selling

Nobody wants to take up weapons, but they are making money selling them

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Europe has accelerated your spending in defense up to levels that had not been seen since the end of the Cold War, driven by conflicts on its borders and a growing strategic uncertainty. The reflection has been a global arms market that is experiencing one of its more expansive cycles in decades, with long-term contracts and industrial chains that work at full capacity. In this context of rearmament and international repositioning, some countries face to a reality that goes beyond the numbers. For example, Spain. An industry that shoots record numbers. They counted this week in Spanish that, at the end of 2024 (last year for which official data is available), the Spanish defense industry touched 7,000 million of euros in exports, 10.6% more than the previous year, consolidating a model in which almost 70% of the sector’s sales depend on the foreign market. Three large companies (Airbus, Indra and Navantia) concentrate more than 70% of international business, and if Rheinmetall Expal and ITP Aero are added, five companies account for more than 80% of exports. According to the Ministry of Defense, the bulk comes from international programs such as the A400M or the Eurofighter, with the aeronautical subsector representing almost two-thirds of the total, while conventional weapons and missiles are growing strongly. Spain maintains ninth place in the world as an exporter, with 3% of the global marketand although it has lost positions compared to competitors such as Italy or Israel, its absolute numbers continue to increase. Ukraine as a showcase and accelerator. The war in Ukraine has been a catalyst. Since 2022, Spain has authorized more than 910 million euros in sales of defense material to kyiv, with a special weight of ammunition and projectiles, including more than 130,000 155 mm. Added to this are battle tanks, armored vehicles, missiles and direct donations that include everything from Harpoon systems to medicalized armored vehicles. Only in 2023 exports to Ukraine represented more than 150 millionand in the first half of 2024 they exceeded 130 million, increasing the relative weight of kyiv within the export group. In other words, Spain not only participates politically in the European effort, but has become a relevant supplier in a high-intensity conflict that consumes ammunition at an industrial rate. The paradox of the empty uniform. It we count this week. While the factories work at full capacity and the international contracts multiply, the interest of the Spanish population in joining the Armed Forces does not live his best moment. The social distance from the military profession, demographic aging and competition in the civilian labor market contrast with the strength of the defense industrial complex. Those 7 billion of euros summarize an uncomfortable reality in Spain: because there may be a lack of hands to take up weapons, but they are making money selling them to the rest of the planet. The country participates in fighters, produces radars, large-caliber ammunition or naval systems for third parties, while the internal debate revolves around vocations, working conditions and professional attractiveness. A model with recruitment on the other hand. The analysis of Defense in Spain indicates that the strength of the sector does not rest on the size of the national army, but rather on its integration into consortia Europeans and global supply chains. Ukraine, India, Saudi Arabia, France, the United States and Germany are among the main destinations for Spanish material, which shows a geographic diversification that cushions any internal fluctuation. The industry acts as a technological engine and generator of qualified employment, but also as an actor fully inserted in a global market that is experiencing a rebound sustained by conflicts and geopolitical tensions. Between industrial power and social debate. Spain thus finds itself facing a strategic duality. On the one hand, it consolidates its role as a relevant actor in world trade of weapons and strengthens its position in key international programs. On the other hand, face a domestic debate about the link between society and defense that is not resolved with accounting balances. The paradox is no small thing: a country that escalates million-dollar contracts abroad while dealing with the need to make more attractive the uniform at home. And in this tension between global market and national commitment is drawn one of the quietest dilemmas of Spanish defense policy. Image | Seko Photography In Xataka | Europe has asked its military experts how to become independent from the US for the next war. The answer is déjà vu: the F-35 In Xataka | Spain’s main problem is not weapons, fighters or drones: it is the number of hands it lacks to use them

Telefónica is already selling its minicenters to compete in the era of real time

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For years they have told us that the future of artificial intelligence lies inincreasingly larger data centersmore powerful and more demanding in energy consumption. And it’s true that computing muscle matters. But there is an equally determining factor that is talked about much less: distance. In the era of real time, it’s not just how much you process that matters, but where you do it. Every millisecond that data takes to travel can disrupt the ability to react instantly. This nuance, apparently technical, is beginning to become a strategic issue for Spanish companies. Telefónica’s bet. The company has activated the commercialization of its edge computing services for B2B clients in five Spanish cities, Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao and A Coruña, as part of a broader deployment that includes 17 nodes in this initial phase. This means that companies and administrations can now hire these processing and storage capacities close to the point where the data is generated. Closer data. Edge computing involves processing information where it is generated, rather than constantly sending it to distant data centers. As Microsoft explainsis about moving computing and storage capacity to peripheral network locations, such as factories, stores, offices or distributed infrastructures. In practice, local devices and servers analyze and filter data on site and only send what is relevant to central systems. The goal is to reduce latency, alleviate network traffic and enable real-time responses, complementing rather than replacing traditional cloud. The deployment. Telefónica’s Edge Plan plans to reach 17 nodes in this first phase throughout this year. According to the company, 12 infrastructures are already deployed: to the five with active B2B services, other nodes are added in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Valladolid, Terrassa and Mérida. This same year, the incorporation of Zaragoza, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gijón, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Santiago de Compostela is planned. Many of these facilities are located in old copper plants converted into Edge centers, adapted to availability and security requirements. Basic and Smart. Telefónica does not sell “edge” in the abstract, but rather two concrete ways of using it. The first is Basic Edge, a stable layer that brings computing capacity closer to the territory and focuses on data control and compliance with national, regional or local regulatory frameworks. Each node acts as an availability zone, allowing applications to be deployed with additional guarantees of continuity and resilience. The second is Smart Edge, which introduces dynamism: selection of the most appropriate node at all times, creation of instances on demand and operation with FTTH or 5G SA connectivity depending on the scenario. Beyond physical infrastructure. Telefónica integrates computing capacity with GPUs into its portfolio for artificial intelligence loads, available as a service and deployed in Edge nodes. This allows companies and institutions to run high-performance models without purchasing their own hardware and maintaining processing within the defined regional environment. The company also mentions the incorporation of RAG agents and capabilities to adapt models to specific contexts. Overall, the strategy seeks to bring AI closer to data under criteria of sovereignty and regulatory compliance. When the millisecond rules. An example helps to dimension the scope of this architecture. Telefónica developed with CAF a pilot that combines Edge and 5G Stand Alone for the railway sector, providing artificial vision solutions that process data close to the asset instead of depending on centralized infrastructure. According to the company, this approach avoids installing processing nodes in each car and keeps responsiveness at levels compatible with real-time operations. Images | Xataka with Gemini 3 Pro In Xataka | We had suspicions, but Sam Altman has confirmed it: AI is just an excuse to fire

He is selling you the same pick-up with three names and three different prices

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Chengdu is a city located in central China. It is not in the usual spotlight as Beijing, Shanghai or Chongqing usually claim, but we are talking about the capital of Sichuan, a value rewarded with its almost 21 million inhabitants accounted for in the metropolitan area. They count in Reuters that just a walk through the outskirts of the city offers an illuminating image of the state of the Chinese automobile market. In a wheel that spins at a devilish pace, the Chinese automotive industry is a hamster that runs at frenetic speed to reach a horizon that resists it, always just as close. Always the same distance. They explain in the news agency that dealerships on the outskirts of the city exhibit Audi cars with discounts of between 50 and 60%. Prices that can only be understood when you know that the company that makes them available to the public buys them wholesale, in enormous volumes, and then resells them at a much lower price than the official starting price. And, despite this, he takes advantage of them. It is one of the images that an automobile industry leaves us with a clear overproduction of models. The circadian rhythms of the Chinese automobile industry have long been raising some signs of concern about its health. The launch of new models and technologies in a brand like BYD and its continuous price reductions they make their own cars obsolete released just one or two years ago. The discontinuity of the Xiaomi SU7 before completing two years of his first deliveries is a good example of this. With this context, manufacturers have launched to sell cars outside their borders. In fact, the State itself has had to get firm with registrations outside of China to prevent these sales from giving a bad image of what is manufactured in the country. But these exports also have to fight with manufacturers that have been selling their cars outside their borders for years. And to guarantee sales, China has found a very simple solution in countries like Mexico: sell the same product repeatedly at different prices. Same car, different prices The story is brought to us by our colleagues Motorpasión Mexico but the melody is familiar to us. They explain that Changan has put the Changan Huntera pick-up that is already an old acquaintance on the market. And that same vehicle had already been sold in the country under the same name almost six years ago. That was the first step to finding the same bodywork with different names repeatedly. Taking advantage of its joint venture with PSA (before the French company became part of Stellantis), Mexico received the Peugeot Landtrek, which was also sold in other parts of the world but which, in reality, was a car that had hardly received any changes. The product allowed Peugeot to try to enter a new market, that of work vehicles, but it had little impact. The alternative would arrive with Stellantis leading the project. Thus, they took this same car, planted the RAM seal, a brand that is associated with the pick-up world, and re-launched the same car with another name and a more attractive price. The car was sold as the RAM 1200, with a cosmetic facelift but the same product under the body. And that same car is the one Now Changan puts it back on the market under the name Hunter. Second time it has done so and fourth time that the model arrives at Mexican dealerships, on the first and last occasion under the name Changan and, later, with Peugeot and RAM on the front. The strategy has allowed these companies to sell a car over six years with prices ranging from just over 300,000 Mexican pesos (just under 15,000 euros) to more than double that. The car, however, has always been essentially the same. In this case, we are not talking exactly about what automotive groups like Stellantis itself or Volkswagen do by putting a car on the street with the same platform and sharing elements. In this case, the volume of launches always propose a new car that is increasing in the market, here we are talking about reusing exactly the same car. In Spain we have the case of Santana. The brand will sell a product that is actually Chinese and originates in Dongfeng. This time it is not that it brings a car brought from China and it adapts to the European market, as the Chery Group is doing with Omoda and Jaecoo, renewing some components of cars they sell in Latin America to raise the perception of quality. The same thing that is happening with Ebro. The case of the Dongfeng pick-up is different because its latest evolution is almost minimal compared to the latest Nissan Navara, a vehicle that was developed on a base… born in 2005. Yes, after 20 years we will see a car with a Spanish emblem which has its embryo and sustenance in a product conceived more than two decades ago despite having been aesthetically renewed. These types of movements are simpler the simpler the product is, too. That is why it is no coincidence that this same thing is happening in the motorcycle market. They explain in Motorpassion Motorcycle that the same case of Santana and the same case of Mexico and its pick-ups is what they are encountering with the Jedi K750 Pro. “Italian design, Chinese manufacturing and various logos: the K750 changes its name depending on the country, but not the motorcycle,” they summarize in the middle. And given the market situation, with China involved in overproduction that seems increasingly problematic, it would not be surprising if this way of acting is repeated. China has a good arsenal of models to export and there are many markets eager to receive cars at a more affordable price than what we are used to. Spain is a good example that, for China, there is life beyond its borders. And … Read more

Sydney Sweeney or Justin Bieber’s infallible business is selling underwear

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For more than a decade, Hollywood stars have competed to dominate the premium spirits market, from George Clooney to Dwayne Johnson. That same entrepreneurial impulse now seems to have shifted into more intimate territory: lingerie and underpants. Justin Bieber and Sydney Sweeney are the latest stars to propose that our intimacy comes with their brand. Behind this, a change in the income diversification strategies of celebrities, where art is no longer the main objective. Justin. Last Sunday, Justin Bieber took the stage at the Grammy Awards to perform a minimalist version of his ‘Yukon’ dressed only in a guitar and some striking baggy boxers. It was not just any artistic statement: the Canadian singer was promoting his Skylrk accessories line to millions of viewers, launching in 2024 with a minimalist selection of socks, sandals, sunglasses and boxers. The briefs sold out within hours of the Grammys performance. Sydney. Just a week earlier, Sydney Sweeney had announced the release of Syrn (pronounced “siren”), her own lingerie brand, through an act of calculated civil disobedience: hang bras on the iconic Hollywood sign. The technically illegal advertising strategy generated exactly the media coverage the actress was looking for. Their proposal also points to a specific niche: bodies traditionally neglected by the industry. His first collection, Seductressoffers underwear in 44 sizes (from 30B to 42DDD) with prices under $100. The precedent of tequila. Before the celebrity craze for underwear, there was another one that was even more graduation. George Clooney and his friend Rande Gerber decided to create their own tequila for private consumption. For two years they worked with a master distiller in Jalisco perfecting the formula, and called it Casamigos. It soon went on the market and they produced more than a thousand bottles per year. Four years later, Diageo acquired the company for $700 million. The impact was immediate. Dwayne Johnson launched Teremana in 2020. Kendall Jenner introduced 818 Tequila that same year. Michael Jordan and a group of NBA team owners founded Cincoro in 2019. The list multiplies with other famous and drunk people: Sean “Diddy” Combs with DeLeón, Nick Jonas with Villa One, Rita Ora with Próspero, and even the band AC/DC with Thunderstruck. But As experts point outbusiness imposes a change: Generation Z shows less inclination towards alcohol consumption compared to previous generations, suggesting that the tequila boom celebrity could have reached its peak. The new boom: underwear. Now that the tequila market shows signs of exhaustion, underwear is emerging as the new expansion territory for famous entrepreneurs. Rihanna started the path in 2018 with Savage X Fenty, a lingerie line that broke with traditional industry standards by offering up to 44 sizes and prioritizing racial diversity in its visual proposal. A very profitable strategy: in 2021, the brand reached a valuation of one billion dollars after raising 115 million in a financing round. Kim Kardashian was another: she created Skims in 2019 as an extension of her growing media empire, and she was not averse to controversy. In October 2024, she launched micro-thongs with synthetic pubic hair available in different colors and textures. Names more linked to fashion like Heidi Klum already have experience: she has had a luxury lingerie line since 2015, and the burlesque artist Dita Von Teese since 2012. Why underwear? Easy: the global underwear sector moved 187.61 billion dollars in 2025 and is projected to reach 314,442 million by 2035, with an annual growth rate of 5.3%. It is a well-rounded business that leads famous men and women to become aspirational models even in their most intimate aspects. The photos of Sweeney posing in her underwear look like something out of a ‘Playboy’ shoot. And now her fans can look like her. Less art. What many of these artists do agree on is that their creative production slows down when they discover that these businesses are more profitable. Rihanna hasn’t released an album since 2016. Ryan Reynolds invests in football clubs, Formula 1 teams and gin brands and only shoots movies occasionally. George Clooney is practically retired. Some analysts have already described it as a sign of modern fame: sell before creating. For some, at the moment, it is working very well. In Xataka | When they want to sell us smart underwear, the world of technology has a problem.

At the moment brands are selling us “AI assistants”

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The automobile industry is undergoing a technological transformation. And in addition to a transition to electric that is having a difficult time convincing drivers, there are vehicles that are increasingly more capable and dependent on manufacturers’ software. In this aspect, the functions of autonomous drivingwhich have been showing more legs lately. However, the gap between promise and reality is still considerable. More importantly, the level of full autonomous driving in commercial vehicles is still in its infancy. Level 3 remains a pipe dream for most. Level 3 autonomous driving, which allows the driver to let go of the steering wheel and take their eyes off the road in certain conditions, has been heralded for years as the next big leap. ford just promised that its L3 system will arrive in 2028 as part of its new electric vehicle platform, according to Doug Field, the company’s software manager. Technology is advancing in the automotive industry, but there is still much to do and each manufacturer is taking its own time. Mercedes-Benz, for example, has an operational L3 system since 2023, but it only works on mapped highways and at limited speeds. On the other hand, China has recently authorized to manufacturers such as Changan and BAIC to produce L3 vehicles, although restrictions on use remain strict. The reality is that these systems still require very specific conditions to function. Meanwhile, AI comes to the dashboard. Those hoping for greater capabilities in autonomous driving seem like they’re going to have to wait a while longer, at least until AI assistants become normalized in vehicles. In this regard, Ford has promised launch this year an AI-powered voice assistant that will first be available in its mobile application and then in the vehicle. The idea is that the mobile phone also accompanies the experience. In the official blog of the announcement they mention the example of being able to photograph any object to ask the AI ​​if it fits in the trunk or cabin of the pickup, since in this case the model would have the exact dimensions of the vehicle. The idea is that the system is designed to be compatible with different language models, including Gemini from Google, according to Ford. They are not the only manufacturers to be integrating AI into their vehicles, since chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini are slowly reaching infotainment systems. Some examples of this are Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Volkswagen or Tesla, among others. Promises. Ford explains that it is developing many of these components internally to reduce costs and maintain control, although it is not creating its own language models or designing chips like Tesla or Rivian. The company assures having managed to reduce the costs of its hands-free driving systems by approximately 30% while increasing capabilities. The idea of ​​this approach is to launch more affordable electric vehicles after the lukewarm reception of some of its proposals such as the electric mustang and the pickup F-150 Lightning. Ford also acknowledges that it does not want to get into “a TOPS arms race,” the metric that measures the processing speed of AI chips, unlike Tesla which boasts about the raw power of its processors. China accelerates. The country represents a particular case. Daiwa Securities analysts cited by SCMP They estimate that almost 270,000 vehicles with L3 systems will be sold in 2026, approximately 1% of the total Chinese market. BYD and other local manufacturers They are doing massive testing in cities like Shenzhen, accumulating hundreds of thousands of kilometers of real data. On the other hand, a report from Southwest Securities points out that the legalization of L3 vehicles could generate demand for components and software valued at 1.2 trillion yuan by 2030. However, Chinese authorities have tightened supervision after fatal accidents related to driving assistance systems, such as the one that involved a Xiaomi SU7 in March 2024. There is still rope left for a while. While several brands are already announcing L3 systems for three or four years, what is coming now are incremental improvements, such as smarter voice assistants, improved hands-free on-road systems, or more polished user experiences. In this regard, Tesla continues to operate in China with its FSD (Full Self Driving) as a “hands on the wheel” technology, awaiting regulatory approval to operate hands-free. Most current systems are L2 or L2+, requiring constant driver attention. ford assures that his team, made up of former Argo AI engineers (its failed L4 autonomous driving project) and BlackBerry specialists, is prepared to deliver. Many manufacturers aim to have autonomous driving functions within a few years. We’ll see how things progress in the end. Cover image | Arcfox In Xataka | If it seems expensive to change the battery in an electric car, wait until you see what it costs in a Ferrari LaFerrari: more than 200,000 euros

Xiaomi has made profits selling cars in its first year. The problem is that it has optimized for an unrepeatable moment

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Xiaomi Auto, Xiaomi’s car division, reported a few weeks ago something that is considered impossible in the automobile industry: achieving profits in its first year. It has had a healthy gross margin of 25.5% and a net profit of 680 million yuan, about 82 million euros, thanks to 109,000 cars delivered in a single quarter. Barely a year after selling its first car, the division presents numbers that place a newcomer in the same range as BMW or Mercedes. One that took Tesla years to reach and one that other manufacturers like NIO are still not there. Some They died trying to get there. Lei Jun has executed an impeccable launch and his investors have reason to be impressed, but if we take a closer look at the numbers and break down the origin of the margins (something that must be attributed to Poe Zhao’s wonderful analysis in Hello China Tech), a different story appears: that of a company that has perfectly optimized for a moment that will not be repeated. Two figures: The average price per car in the third quarter was 238,000 yuan (about 29,000 euros). The broadest category was close to 260,000 (about 32,000 euros). Those numbers They are not representative of the market that Xiaomi wants to addressbut rather they represent a temporary concentration. In that quarter, many units of the SU7 Ultra and other premium configurations. The first buyers (the biggest fans of the brand, those who wanted to be the first to drive a Xiaomi) ordered the most expensive versions. It’s not that Xiaomi has fooled anyone, it’s the natural dynamic of any technological launch. The early adopters They always buy the higher versions. The testmotto is to confuse that initial demand with sustained market demand. The 25.5% margin does not validate your business model, it only tells you that you have sold the right product to the right people at the right time. The question is what happens when those people run out. Lu Weibing, president of the group, made this clear in the presentation of results. It said auto margins will likely fall in 2026 due to “competitive factors and normalization of the product mix.” It’s careful business language, but lto translation is simple: When you’re done delivering premium configurations and have to sell entry-level versions to maintain volume, you’re going to find out how much it really costs to compete in this market. Apple experienced something similar with the first Apple Watch. The first few quarters showed spectacular margins, but those numbers reflected sales to enthusiasts willing to pay for novelty, not sustained demand from a mature category. They had to learn to sell beyond the circle of fans. The difference is that Apple was not competing in a market with structural overcapacity and price wars. Xiaomi yes. Xiaomi competes in a Chinese electric vehicle industry where overcapacity is systemicgovernment subsidies have an imminent expiration date and the competition is fierce. There is another detail that should worry: Xiaomi is delivering cars faster than it is selling them. They are consuming the backlog of accumulated orders at a rate that exceeds the entry of new orders. An optimized factory running at maximum capacity is impressive, but if demand is not growing at the same rate, you have built production capacity for a level of demand that you have not yet proven exists. What is coming in 2026 is a kind of convergence of pressures: The portfolio of premium configurations will be exhausted. Subsidies will disappear. And security regulations will be tightened. Xiaomi will have to demonstrate that it can be profitable by selling cheaper cars, without public aid and meeting stricter standards. It is the moment when companies that built a real business are separated from those that surfed favorable temporary conditions. The trap of early profitability is not that the numbers are false. It’s that they make you believe that you have solved the problem when you have only optimized for the easier phase. The real test of Xiaomi Auto is not whether it can make quality cars (it has already proven this) but whether it can build a car business that works when the novelty wears off and it has to compete car for car with rivals that cannot afford to lose. That answer is not in the third quarter report. It’s coming. In Xataka | Xiaomi is no longer a brand: there are several brands fighting over the same logo Featured image | Xiaomi

In silence, an author is selling more than anyone else in Spain and captivating streaming: Elísabet Benavent

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Elisabet Benavent has just surpassed five million copies sold in Spain, which places her among the most read fiction writers in the country in the last decade, a success comparable to that of much more established names on the Spanish publishing scene. However, while his books occupy bookstore windows and Amazon’s best-seller lists, his name barely appears in cultural supplements or debates about the state of Spanish fiction. The perfect moment. The story of Benavent It begins on January 3, 2013, when ‘In Valeria’s Shoes’ was uploaded to Amazon for 2.68 euros. There was no plan or strategy: it was the resource of those who did not have a large publishing house behind them. But it was the ideal time for self-publishing: Kindle Direct Publishing It had arrived in Spain just two years earlier, in 2011, and digital self-publishing still carried the stigma of being “the alternative for those who can’t make it.” But at that time the publishing ecosystem was changing. Travel companions. Benavent was not the only one. Javier Castillo, today one of the most read and adapted thriller authors, began by self-publishing. Eva García Sáenz de Urturi, winner of the Planeta Prize in 2020, also went through Amazon before the big publishers signed her. The pattern of “success in digital, subsequent legitimation via traditional publishing” is also repeated with Benavent: Suma de Letras (Penguin Random House label) later opted for the ‘Valeria’ saga, but by then Benavent was no longer a hidden talent, but a product validated by tens of thousands of readers. We said above that Benavent has achieved success without appearing in cultural supplements, but success is already measured in another way: through Amazon reviews and recommendation algorithms, not with what established critics say. However, despite the dizzying sales figures, the target audience of the romance genre (mostly women aged 25 to 45) has historically been ignored by traditional literary criticism, and what millions of female readers read does not count as a cultural phenomenon. Constant writer. But… what is its success due to? TO twenty-three novels in eleven years: We are not talking about an isolated stroke of luck or a unique work that triggers the phenomenon, but rather about a narrative machinery that works with the regularity typical of a franchise. The ‘Valeria’ saga sold 1.2 million copies, but it was the subsequent trilogies (‘My Choice’), the bilogies (‘Silvia’, ‘Songs and Memories’) and the independent titles (‘A Perfect Tale’, ‘Esnob’) that consolidated the empire. The formula. Very recognizable: urban female protagonists, in their thirties, professionals with work or sentimental crises and who suffer from contemporary emotional conflicts. There is no formal innovation or narrative experimentation, because Benavent does not intend to reinvent anything, but rather to use the tools of the romantic genre in accessible and direct novels: agile dialogues, humor, happy endings. It’s formula literature executed effectively, and its audience knows exactly what to expect. And the highlight is Benavent’s own constant and close activity on social networks under the nickname BetaFlirt. There she shares her creative process and generates a community of faithful who tirelessly recommend her on networks like TikTok. Netflix adaptations. They have exponentially accelerated their success: ‘Valeria’, which already has four seasons and was followed by ‘We were songs’; ‘A Perfect Tale’ was number 1 in 2023 for weeks. And book sales accompany: These can be triggered 40% after the premiere of its audiovisual versions. But it is a relationship that goes in two directions: the platforms also benefit, having identified in the romantic novel a mine of content, with audiences already convinced and without having to invest too much (Prime Video did it with Mercedes Ron and her ‘Guilty’ trilogy). The abyss As the lists of the best-selling books in Spainthe gap between commercial success and critical recognition has widened into an abyss. Thrillers, romantic fantasy, youth sagas: everything that really moves the Spanish publishing market takes place in a parallel dimension, different from the one supposedly analyzed by cultural criticism. How many authors sell hundreds of thousands of copies without any cultural supplement mentioning them? How many entire genres function as million-dollar industries, regardless of major promotions? Elisabet Benavent is not an anomaly, and that is the real crux of this matter. Header | Ariaglz on Wikipedia

Russia had managed to manufacture drones and missiles despite the sanctions. So selling Zara clothes was a matter of time

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In recent months, a strange wave of western products has begun to reappear in places where, on paper, it is already they shouldn’t exist. Between geopolitical changes, forced business exits and an increasingly opaque market, certain brands have unexpectedly become visible again, fueling rumors, theories about how they are getting there and who is really pulling the strings of their distribution towards Moscow. Now a giant from Spain has (re)appeared: Inditex. A market that does not close completely. After announcing the end of operations in Russia a few days after the invasion of Ukraine, Inditex left behind its second largest market and sold its business in the country. However, more than two years latergarments with official labels from brands such as Zara, Bershka, Oysho, Stradivarius or Massimo Dutti have once again appeared on the shelves of the Russian channel Tvoenow renamed Tvoe n Ko, which boasts a “constantly updated” selection on social networks and presents the collections as almost clandestine finds. The pieces, which match models from previous seasons and carry prices in euros, are now sold in at least 19 stores Russian companies without there being (according to the official version offered) any contractual relationship between the Spanish company and the local distributor. In fact, they occur two months after the executive director of Inditex, Óscar García Maceiras, will declare to the Financial Times that the conditions “were not met” for his return to Russia. The engineering of the Russian gray market. I was counting a few hours ago the FT that the mechanism that allows the reappearance of these garments is based on the system of “parallel imports” established by Moscow to circumvent the massive departures of Western brands. In this scheme operates Disco Club LLCa Russian company that has recorded 18 statements in accordance, citing Inditex as supplier and presenting itself as its “authorized representative”, despite the fact that Inditex flatly denies having granted such permission. The garments come partly from inventories originally destined for various EU countries and partly from Chinese factories, according to labels and documents customs, in a circuit that takes advantage of legal loopholes and the Kremlin’s lack of inhibition to give formal coverage to a trade that would previously have been considered smuggling. The denial. For its part, Tvoe assures that it does not have direct agreements with Inditex and hides behind confidentiality agreements so as not to detail its suppliers, while Disco Club insist in which he only performed a “punctual technical service.” Burkhard Binder, the businessman linked to the founding of the company and based in Dubai, is disassociating himself from current operations. Inditex, known for its tight control of inventory, distribution and franchises, completely reject any link: he claims not to have authorized Disco Club or any Russian entity to act on his behalf and avoids commenting on how his products arrive in the country since he withdrew. Matter of time. we have been counting: the ability of the Russian economy to adapt in the midst of war has shown that international restrictions, no matter how strict, always find cracks. A country that has rebuilt chains complex supply chains to produce drones, precision ammunition or long-range missiles, despite technological embargoes and industrial vetoes, would not have difficulties reopening the door to much more “simpler” products, such as Western fashion clothing. In that context, the reappearance of garments of Zara in Russian stores is not so much surprising as confirming a trend: Moscow has perfected an ecosystem of parallel imports capable of circumventing almost any blockade, from military components even t-shirts and dresses from past seasons, turning the impossible into routine and the forbidden into a merely logistical problem. Russia, a laboratory of consumption in times of sanctions. The appearance of Zara products in Russia despite the exit from the company illustrates the magnitude of the gray market that Moscow has made official since 2022: an ecosystem that allows consumers to access Western brands through private intermediaries and indirect routes, without participation of the original companies. In this context, the reappearance of the Spanish firm in the Russian commercial landscape is not due to a business return, but rather to a state-run mechanism. commercial evasion that turns its garments into parallel import merchandise. If you like, the phenomenon also reveals the extent to which Russia has rebuilt its global consumption through third countries and front companies, and how even the strictest groups in controlling its supply chain cannot prevent its products from reappearing in a market from which they tried to leave definitely. Image | Pexels In Xataka | Ukraine has opened the Russian ballistic missile that has devastated its cities. Your surprise is a condemnation: your main supplier is untouchable In Xataka | Zara has been selling clothes for years. Now he aspires to sell something more difficult: prestige

Temu and AliExpress are selling the cheapest V-16 beacons on the market. And it’s very easy to know if it’s a scam.

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There are 44 days left until the connected V-16 beacon becomes mandatory in our country. There are, in fact, 43 days left if you are reading this on November 18, 2025. And I don’t want to burden anyone but there is obviously less room for maneuver with each passing day. We already know about the “evil of many…” but I will tell you a secret: if you are about to buy the beacon, you are by no means the only one in that position. Obviously, this has caused sales of the device to skyrocket. And with it have come the offers and, of course, the doubts about whether we are buying a valid product or not. Neither the DGT nor the consumer associations have helped with the doubts. And, on the market, there are V-16 beacons but not all of them are valid. Despite everything, you can find specific offers and bargains by finding this product, even below 10 euros. Therefore, we are going to explain how we can check whether or not we are facing a scam. Is it a scam? To understand why so much confusion must be taken into account that the approval of having to mount a V-16 beacon on the car It closed in 2021. Then the DGT decided that this device would replace the emergency lights and V-16 beacons began to arrive on the market. In 2022, however, it was confirmed that only V-16 beacons that could be used would be valid. contact DGT 3.0. They are called “V-16 connected beacons”, those that have a SIM card inside and that must guarantee connectivity for 12 years. That is, all V-16 beacons without connectivity (mainly sold before 2022) are not valid. This regulatory change is what has led consumer associations like the OCU to affirm that a connected V-16 beacon, the only valid one, “rarely goes below 40 euros.” But this is not entirely true. First, because it is very easy to find approved V-16 beacons for about 30 euros. Second, because there are real bargains that allow us to buy this device for less than even 10 euros. With that price it is logical to think that we could be facing a scam. Or, simply, that we are buying a V-16 beacon without realizing that they lack that connectivity that is essential for approval. The doubts multiply because Temu either AliExpress They offer beacons well below the 40 euros floor price recommended by the OCU. Pages specialized in discounts, such as Chollometer also offers aggressive discounts on some V-16 beacons. Do you want one for 9.99 euros? Yes. And it’s not a scam. Not, at least, in all cases. It’s all in the certificate number With a month and a half left before the new regulations come into force, there is not a day on pages like Aliexpress, Temu or Chollómetro in which a V-16 beacon is not offered at ridiculous prices. We give you some examples: V-16 beacon offered on Aliexpress V-16 beacon offered on Aliexpress The two previous beacons are sold on AliExpress at an almost absurd price. Of course, the fact that they can be purchased for just over two and four euros should make us suspicious. And indeed, none of the above options are valid. In fact, in the product rating of one of them, there is a comment specifying that they do not have connectivity. However, let’s look at another case. Beacon offer at 9.98 euros at Chollometro Redirection to Temu where it is shown that the beacon can be purchased for 9.99 euros The above case explains well how we can find a connected and completely valid V-16 beacon at a very low price. The connected V-16 beacon shown above is an offer that we have found on Chollometro, a website from which it is redirected to Temu where it is noted that the price of the beacon is 59.99 euros but that it is on sale for 29.98 euros. As if that were not enough, it is possible to buy it (red box) for 9.99 euros. The price should make us suspicious. But we go to the product description where it is mentioned that it has IP54 water resistance, it is promised that it is connected to DGT 3.0, which meets all the approvals… and its certificate is shown: IDIADA PC25060196. The latter is especially important because it is the data that certifies whether or not the connected V-16 beacon that we are purchasing is fake or meets the required requirements or not. To check it, let’s go to the DGT page. In this linkTraffic lists each and every one of the approved devices. We can filter the list by the date of approval, by the name of the manufacturer, the name of the product… and very importantly, the certificate number of all the products that we can even download is shown. In addition, it has a search engine, as we see in the following image. DGT list with all approved connected V-16 beacons It is enough to enter the certificate number, it is not even necessary to specify IDIADA or LCOE (the two laboratories that approve this product in Spain), to confirm that the V-16 beacon that we want to buy has all the technical requirements, including its manufacturer, the name of the exact model and when and where the approval was certified. In the case of the previous connected V-16 beacon, we are talking about a product certified, indeed, by IDIADA. It was homologated on June 30, 2025, the exact model name is V16 Beacon Light IoT CH-020L, sold under the Raykong brand and homologation requested by Limburg Technology Limited. Below we leave you the image in which this information is shown and the certificate that the DGT attaches with this data. Search for the beacon purchased in Temu Certificate of the connected V-16 beacon sold in Temu As we have seen, before purchasing the V-16 beacon it is easy to check whether we … Read more

Synthetic influencers are already selling in the thousands. A startup offers them as a service to manipulate networks

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Influencer accounts created by AI are already a reality, some even have hundreds of thousands of followers. There is a startup that has taken this idea to the next level: they create and manage synthetic influencers to orchestrate massive actions on different platforms, all using AI. Their website reads “Never pay a human again”, a true declaration of intent. Doublespeed. It is the name of the startup that offers the service. Using AI, they create the accounts of these fake influencers and also the content, all with minimal human intervention, just a few finishing touches. Its goal is to “orchestrate actions on thousands of social accounts through the creation and massive deployment of content.” They count in 404media that the startup is financed by the Andreessen Horowitzone of the most important venture capital funds in Silicon Valley. Make it look human. The platforms have systems to detect bots, but at Doublespeed they have the solution to make their AI influencers appear human to the algorithms. In addition, the accounts they offer have been used, since newly created accounts with hardly any interactions are easier to detect as bots. The company’s co-founder, Zuhair Lakhani, said in a podcast that use a “mobile farm” (like the click farms) to manage all their accounts and boasted that one client got almost 5 million views in less than a month with 15 of these AI influencers. Raising the level. He astroturfing It is a tactic through which artificial opinions are generated that seek to appear real and spontaneous, all in order to give an impression of support (or rejection) of a topic or product. What Doublespeed does is next level, creating not only the message, but the “persona” who spreads it. Doublespeed sells “packs” between $1,500 and $7,500, depending on the number of posts they want to generate. Cons the rules. The point is that this practice goes against the rules of the main platforms, such as Meta, which they expressly say that accounts that “make a misleading representation of identity to deceive or confuse people” will not be allowed. It is not the first company to offer services of this type, What is striking is that it has one of the largest funds in the world behind it. dead internet. Is a conspiracy theory which says that the internet is full of bots and humans have been replaced by algorithms. There is some truth in it. According to the cybersecurity company Imperva, in 2024 more than half of internet traffic was non-human. With the emergence of AI, networks were flooded with AI Slop and now it also comes in the form of fake influencers. Image | Reshma Mallecha, Pexels In Xataka | The more we know about the evolution of the internet, the closer we come to a conclusion: bots can kill it

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