tool replaces them. Microsoft has made it clear that AI will be its “new great mission”, justifying 9,000 layoffs despite achieving record benefits. The workers from Asian countries charge half that Europeans. IA tools promise to reduce development costs by 40%. Investment funds require immediate profitability, not long -term creative projects. What is being said. “It is a crisis with capital letters,” acknowledges the Spanish Association of Developing Companies in a report of eldiario.es. The CSVI union It is more direct: “Our main work is now to accompany in all you are that are being produced.” Workers denounce a systematic pattern of “buying, squeezeing and throwing” by multinationals. The industry claims tax incentives similar to those of the audiovisual sector, which in other European countries reach 30%. Without them, they warn, Spain will lose competitiveness against France, Germany or the United Kingdom, which are already attracting investments with better conditions. Decisive moment. The Spanish video game industry is located at a crossroads. Or it reinvents itself with a more sustainable model that protects local talent and creativity, or will be reduced by cheap labor for multinationals that can close the tap at any time. In Xataka | There are Spanish studies of authentic guerrillas programming games for nes: ‘Malasombra’ is the last example Outstanding image | King

The hoteliers promised them happy in a summer of record tourism. Until the ghost reserves arrived

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During the summer the restaurants receive Anything else What tourists, reserves and customers eager for a meal that puts the perfect icing on your vacation. In addition to all that they receive seedlings. For a long time and for the despair of the hoteliers it is common for the high season to increase the ‘Ghost reservations’a phenomenon that is carrying the business economy and has already forced them to Adopt measures. After all, it directly affects its profitability. Ghost reservations? Yes. Maybe it sounds weird, but they are nothing new and certainly have little mysterious for hoteliers, their great victims. The ‘ghost reservations’ are reservations Fallutas that leave a hole in the dining rooms (and the accounts) of the restaurants: a client calls, reserve table for two, three, four diners (may even more) and then it does not appear. Not just that. Nor does it call in advance to warn, so that the business only has the option of filling your hole with another client, something that is not always possible. The Anglo -Saxons call it ‘No-Shows’ and against what may seem affect All kinds of premises: From taverns to Michelin star restaurants, in which those vacancies can translate into a hole in hundreds of euros. It happens frequently? Depends. If we talk about socks and take as a reference the whole sector and the year is not a especially serious problem. At least so shows the Thefork platform, which recently elaborated A study about “ghost reserves”. According to their records, between January and July there was not a single month in which No-Shows They were more than 3.4% of the total reservations. It is a low fact and also reveals a slight descent with respect to last year. If we ask certain hoteliers, the thing changes. A few days ago The voice of Galicia interviewed to the owners of a marswish from Santiago de Compostela who claimed to be receiving “more plants than ever.” And it is not the only business that complains. Another hospitaler of the city speaks of up to six No-Shows A day. In Segovia there are also professionals who They lament of customers who leave them lying without giving explanations (or with pilgrim justifications) after commissioning roasts and the newspaper Minorca It echoed In August of the discomfort of some businesses on the island. “It is a problem, almost in each shift there are cancellations. You are called and they tell you that they are on the beach or that they have left elsewhere and decide to stay,” Antoni Sansaloni, representative of the Menorcan Sector Association, censorship. Is there more data? Yes. Thefork wanted to scratch a little to know details of the phenomenon, which has given us Two interesting perspectives: The first is its geographical distribution; The second, its causes. According to their data, the province most harmed by No-Shows It is Segovia, where they are 5% of the total reservations. They are followed by Menorca and Ibiza, with 4.2% and 4% respectively. In the opposite pole are Biscay (2.5%), A Coruña and Murcia, where the percentage remains at 2.7%. As for the causes, Thefork Point out Basically three. 55% of respondents say they do not appear to reservations for disasters and forgetfulness. 38% argue that if they have left hanging restaurants it has been for “unforeseen” that have also prevented them from warning. And 7% allege that they don’t call to cancel reservations for “shame.” Hoteliers have a somewhat different perspective and They warn that there are customers who reserve in several restaurants simultaneously. Are they a serious problem? The platform calculates that it carries losses that can go Between 5 and 20%depending on the type of business. “The problem is that they make you a roast reserve, that you have to prepare the pig, and that remains in the kitchen,” comment to The advance From a Segovian grill. “It affects us little, but when they make us a big reserve and fail, they destroy us,” agrees Another professional. The complaint is extensible to restaurants with Michelin stars that also They have been found With large groups that do not present or cancel the reservation, “a task” for those responsible, who usually work with closed menus and buy fresh product based on scheduled services. If a customer does not present the business does not recover the investment. Does summer influence? Yes. It is easily confirmed with a quick search on Google. Hoteliers who complain about No-Shwos They usually point out also that the problem is aggravated during the high season, coinciding with the increase in tourism. It is not surprising if one takes into account that restaurants reserves in general. “The rest of the year does not usually happen. The people here are usually always going to the reservation,” Explain A place in Santiago de Compostela. From Segovia Apostillan Also that ghost reserves are noticed above all on weekends “more pointers”, in which they receive especially visitors from the capital. “We are the dining room of Madrid and these issues are accentuated above all on weekends or the bridges in which many people come.” “During the summer months, reserves in the restaurants in tourist areas increase considerably due to the presence of travelers, both national and international. As a result, in this period the non-shows grow exponentially,” They corroborate From the Thefork platform. And can it be avoided? If not to eradicate it to 100%, the sector has moved file to reduce at least the impact of ghost reserves on their businesses. It is increasingly frequent to meet restaurants requesting a card number such as guarantee or deposits or directly do not accept reservations. Thefork herself decided Some time ago Take letters in the matter and expel those users who accumulate a number of frustrated reserves throughout the year, a measure that adds to those that had already been applying before, such as prohibiting multi reservations for the same day. Perhaps the best known case of a ghost reserve that came to … Read more

Nvidia has become hostage of her own success. His record numbers know little when the world expects miracles

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Nvidia has presented her Results of the second fiscal quarter. Technically beat all forecasts: Adjusted benefits of $ 1.05 per share compared to the 1.01 expected. Revenues of 46,740 million dollars against the projected 46,230 million. The company has also projected income of 54,000 million for the current quarter, slightly above the consensus of 53.4 billion. Why is it important. These seemingly solid numbers have not been enough for a market that has turned Nvidia into the fire test definitive of boom of the AI. The action has fallen 3% in the operations after closing, a reaction that reveals to what extent the expectations about the most valuable company in the world – with 4.4 billion capitalization – have reached almost impossible levels of satisfying. China’s problem. The great shadow on the results has been the total absence of sales of the H20 chip To China during the quarter. Nvidia has not included any sales forecast to China in its guide for the third quarter, despite the fact that the financial director, Colette Kress, has mentioned that they have between 2,000 and 5,000 million dollars in ready -to -send orders to send if geopolitical issues are resolved. The company is waiting for the Trump administration to clarify the regulations on the 15% cut they want to impose to Chips sales to China. Jensen Huang has been unusually direct during the Call with analysts: “The Chinese market estimates that represents about 50,000 million dollars of opportunity for us this year.” He added that half of the world’s researchers are in China … And that it is “quite important” that American technology companies can access that market. Between the lines. Huang’s frustration with the geopolitical situation is palpable. His comment that “we just have to continue advocating” before the Trump administration makes us glimpse a more tense negotiation than the official statements say. The CEO has suggested that they are working in a modified version of their Blackwell chips for China, with reduced performance, indicating that Nvidia is willing to make weight concessions so as not to lose that market. Striking in a company Today as powerful as Nvidia. Data centers disappoint. The data centers segment, which represents 88% of total income, has generated 41,1 billion dollars, slightly below the expected 41,290 million. It is the second consecutive trimester that this important segment does not reach expectations, a worrying signal when large technological ones such as goal, Google and Microsoft are investing tens of billions each quarter in AI infrastructure. “Everything is sold”. Huang has said during the call that “everything is sold”, referring so much to the Hopper chips current as the new Blackwell. Has added that the production of Blackwell Ultra It is “progressing at full speed” and that demand is “extraordinary.” However, these statements contrast with the fact that the income growth of 56% year -on -year is the slowest in nine consecutive quarters of growth greater than 50%. Growing pressure. The market reaction tells an uncomfortable truth: Nvidia has become hostage of its own success. With a weight of 7.5% in the S&P 500 – 3% in December -, Any stumbling block has the potential to drag the entire market. An important Nvidia failure would be a detonation for half -world bags. The contrast. Huang has promised that AI infrastructure spending will reach between 3 and 4 billion dollars for the end of the decade, but the immediate reality is that NVIDIA cannot freely access the second largest computer market in the world. The repurchase of 60,000 million dollars in shares approved by the Council – one of the largest in American business history – seems more an attempt to sustain the price of the action than a real confidence signal in the future without regulatory mosquadillas. In Xataka | Deepseek has suggested that Nvidia chips no longer needs. We believe to know who is buying them Outstanding image | Nvidia

The record that brings aviation to the stratosphere

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On the Alps of Valais, in a clear summer sky, a white plane advanced slowly, almost silent. He wore turbines or burned chest: it only depended on sunlight. In the cabin, the Swiss driver Raphaël Domjan faced a challenge that a few years ago seemed unattainable: demonstrating that aviation can also gain height without spending a single drop of fossil fuel. On August 12, the Solarstrates project reached 9,521 meters altitude After taking off from Zion. This exceeded the world flight record on a solar plane, which since 2010 held the lot promoted with 9,235 meters, which turned the world between 2015 and 2016, As France remembered 24. Five hours to make history. The ascent lasted five hours and nine minutes, carefully planned for the plane to take off with 100% charged batteries with solar energy. During the journey, they even crossed with a passenger plane, a moment that the team described as the most powerful image of what could be aviation of the future, As Berner Zeitung said. HB-SXA SOLARS It is an ultralight biplaza carbon fiber, with wings covered with high -performance solar panels. It weighs just 450 kilos and does not have pressurized cabin, which forced domjja to bring oxygen on board, According to France 24. Its benefits are modest – dispensing at low speed and does not exceed 140 km/h – but its design allows you to reach heights reserved so far to conventional aviation. Not a drop of kerosene. Beyond the figures, Domjan’s goal is to demonstrate that a clean aviation is possible. “My goal is to show today’s generations and tomorrow that it will still be possible to fly without fossil fuels,” declared CBS. The pilot himself is no stranger to pioneer adventures. In 2012, he completed the first return to the world on a ship driven only by solar energy, The planetsolara futuristic catamaran who showed that the sea could also arise without fossil fuels, Berner Zeitung recalled. That journey, which lasted more than a year and a half and left Monaco, made him an international reference of clean mobility. A record still to validate. The International Aeronautical Federation (FAI) must confirm the record by reviewing the altitude data, which are certified according to the pressure and air density, France remembered 24. The organization is reviewing the flight data according to its standards. SOLARSTRATS The eyes set in the stratosphere. The record flight is not the end, but one more step towards a larger goal: to exceed 10,000 meters, the cruise altitude of commercial airplanes, and then reach the stratosphere, which in Switzerland begins around 12,000 meters. The road has been full of attempts and learning. On July 31, soarstrats reached 6,589 meters; Days later he reached 8,224, although he had to interrupt the ascent due to lack of thermal currents, According to Techxplore. “Being a pioneer means trying something without having the certainty that it will work out,” Summarized Domjjan in statements to the AFP agency collected by RTL. Epilogue. Although the official validation still remains, the image of a small solar plane flying next to a commercial plane is already recorded as a symbol of the transition to a clean aviation. Since the Swiss Alps, the suns has not only beaten a record: it has opened a door to a future in which the unthinkable begins to fly with sun energy. Image | SOLARSTRATS Xataka | The renewable boom clashes with the invisible wall: Spain has more green energy than ever but the system does not endure it

Polestar has broken a record of autonomy in electric cars circulating more than 900 kilometers. Obviously there is a trick

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935.4 kilometers without recharging the battery. That is the record that has achieved a Polestar 3 conventional – in its version of a single engine – thus demonstrating that it is possible to make very long trips without going through a recharge point. The secret is from the record is obvious, yes. Superdespace. For achieve all those kilometers The technique was simple: go very slowly. In fact, the average speed was less than 40 km/h, and took no less than 22 hours and 57 minutes to complete the task. The publicized autonomy by Polestar for this model in its unique motor version is 706 km, so here they managed to lengthen it 32.5%. Three professional drivers. The tests were performed in the United Kingdom, where three drivers specialized in efficient driving were turned to achieve that milestone. The final consumption reached was 12.1 kWh per 100 km, which represents a saving of about 40% compared to conventional driving. Without tricks. This Polestar 3 achieved that autonomy without using special equipment: both the car and the wheels were the same as one obtains When you get the concessionaire car. However, it is possible to go further if some modifications are made. If you also have the car, you can go even further. A few days ago Chevrolet modified A WT Silverado truck and put a huge 205 kWh battery (the Polastar 3 is 111 kWh). They also placed old wheels with overpressure and 40 drivers turned to drive it around Detroit. They managed to travel 1,704 km with a single load, and as in the case of Polestar 3 the average speed did not exceed 40 km/h. The consumption on that journey was 12.7 kWh at 100 km, an equally remarkable figure in which yes, influenced that they had the air conditioning without working for almost the entire route. Baja is also worth it. In July a Lucid Air Grand Touring He got his particular Guinnes record When traveling 1,205 kilometers with a unique load. The car has a battery with the same capacity as that of the Polestar 3 (111 kWh), and toured the distance between St. Moritz and Munich. Although the car was a conventional model, the lucid benefited from both efficient driving and the energy regeneration system in braking and slopes: that route was full of them, but it was also descending mostly. The key is not the battery, they are the consumption. Although obviously the battery capacity influences the autonomy of electric cars, further influences the consumption of each model. The Mercedes Vision EQXX for example achieved a record prior to the Tour 1,010 km without recharging at 79.4 km/h on average… and another 392 kilometers had left in those conditions. The secret is that this approval model 7.4 kWh consumption at 100 km, while for example a tesla 3 rear -wheel drive homologous 13.2 kWh at 100 km. Aerodynamics helps, but if things are added to consumption as an efficient driving and low speed, those figures rise significantly. Absurd records. Although all these records are striking, they are also a marketing exercise for companies that logically try the same thing: that they talk (well) of them. Here we have messages that are also even absurd: going at 40 km/h for 23 hours has its reward in this case, but in real life it would be absolute torture. The practical uselessness of these records – not only that of Polestar – is the same as the one who tells us about how The Xiaomi Su7 beat all its competitors In Nürburgring last year: none of us are going to those speeds or drive in those circuits, but speed records are always striking. Putting these vehicles to the limit is fine, but it is important to contemplate these records with perspective. Image | Polestar In Xataka | In 2017 Norway, it was proposed that 100% of the cars sold in 2025 were electric. Is about to get it

British record looking for VPN

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The United Kingdom launched this Friday Its online Safety Act, a new regulation that forces various platforms to establish age verification systems. The excuse is to protect minors from access to harmful content for them – especially pornographic – but the activation of these requirements has caused a unique consequence: an absolute boom of VPN services. Who has a VPN, has a treasure. And more and more. These VPN services (Virtual private networks) have just become the great allies of those who consume pornographic content in the United Kingdom, whether minors or not. It was demonstrated by the most unloaded applications rankings in the App Store this weekend: of the 10 most downloaded apps, five were VPNS apps (Virtual Private Networks). The use of VPN is multiplied by 19. Such has been the impact of these measures that Chatgpt, which was the most unloaded app in the United Kingdom according to the classifications of the App Store, has now been surpassed by Proton VPN, one of the most popular services of this type. As indicated In Financial Timesthe Swiss company Proton, responsible for that service, said that the increase in records in its VPN app by British users was 1,800%. Great Winners. Other VPNS apps such as those developed by the Super Unlimited or Nord Security companies also grew in popularity after the activation of the online Safety Act. In the case of Nordvpn, its developers told FT that growth in the United Kingdom had been 1,000%. Because. These services allow users to simulate that they are visiting websites from a different country when enrupted traffic using IPS from any country that the user chooses. A minor British user who wants to visit pornographic content has it easy: it is enough to use one of these apps, configure it to simulate that he is sailing from another country without age verification controls, and continue navigating as if such a thing. How the story has changed. The original purpose of VPN services is to protect communication to prevent someone from infiltrating it and can extract it. Although initially it was oriented to professional environments in which sensitive information is handled, today its use has become popular to prevent authorities from monitoring our use of the Internet. Thus, it is common for VPN users to use for discharges of author protected by author rights or pornographic content. Five minutes to skip the controls. Using these services was somewhat more complicated in the past, but today starting them costs less than five minutes: it is enough to download them, pay the monthly subscription and choose the country from which we want to simulate that we are connected. Everything is theoretically hidden from regulators’ eyes, but there are certain risks. VPNS can imprison our data. Years ago we had already notified that Many free VPNS They collected their own users’ data – to which they do access, since they are the intermediaries – in their own benefit, but even in the payment VPNs there are suspicions about it. Although many services presume “non -log policies that do not create records of our activity, some can do so. If not directly, yes by cross data, for example of use analyzes. In addition, these “Internet traffic stores” become dangerous repositories If they end up being hacked: the creators of a VPN service may be perfectly correct with the use of that data, but if someone infiltrates their platforms, that data would be exposed. A prelude to what can happen in Spain and the EU. The age verification systems that have now entered into force in the United Kingdom are Starting to be implemented Also in Spain and in the European Union. In our country the controversial “Pajorte” –Officially, Beta Digital– It has become one of the reference projects. The European Commission He is working in A European digital identity which should be ready at the end of 2026 and that theoretically can also be used as part of an age verification system on websites. Challenges and VPN in sight. As our Xatakamóvil colleagues, the Open Source app for Android that is being developed in the EU to verify the age in online services, It depends too much on Google: I would not work in mobiles with the Google operating system without a license – as in Huawei mobiles. Criticism They have already begun to appear, and show that once again that obsession for putting doors to the field is very delicate. Not only that: it will not help much because again the VPNs probably allow to avoid this type of controls. VPNS rubbing his hands. With governments increasingly determined to try to control everything we say and do on the Internet, VPN services become the great indirect beneficiaries of these policies. If things follow this course, it seems clear that more and more users will end up hiring this type of services to try to avoid those controls. Hello, China. The situation is such that remember which has been lived in China for years. There the surveillance and censorship imposed by the Government It is absolutely brutal at the time of Navigate onlineand it is only possible to escape from it through VPN services, which are also highly restricted and persecuted. The risk for Western countries, which until not long presumed not to have such restrictive policies, end up adapting them. They have been doing it for years, in fact: before the excuse was terrorism, and now it is the protection of minors. Image | Petter Lagson In Xataka | Europe has approved that digital identity will be voluntary: we already know that in practice it will be mandatory

China built the largest high speed network in record time. Now you want something more difficult: improve it

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China has already shown that you can do what no other country has achieved: display in record time The largest high speed network on the planet. But it is not enough to have it. The new challenge is even more complex: to improve it, make it more efficient, more connected, more useful for the economy. And that demands less colorful, but equally ambitious decisions. To grow quickly to grow well. Between 2021 and 2024, China added 10,000 Kilometers of track to your high speed network. The figure impresses, but it is no longer what defines success. The Ministry of Transportation has made it clear that the current objective is not to extend the railway map without pause, but to squeeze its potential. In fact, The country has set As a goal to reach 50,000 operating kilometers before the end of 2025. The network adds 48,000 kilometers, more than 70 % of the world total, and connects 97 % of cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants. Millions of travelers, but there is still a margin of improvement. Only in the first half of 2025, Chinese high -speed trains They transported 2,240 million people. The figure impresses, but the authorities are not formed. The objective now is to make this system more comfortable, more predictable and better coordinated with the rest of the transport ecosystem, from the urban metro to airports. High speed yes, but also logistics. China wants its high -speed trains to cease to be just a solution for travelers. The new approach includes routes adapted to the transport of goods, interconnections with airports and sea nodes, and improvements to integrate the system into the production chain. What is at stake is no longer only mobility, but the country’s competitiveness. Beyond traditional rails. While the current network is kept, China develops new generations of trains, such as magnetic levitation. These advances do not seek to replace what is built, but prepare for a future where speed, autonomy and sustainability are key. The country has already tried prototypes that reach 600 km/h In cities like Qingdao. Figures that impress. Security that holds. Moving millions every day with punctuality is an achievement. Doing it without major incidents, for years, it is even more. China has built a network that not only runs quickly, but aims to resist earthquakes, storms and overloads. According to Xinhuasince 2012 no serious accident has been registered in the high speed network. Centralized planning. Faced with chronic delays that affect many countries, China has maintained a clear strategy: centralized decisions, sustained investment and state control of the process. It is not a perfect model – there are errors, cost overruns and debatable decisions. But its results in deployment and integration are difficult to ignore. A mature network, a major challenge. As we have seen, the Asian giant continues to expand its network, especially towards interior and less connected regions. However, it is no longer just about adding cities to the map. The real challenge is another: to ensure that a gigantic infrastructure works better and better, with less margin of error and more logistics demands. The stage of the big deployments is giving way to the stage of precision. Images | N509FZ (Wikimedia Commons – CC by-SA 4.0) | N509FZ In Xataka | China has not only created the world’s broader high -speed network: it wants to operate it at 1,000 km/Hy has taken a new step

The last public employment offer leaves a revealing fact after years of record figures: Spain needs more officials

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In recent years, the Pedro Sánchez government has promoted public employment calls that have broken historical figures for the number of public employment places. However, the new Public Employment Offer (OPE) for 2025 that has just known a turning point marks. Although it will have 36,588 new places, this figure represents a reduction with respect to the previous calls, and shows a worrying reality: the lack of personnel in the administration. New call 2025. The New Public Employment Offer presented by the Executive contemplates a total of 36,588 places, which represents a decrease of 9% with respect to the 2024 offer that was 40,146 places. Specifically, the number of places corresponding to the General State Administration is reduced mainly, which this year adds 26,889 positions, that is, 4,500 less than the previous year. This marks a change of trend against the years in which the calls carried the label of “historical” for its volume of places. The Independent Trade Union and Officials (CSIF) summarize it Clearly: “The places are insufficient to cover the losses accumulated in the administration of the State in recent years”, in addition to the majority union of the officials, they slide that the absence of new budgets and the freezing of funds of the European Union are already noticed in this call. Distribution by bodies and lack of personnel. Among the bodies that will be reinforced their workforce are the State Security Forces and Bodies. According to official data, the National Police Corps will have 3,139 new places, 300 more than the previous year, while the Civil Guard will add 555, reaching a total of 3,713 new places. The army too It will increase its template In 2025, with the incorporation of 2,847 new troops, 200 more than in the previous year. For its part, the Central Administration will have 20,324 new free access places, which will add 6,565 internal promotion places, which must be covered with part of the new 20,324. In that quota, 8,851 places of new allocation are also included to strengthen citizen service services in the offices of the SEPE, foreigners, cadastre, issuance of the DNI, DGT, Social Security or Tax Agency. The challenge of the generational relief. Since the current government arrived at La Moncloa, he says have summoned 260,000 public employment places. As Minister Óscar López highlighted in the presentation of the OPE by 2025, this leaves an average of 32,522 annual public places. Even with that effort, the reality is that the structural needs of employment in the public sector continue to be effective. As reflected in the EPA data (Active Population Survey) of the first quarter of 2025, for the first time since 2018, public employment registers a decrease of 51,900 people in its template. Thus, although the calls try to compensate for accumulated casualties, the balance is still negative. One of the main challenges facing the administration is to absorb the Retirements planned for the next decade. According to collected data In the study on the aging of the templates in the General State Administration 2024, 59.95% of the staff of the General State Administration is over 55 years old. This aging forces the administration to Compensate retirement that each year occur, with new additions. In 2023, for example, the number of retirement was 10,758 officials, while only 8,770 new officials were incorporated to cover those places, leaving a deficit of 1,988 positions that were not covered that year. Below the average public employment in the OECD. Internationally, the data does not accompany. According to the report ‘Government at A Glance 2025’ Of the OECD, Spanish public employment represented in 2023 15.25% of the total active population, below the average of 18.41% of the OECD countries. In addition, despite the increase in the number of places, the Public Employment Growth It has been developed at the same rate as private employment, without equating the boom that other countries have applied to balance essential public services. In Xataka | The easiest oppositions to approve in Spain following three criteria: by agenda, for places and for requirements Image | Flickr (Treball Generalitat de Catalunya

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