Spain

Spain fails to comply with the rules with the registration of travelers. Brussels has just opened a file and gives him two months to fix it

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The European Commission opened this Thursday an infringement procedure against Spain for the controversial traveler registry promoted by the Ministry of the Interior. Brussels considers that the rule violates European regulations on data protection in the criminal field, by forcing hotels, digital platforms and car rental companies to collect and send personal information of tourists to a state database that is then accessible to the Police. We tell you all the details. What are we talking about? This is known as the Traveler Registry, regulated by the Royal Decree 933/2021 and fully operational since the end of last year. The regulations obliges accommodations, travel agencies and vehicle rental companies to upload their clients’ data into the ‘ses.hospedajes’ application and transmit them to a centralized Government database. Just like point La Vanguardia, the objective declared by the Interior, which can be read in the preamble of the decree itselfis to reinforce the fight against terrorism and organized crime, activities in which, the ministry argues, accommodation and the use of vehicles have special logistical relevance. What a reproach Brussels. The Commission points to three specific problems. First, consider that the categories of data collected and stored are “excessive”, due to the variety of sets they cover, including payment and GPS data. Second, it maintains that access by police authorities “is not limited to specific and explicit purposes”, as required by directive 2016/680. And third, it describes as “disproportionate” that these data are kept for three years after the traveler’s stay. Amount of data. One of the big discussions revolves around how much data there really is to deliver. The hotel sector has denounced that the standard requires up to 42 different fields, while the Government insists that only 13 are mandatory: name and surname, number and type of document, reference and date of the contract, arrival and departure dates, means of payment, telephone or email and the relationship of kinship when a minor travels. The remaining data, according to the Executive, are not mandatory to complete. The file. The procedure opens a period of two months for Spain to respond and correct the irregularities. If the answer is not convincing, the Commission can issue a reasoned opinion, a kind of official ultimatum. And if non-compliance persists, the last step would be to take the State before the Court of Justice of the EU. The reaction of the sector. Hoteliers and travel agencies have been on the warpath for some time. The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations (CEHAT) has questioned the legality of the collection and transmission of data because it conflicts with European regulations on free circulation and data protection. After learning about the file, the agency associations Fetave and Unav They have asked the Government the “urgent suspension” of Royal Decree 933/2021 and an immediate meeting with the Interior, considering that the Executive “cannot act as if nothing had happened” when Brussels has formally questioned the compatibility of the rule with EU Law. And now what. Spain has two months to make a move. Interior can defend the rule, modify it or suspend it while the procedure is resolved. However, pressure is growing, on the one hand from the tourism sector, which has been demanding changes even before the rule came into force; on the other, that of the European Commission, which had already warned of the clash of that decision with data protection regulations. Now that warning is in writing, so we will have to wait and see how things progress. Cover image | François Genon and Square In Xataka | The European Union has been flooding the countryside with billions of euros for half a century. It has been of no use

The new Ninja AutoBarista Pro coffee maker with which you will prepare the perfect coffee at home without being an expert is now on sale in Spain

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Making specialty café-quality coffee at home typically requires two things: a significant investment in individual tools and some time learning to master grinding, pressing, and texturing milk. To break this barrier, Ninja has just announced the launch in Spain of the Ninja AutoBarista Pro (899.99 euros) an all-in-one automatic system that seeks to unify the versatility of barista drinks with the convenience of a single button press. Ninja AutoBarista Pro Automatic Coffee Maker The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A coffee maker with full automation: from grinding to foam type This device comes to the market with a clear proposal: eliminate complex manual steps through an intelligent system that automates the entire process, from the bean to the cup, without the user needing prior knowledge. The core of this coffee maker lies in its AutoBarista technology, a set of sensors and calibrated systems that make technical decisions for the user. Instead of having to manually adjust the grinder’s coarseness or control the extraction time, the function Grin iQ It analyzes the type of grain selected and adapts the grinding automatically to extract the maximum flavor. To these is added a pressure and temperature management that adjusts depending on whether we are going to prepare a espresso short or a long filter coffee. Versatility is another of its strong points. It incorporates two independent 340 gram bean tanks, allowing you to switch between different varieties of coffee cleanly and without mixing the beans. It also has a double brew function to make two doses of espresso simultaneously. He milk texturing This is usually the most difficult step to replicate at home. To solve this, the system FrothPerfect It allows you to work with both milk and vegetable drinks, offering five different consistency levels that range from hot milk without air to extra dense foams or, a highly requested function in summer, cold foam for recipes with ice. Finally, and thinking about individual preferences, the coffee maker allows configure up to two user profiles to memorize the exact intensity, water volume, temperature and preferred foam style. ⚡ IN BRIEF: Ninja AutoBarista Pro Automatic Coffee Maker ✅ THE BEST Extreme versatility (hot and cold): what really makes the difference is the ability to do Cold Brew and foam cold milk automatically. It’s not just a coffee maker espresso; It’s a complete beverage station. Double grain tank: It is a rare genius in this price range. It allows you to have, for example, specialty coffee in one and decaffeinated in the other, or change varieties without having to empty the tank manually. ❌ THE WORST Oh, the price… Enter fully into the field of legendary brands. For 900 euros, the competition is fierce and some users may prefer brands with a longer history in espresso machines. Size… Being an all-in-one system with two tanks and so many functions, it is a bulky machine. You need good free counter space. 💡 BUY IT IF… Your favorite coffee is a Flat Whitea Latte or a Cappuccinothis machine gives you a professional foam texture without you having to learn how to use the steam wand. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You like the manual process, using the poltrafilters, trying different degrees of grinding for yourself and playing with the machine, this Ninja is going to bore you a little because it does it all for you. And if you are looking for something cheaper, you may be interested in these other coffee makers Ninja Prestige 2-in-1 filter and capsule coffee maker with built-in frother The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Ninja Luxe Essential 2-in-1 Latte, Cappuccino and Espresso Maker with Integrated Grinder and Milk Frother The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images: Ninja In Xataka | Smart coffee makers: what you can do (and what you can’t) with connected coffee makers In Xataka | Five ideal accessories to get the most out of your super-automatic coffee machine

France has been determined to rob Spain of its position as a data center power in Europe

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The French country has hit the table in its ambition to become a technological benchmark in Europe. He agreement reached between Emmanuel Macron and Masayoshi Son (CEO of SoftBank) aims to deploy up to 5 GW of computing capacity for AI data centers in northern France. This movement competes with all the projects that are underway in Spain, one of the countries that until now had attracted the greatest interest from hyperscalers. The problem is that neither France nor Spain will gain much from these initiatives. Nuclear counterattack. France has taken advantage your energy network —with a clear prominence of its nuclear power plants— to attract AI supercomputing projects. The SoftBank project will start in the Hauts-de-France region with an initial phase of 45 billion euros to build data centers in regions such as Dunkirk. In this first phase we want to achieve that the total capacity rise to 3.1 GW in 2031followed by a second phase that could reach 5 GW. Spain, data center paradise. Faced with this French movement, Spain has been closing agreements in that same area for months. It totals more than 22,000 million euros in recently announced projects. Giants like AWS (15.7 billion in Aragon), Microsoft (more than 7,000 million) and Blackstone have chosen our country to create these data centers. The Spanish advantage is its renewable energy productionwhich has attracted that type of investment. The harsh reality: Europe (probably) loses. Although both this announcement and those made in Spain are very striking, the reality for the Old Continent is quite stark. The data centers in Spain are not Spanish, and those in France are not French either. Europe is becoming the powerhouse for foreign multinationals that invest here because it suits them strategically. Energy resources are great for Microsoft, Amazon, Meta or Softbank, but the real benefit of this computing does not remain in Europe. The accounts. There is a clear difference between the strategies of Spain and France. Spanish soil is filled with hyperscalers like AWS or Microsoft that build, operate their own clouds and then control the flow completely. In the case of France, the initiative depends on a Japanese conglomerate allied with sovereign funds from the Middle East. SoftBank operates here more like a real estate developer– Create the data center and then rent it to third parties. Source: FT. Sovereignty, little. Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sánchez can sell the message that these projects promote this ambition to have sovereign AI. The problem is that these data centers are simply delegations of big technology companies taking advantage of the advantages offered by their European partners. There may be options in the French project for the country to boost its AI companies —Mistral is the clear example—, but the truth is that these movements do little to help this objective of avoiding the independence of foreign technology companies. Rather they make the situation worse. The other European rivals. Europe’s traditional technology markets, grouped under the acronym FLAP-D (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin) are giving way to projects in other countries like France or Spain. There are also other protagonists in this new map of decentralized infrastructures: the Nordic countries are also interesting for their cold climates, ideal for helping to cool these centers. The real bottleneck. Beyond the billions of euros that are on the table, the big battle in the coming years will be access to hardware components, especially now that the memory crisis has made everything significantly more expensive. Demand far exceeds supply and it does not seem that this imbalance will be resolved soon, so all of these initiatives could suffer delays and changes in their final costs. In Xataka | Mistral does not generate hype, it is a discreet AI, it does not boost the shares of any company, but it already makes more money than Grok

Spain launches radio frequency detectors to hunt penguins and AI

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June and July are two months that almost 300,000 students in Spain have marked on their calendars, as they face the University Access Test (PAU). And in some classrooms they also face it with extra surveillance measures for those who copy. We are referring to radio frequency detectors, small devices designed to hunt down hidden devices that some students could use to copy, especially if there is AI involved. What exactly are they? They are not signal inhibitors, but detectors. In this sense, a jammer blocks communications, while these devices only locate them. Héctor Esteban, professor in the area of ​​Signal Theory and Communications at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, counted to El Español that are electromagnetic radiation detectors costing about 10 or 12 euros that track WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G, 4G and 5G networks in a very broad spectrum. When they detect a nearby signal, they warn with a beep or vibration. Stephen himself describes them such as devices as small “as a pen”, that the teacher can carry in his pocket in vibration mode so that the alert goes unnoticed by the rest of the classroom. What are they aiming for? The objective is not so much conventional mobile phones as technology that is difficult to see with the naked eye. The vice-rector of Students of the Complutense University, Rosa de la Fuente, counted that “we are concerned about everything that could be used to commit fraud”, such as micro-earphones and AI glasses generative, since they are devices with which we can easily obtain responses from another person abroad or from any chatbot. Where are they used? The measure does not currently apply throughout Spain. The six public universities of Madrid launched the detectors at the beginning of the month for their more than 42,000 students. Added to these are communities such as Galicia, Murcia, Aragon, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Andalusia, the Balearic Islands and the Basque Country, among others. The devices are not in all classrooms at the same time. Cristina Moreno, vice-rector of the University of the Balearic Islands assured that the devices rotate through the different locations, but not necessarily during all the tests. What happens if the alert goes off. If the detector vibrates, the exam is “flagged” and the student continues taking the exam as normal. Afterwards, it is the court of headquarters that analyzes the case and decides. However, the sanctions are not identical throughout Spain, because each community sets its own framework. In Madrid, according to counted de la Fuente, three levels are distinguished: a minor fault leaves the exam marked but preserves the grade; a serious one, such as having your cell phone on, can cancel that exam; and a very serious one, such as the active use of a earpiece, can invalidate the entire Selectivity. In other locations the criteria is more severe, as is the case of the Polytechnic of Valencia, where in some cases it is enough for them to find a mobile phone on them, even if it is turned off, to fail the subject. It is not a perfect method. Jesús Alcalde, cybersecurity specialist, counted to The Objective that the scope is limited, because the devices only alert active signals, can give false positives in full classrooms and do not always allow them to prove themselves that there has been copying. Its greatest value, in reality, is as a deterrent. Héctor Esteban illustrated it counting that, in one of the first tests, it was enough to announce that the detector was going to be passed for fifteen students to get up to hand over the cell phone that they should not have brought. Why is it coming just now? The trigger is the emergence of generative AI, which has turned the old problem of copying into something much more complex to deal with. However, the universities themselves recognize that this is a pilot project that they will have to review each course, because at the end of the day the technology for cheating advances as quickly as the tools to detect it. And now what. Radiofrequency covers only part of the problem, and many in the academic field believe that the underlying solution is not in the devices, but in changing the way of evaluating. Stephen himself point towards oral exams, common in countries like Italy, or the in-person defense of papers. Cover image | Ben Mullins and Alberto Ortega (Europa Press) In Xataka | Someone has created the website “is AI profitable anymore?” to answer the question of our time in real time

Spain is committed to connecting Madrid and Barcelona at 350 km/h. And you have already taken the first step to achieve it

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Madrid and Barcelona linked by a train capable of reaching 350 km/h. Just when the journey between the two largest Spanish cities has become a Russian roulette if your goal is to arrive on time. And just where the Renfe trains are having the most problems fulfilling what is expected. However, the Government is determined to increase the maximum speed of the line. And you have already taken the first step. At 350 km/h. In November 2025Óscar Puente, Minister of Transport, presented one of his star projects: linking Madrid and Barcelona with a train that travels at a maximum of 350 km/h. The final objective is to be able to travel between both cities in less than 120 minutes when it is now necessary to spend at least 182 minutes. As long as everything works correctly, of course. To reduce the trip by one hour two interventions are necessary for which the necessary papers have already begun to be moved. One of them is the construction of two new stations, one in Parla (close to Madrid) and another in El Prat de Llobregat (close to Barcelona). The objective is to decongest the traffic that currently passes through Madrid and offer a variant of exit and entry to Barcelona. The other intervention would be applied to the infrastructure itself and, it seems, will be the first to be carried out. A first step. The Ministry of Transport has confirmed which has already awarded a first supply batch of overhead traverses for the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line. A 112 million euro contract that is key for trains to reach 350 km/h top speed. These first air traverses will be installed in four sections: Mejorada del Campo-Brihuega (232,400 units), Brihuega-Alcolea (143,150 units), Alcolea-Ariza (166,250 units) and Ariza-Calatayud (138,600 units). In addition, some maintenance tasks have been awarded “such as the renewal of the seat plates for sleepers (elements that ensure the fixing of the rail to the sleeper).” Finally, the Ministry of Transport points out that “treatment and improvement actions are being carried out on two viaducts on the Guadalajara-Calatayud section of the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line, Benamira and Río Blanco, both in the province of Soria.” A physical question When the train exceeds 300 km/hthe aerodynamic load on the underside of the trains increases. This load is generated by turbulence under the train car, “gluing” it to the track. The more load, the more energy the train has to use to maintain speed. If the train releases that aerodynamic load a little, it does not need as much energy and it is easier for it to reach the desired top speed. It is the same case as a Formula 1. The car is interested in having a lot of downforce on a circuit with many curves because it will be able to go through them faster. However, it will penalize on the straight because the top speed will be lower. On the contrary, if the circuit has few corners and many long straights, you are interested in low downforce to “fly” as fast as possible. But the car will be more unstable when cornering. Furthermore, the Ministry of Transport explains that the ‘ballast flight’ must be added. This is the vibration of the stones, the ballast, when the train exceeds 300 km/h. At that speed it is critical because the turbulence raises these stones and produces constant collisions against the undercarriage and increases the risk of them being thrown and falling on the tracks and sleepers, generating potholes and vibrations. The air traverses. Since the project was presented, the Ministry of Transport has indicated that the aerocrosses are key to being able to guarantee speeds greater than 300 km/h on the route. But, What are aerocrosses? The aerocrosses are born from an Adif project which has been working on for more than a decade. Its design is very similar to current sleepers at first glance, but it has a rounded design that reduces the turbulence generated under the trains and, with it, the pressures that increase the aerodynamic load and ballast flight. According to his calculations: Reduces the aerodynamic load in the space immediately above the ballast bed by 21%. The design allows increasing the distance between the ballast level and the upper face of the sleeper. It has no higher manufacturing or handling costs (they are still molds). And most importantly: the aerodynamic load generated by a train at 330 km/h on a track with current sleepers is equivalent to that generated by the same train at 370 km/h, but with aero sleepers. In a delicate moment. He Adamuz accident in Córdoba led to the machinists to lift their foot on the line and Adif ended up lifting temporary restrictions of speed that have been happening until today while the line is being reviewed. The result is that Madrid-Barcelona will be played in the promised 182 minutes (25 minutes more than usual) is, right now, taking a chance. This has caused a good part of the passengers who used the train to travel during their work day, with many comings and goings during the day, to move back to the Aerial Bridge. The CNMC calculates that up to half a million passengers may be lost if travel times remain higher than usual. But, in addition, the Madrid-Barcelona line is where Renfe has detected the most problems with its Avrils. The vibrations on this route ended up generating cracks in the Talgo trains, designed to be used on variable gauge trackwhich gives them a competitive advantage in Madrid-Galicia. However, Renfe had to remove them from circulation upon seeing that they broke on this route that is now being renewed. Photo | Pablo Nieto Abad In Xataka | Spain decided to build its social life around the AVE. And now he’s discovering the consequences of failing.

Adidas has managed to get all of Spain to wear the National Team shirt. It has also managed to get almost no one to buy it from Adidas

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I’m sorry I can’t link it but the other day I read a tweet that said something like: “In these moments of extreme polarization, there is only one thing that unites all of Spain: the fake National Team shirt.” In cascade, there were the answers. One after another, fans fed up with the abusive price of football shirts, an accessory that It is already transversal to the sport itself but for which many are not willing to pay more (much more) than 100 euros for a product that you can have at home for just over 20 euros. At the gates of a World Cup, with a Spanish team that excites and a shirt that has had a deep impact since its presentation, the team’s second kit, the white one, can already be seen everywhere. And, of course, it’s not always official. It complicates your month According to Bankinter datathe median salary in Spain for a man was about 26,000 euros in 2024, the latest data published. That of women was just over 22,000 euros. That leaves us with a gross salary, of course, in 14 payments of just over 1,800 euros for them and less than 1,600 euros for women. With that salary, whoever wants to buy the official shirt of the Spanish National Team, replicating all its details, will be dedicating around 15% of the money that enters their account at the end of the month. Official Authentic T-shirt: 150 euros Player name: 20 euros FIFA patch: 10 euros Euro champion patch: 7 euros The accounts come out quickly and easily: 187 euros It is what it costs to wear the same shirt with which Lamine Yamal will take the field in Atlanta (United States) on June 15 at 6:00 p.m. (peninsular time) to face Cape Verde. That, of course, if you manage to get your hands on any of the t-shirts that They have already flown from the Adidas website. For much less, just 23 euros, you can have a replica at home in less than two weeks. It’s not that I asked one of the many in my close circle who have already gotten one. There is simply a website that ranks ahead of Adidas itself on Google. The German company says that “Spain’s away shirt pays tribute to this country’s incredible literary legacy, with intricate prints inspired by manuscripts, a nod to the cultural depth of the Spanish language that connects culture and football.” Let’s say that that other website does not offer such a literary description but what is certain is that there must be plenty of clients. The (pen)last example The second Adidas kit has highlighted the rise of fake t-shirts replicas and the enormous popularity they have garnered in recent years. Sid Lowea British sports journalist welcomed by the Asturian community, echoed this article in Digital Freedom in which the enormous popularity of Spain’s second shirt is mentioned. The one that no one seems to have paid at the price that Adidas lists on its website. Click on the image to go to the original tweet The responses criticizing the high price of the official set and the defense of getting one, let’s say, less official are repeated one after another. Click on the image to go to the original tweet The answers seem to concentrate each and every one of the issues surrounding the underworld that football shirts have become in recent years. Those of us who have dressed Saturdays, Sundays and summer holidays in football shirts and shirts know that replicas do not have the same feel as an original. No? Sure? Without a doubt, it looks a lot like him. It’s something I’ve known from conversations with friends and because… well, he who is free from sin… An example: Real Madrid shirt 99/00. Pushed by the nostalgia effect dosmilerothe aftershocks multiplied their presence in the streets. To the point that Adidas took advantage of the pull to reissue them and make good money. At least, to get mine and that of enough fans who spend our 110 euros to buy a shirt with more than a quarter of a century of history. In my case it was because I wanted to have the shirt with which Raúl dribbled past Santiago Cañizares to score Real Madrid’s third goal in the Champions League Final in Paris. He wanted “the one on Eighth”, the black one. Because the white one had already been given to me a few months before and this one was not entirely true. And, despite this, I had to go to the closet to rescue the shirt that I was wearing when I was eight years old and had an R. Carlos (3) on the back to certify that it did not have the same shiny patina that the official one had. Nor was the stitching of the shield the same, of course. No, it wasn’t the same, but it was almost identical.. And that is enough for many, many of us to wear the shirt of our childhood on the street again. It doesn’t matter if the shirt is from Raúl’s best years, Djalminha wearing Feiraco on the chest of Deportivo de la Coruña or Maradona carrying Buitoni to levels of popularity they never imagined. They all share a single code: they are fashionable. So much so that Adidas has not hesitated to reissue iconic designs from the nineties and 2000s. Without going any further and taking advantage of the return of the World Cup to the United States, For 110 euros you can dress like Clemente’s Spain in 1994. At least, the Germans have had the detail of not reissuing the second kit, forever anchored in a Luis Enrique bloodied. The football shirt phenomenon has become a transversal fashion that transcends genres, decades and teams. They are there when you go to buy bread, when you have a party with friends and when you go to the summer music festival. That has also created a … Read more

The most drunk beer brands in each autonomous community of Spain, gathered on this map

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Beer does not pass through his best moment in Spain, but that does not mean that ours continues to be a country of reeds in which per capita consumption exceeds on average 50 liters. Yeah we go down to detail and we analyze what brand those rods or bottles are, however, things change from one community to another. In Galicia and the Balearic Islands Estrella Galicia reigns, in Andalusia Cruz Campo does it, in Catalonia Estrella Damm and in the Valencian Community and Cantabria Amstel. There is, however, one logo that dominates a good part of the map: Mahou. What has happened? That we have a new ‘photo’ of the beer sector in Spain. It does not show us data per capita consumptionevolution of demand or billing of the sector, but it does give us a clue about another equally interesting topic: the struggle between brands at a territorial level. He latest report ‘Brand Footprint’, prepared by Worldpanel by Numerator and published by Mahou San Miguel itself, reveals two interesting facts about the Spanish map. The first is that it remains highly segmented at a territorial level, with brands consolidated by region. The second is that, despite this diverse scenario, there is one brand that clearly leads: Mahou. Worldpanel by Numerator report. What exactly does it show? The Worldpanel by Numerator (formerly Kantar) report basically shows which brand is “the most chosen” in each autonomous community. To find out, the technicians carried out a survey with a “representative” sample of 12,500 homes spread throughout Spain, including the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The result, which you can see in the map that heads this post, is that Mahou leads in Asturias, Navarra, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Community of Madrid and Extremadura. And the rest of the country? It is dominated by brands that have become strong at a territorial level. Estrella Galicia stands out, for example, in Galicia and the Balearic Islands, Amstel in Cantabria and the Valencian Community, San Miguel in the Basque Country, Estrella de Levante in the Region of Murcia, Cruzcampo in Andalusia, Estrella Damm in Catalonia, Ambar in Aragon and Cerveza Tropical in the Canary Islands. The question remains as to what is happening in La Rioja. There the sample did not allow the authors of the report to reach a clear conclusion. It is not a bad balance for Mahou, who wanted to emphasize that the Worldpanel study proves that the brand has strengthened its presence “throughout the national territory” and maintains leadership in half a dozen regions. If compared with the 2025 study The firm loses the leadership of Cantabria in favor of Amstel and takes over Navarra, a territory that San Miguel controlled last year. The Madrid company also boasts of the weight of its brand in the shopping basket, establishing itself as one of the most popular in its branch. But… And Galicia star? The Worldpanel by Numerator map may catch your attention if you remember another on the same topic published in September and produced by Data Centric. It showed a ‘photograph’ quite differentwith Mahou based mainly in the Community of Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha and Estrella Galicia monopolizing Galicia, Asturias, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and Melilla. What is the reason for this difference? To focus. Because? Although both reports are based on a quantitatively similar sample (DataCentric conducts 14,053 digital surveys), they do not seek exactly the same thing. The Worldpanel study points to “the most chosen beer” by Spaniards. DataCentric “favorite brands”. In his report he states in fact that the Hijos de Rivera brand receives “42% of the votes” compared to 14% for Mahou and leaves behind a reflection: despite how well positioned both Estrella Galicia and Alhambra are in their ranking, this status of “favorite brands” does not then translate to sales. “Both have significantly lower positions.” If we look at billing, for example, the business ranking of theEconomist shows that Mahou is in the lead, followed by Damm, Heineken and in fourth position Hijos de Rivera, the parent company of Estrella Galicia or 1906. In general, both the DataCentric and Worldpanel reports should be taken for what they are: studies with their strengths and weaknesses that help to better understand a sector that faces a challenging landscape. Although Spain is one of the EU countries that consume more beerthe industry deals with a youth that is changing their consumption habits and approach to alcohol and a market in which they are gaining more and more strength ‘without’ drinks. Via | DAP Image | Mahou-San Miguel In Xataka | Young people are stopping drinking beer like crazy. That’s why Mahou wants to sell you water as cosmetics

We will run out of space on dry land one day. So Spain is already putting solar panels into the sea

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Filling the field with solar panels has a physical limit. It is very likely that, while reading this, you have heard the debate that in our landscapes there are beginning to be more panels than crops. Faced with this growing land saturation, the alternative is already floating in the water: The San Enrique de Vigo Shipyard has just launched the first floating marine solar platform with purely Spanish technology. Named “Paiporta”—a tribute to the victims of the deadly DANA in Valencia in October 2024—this pioneering modular structure marks an industrial milestone. Its destiny is not to stay in the Galician estuary, but to be towed in the coming weeks to the Valencian coast to undergo its final test: validate its operability and generate electricity in the open sea. The sea as a technological ally. The saline and hostile environment of the sea offers conditions that multiply the efficiency of the panels. Traditional solar panels lose efficiency when they reach high temperatures. However, in these floating installations, seawater acts as a powerful natural coolant. By heating up less, the panels perform more and are capable of producing more electricity than their twins installed on the ground or on roofs. Added to this cooling effect is an intelligent design decision. Those responsible for the project They detail that the panels installed on the platform they use bifacial technology. This means that the installation not only absorbs direct solar radiation falling from the sky, but is also capable of capturing and generating energy from light bouncing off the sea surface. In the near future, they are expected to operate jointly with offshore wind farms (offshore), sharing evacuation infrastructure and maximizing the amount of clean energy that can be extracted from the same ocean coordinate. Mass-produced photovoltaic catamarans. The “how” is as important as the “what.” PV-bos (PhotoVoltaic-BlueNewables Offshore Solutions) technology has not been conceived to create unique and artisanal prototypes, but to revolutionize the assembly line. The project – called Renovar – pursues the development of platforms manufactured through industrialized and modular processes, directly inspired by mass manufacturing models. The objective is clear: reduce costs, cut production times and make photovoltaics offshore be competitive at a global level. To achieve this, the technological solution is based on an innovative catamaran-type design, specifically optimized to withstand harsh ocean conditions. This format allows the plates to be raised to a safe height above sea level, which not only improves energy performance, but also greatly facilitates maintenance work. The overall project contemplates a floating system of one megawatt of total power, divided into two PV-bos units of five hundred kilowatts each. Bringing this steel and silicon giant to the water was no easy task. From BlueNewables They explain that the launching It required a complex tandem lifting maneuver, using the emblematic and colossal cranes of the Vigo shipyard to place the structure with millimeter precision on the estuary. The industrial muscle. Behind this technological advance there is a powerful business and institutional alliance. The initiative combines the vast experience in marine structures of Astilleros San Enrique (belonging to the Meridional Group), the technological specialization of the Canarian engineering BlueNewables, and the technical collaboration of Soermar (Society for the Study of Maritime Resources). In addition, the project has the strong financial support of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, and the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) through its RENMARINAS program. On the other hand, it is a breath of fresh air and an opportunity for reinvention for the naval industry. José Luis Torres, general director of the San Enrique Shipyard, emphasizes that this success demonstrates the capacity of the traditional Spanish naval sector to lead cutting-edge developments. Far from remaining anchored in the construction of conventional ships, shipyards demonstrate that they can compete at the highest international level in the new markets opened by the energy transition. Next station: open sea. With the “Paiporta” now afloat, the Spanish industry sends a clear message to the world. In the words of Bernardino Couñagoco-founder and CEO of BlueNewables, this launch places his company “among the world leaders in the marine floating solar sector” and clearly demonstrates the enormous “industrial and technological capabilities that exist in Galicia and Spain to lead innovative energy solutions at an international level.” But the work is not finished. This successful maneuver in Vigo is just a decisive step. Now, the platform leaves behind the safety of the manufacturing phase in the shipyard to head towards the final stages: commissioning, connection and monitoring. When the “Paiporta” reaches the coasts of Valencia, it will have to demonstrate that the engineers’ mathematics can withstand the onslaught of waves and salt. The limit of the earth has already been surpassed; Now it’s time to conquer the horizon. Image | Bluenewables Xataka | Many towns oppose wind farms. In Euskadi they want to solve it the hard way: giving them 7% of their profits

Amazon Prime Day returns in Spain with confirmed dates and benefits

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Amazon announced weeks ago that during this month of June that we have just begun, a new edition of its Prime Day: several days full of bargains, exclusive for Prime members, with which we can save a pinch on technology, home, video games and much more. But it was not until today, June 2, when has confirmed the final dates. Amazon Prime – annual subscription The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Amazon’s Prime Day 2026 arrives at the end of June with four days of offers Specifically, will take place between the 23rd and 26th of this month June. That is to say: it will kick off at midnight from Monday the 22nd to Tuesday the 23rd and will last for four full days, ending at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 26. We therefore have four days ahead of us to take advantage of the thousands of offers that Amazon will launch, compared to two days in previous editions. That is to say, double the time to save us a pinchFor example, in that cheap television that we had been thinking about buying for some time to watch the soccer World Cup. Or in that phone with which to replace our old mobile phone and much, much more. Furthermore, another change that we see this year compared to previous editions of this summer Prime Day is the chosen month. In this sense, the usual thing in recent years was for it to take place in July, but This time it will be done in June. Right now, in fact: exactly, in three weeks. An exclusive campaign for Prime members Like the dates of this Prime Day, Amazon has also announced that It is an exclusive sales campaign for its Prime members. Contrary to what happens with the Spring Sale Festival a few weeks ago or the Black Friday November, whose bargains are accessible to any type of user. So, how to take advantage of the sales this Prime Day if we are not subscribed? Very easy: just enjoy the free trial that Amazon offers for new registrations, which not only opens the doors of Prime Day to us but also allows us to save the cost of shipping, access a wide catalog of movies, series and documentaries through Prime Video and more for thirty days. Amazon Prime – 30 days free trial The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Once we are Prime members, we will be able to access the Prime Day offers which, as in previous years, will have guaranteed discounts on Amazon devices (Kindle, Echo, fire tv…). And also in brands such as Braun, Puma, Samsung and Philips, among othersas they have already confirmed. More offers, now available on AliExpress In case we don’t want to wait until then, right now we have another very powerful one available. AliExpress sales campaign. From yesterday until next June 10, we found bargains in nintendo switch 2, PlayStation 5 Pro, garmin watches, Xiaomi’s best-selling phones and much more in their Summer Promo. Some Amazon deals that you can now take advantage of XIAOMI REDMI Note 15 Pro 5G The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Midea Portasplit Portable Air Conditioner 4 in 1 | 3000 frigories The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | amazon In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Which smart air conditioner to buy. How to choose a connected air conditioning system and featured models

The Chinese brand that sells the most cars in Europe decides on Spain

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MG will manufacture cars in Spain. It is official after weeks of rumors in which we had been hearing that the Spanish region was one of the best positioned to produce cars from the Chinese firm of British origin. It is its first major investment outside China in almost a decade and, without a doubt, an endorsement of its European plans. The advertisement. MG has confirmed it: Galicia is the region chosen for the return to MG manufacturing in Europe. The announcement had been advanced by Alfonso Ruedapresident of the Xunta, this morning but it was not until this afternoon when the MG herself confirmed the news. For months it has been known that the Xunta de Galicia has been in talks with the Chinese brand to settle on Spanish soil for its new arrival in Europe. And in April, Rueda himself held a series of meetings with representatives of the brand between April 23 and 25 in China, according to The Automotive Tribune. The project. The company assures that, from the outset, the project has an investment of 200 million euros and that it will create “more than 2,000 jobs in Europe, establishing a strategic center for the next phase of MG’s growth.” That is, the press release provided by the company does not specify how many of these jobs will be in Spain and how many will be created by the increase in cars in the European market. The company assures that this new plant is scheduled to come into operation in 2028 and that it will have an annual capacity to manufacture up to 120,000 vehicles. At the moment, it has not been confirmed what types of vehicles will be manufactured (pure combustion, hybrid or electric) nor have the models been specified. For its part, in information collected by The Worldthe Xunta raises the figure to 2,300 jobs, of which 1,000 would be direct, another 1,000 indirect and 300 would be related to the company’s activity in As Pontes (a town near Ferrol). In this location, the company is expected to build a components plant. Some doubts. For now, what is known is that the company will establish itself in Ferrol and build an auxiliary plant in As Pontes. The choice of Ferrol is determined by its port, which has already served as a gateway for other Chinese manufacturers for sale in Spain or subsequent distribution throughout Europe. What has not been confirmed, in addition to the type of vehicle used, is what manufacturing method will be carried out. The Chery Group in Barcelona uses the DKD method where the local impact is minimal. The companies (Omoda/Jaecoo/Ebro) have repeated that they will increase the number of operations that will be carried out in Barcelona but, for the moment, the cars arrive semi-assembled in containers and on Spanish soil only the last pieces of the puzzle are being put together. At the moment, in its information SAIC (owner of MG) does not refer to whether the cars will arrive more or less assembled on Spanish soil. The more processes that need to be carried out in the Spanish plant, the more direct jobs and the more work will be given to auxiliary companies in the area. “In Europe, for Europe”. That is, according to MG, the maximum of this landing in Galicia. And the company has found a vein in our continent with the sale of cars with all kinds of technologies at very low prices. In Europe it is the Chinese brand that sells the most carsplacing in 2025 a total of 211,014 units in the European Union and 305,717 units if we put the Nordic countries and the United Kingdom into the equation. These sales are understood because the SAIC Group has found in MG a vein to sell cheaply in Europe. The brand, previously British, is not unknown to the public and both its hybrids and electric ones are cheap compared to traditional European proposals. In Spain, so far this year, the MG ZS is among the 10 best-selling non-plug-in hybrids and is the sixth best-selling car in the sum of all technologies, according to ANFAC data. Furthermore, the brand is the tenth best-selling company in our country. Duty. It remains to be known, as we said, what the bet is in terms of specific models but it is clear that the landing of Chinese brands such as BYD in Hungary and Turkey or the Chery Group in Barcelona is directly associated with the implementation of European tariffs on Chinese electric cars. SAIC, which owns MG, is the company facing the highest tariffs. Manufacturing in Europe may allow them to compete, even more, on price, but the European Union has already made it clear that it will be necessary to make a minimum number of investments to consider that the car is European. This does not mean that the car is electric. Although cars with combustion engines do not have tariffs, rumors point to greater European shielding of their economy. And producing in Europe for Europe can help, even more, to lower the price of cars with combustion engines, partially alleviating the economic effort that the company has to make with electric cars. Photo | MG and Counting Stars In Xataka | Spain has a new brand of Chinese cars and it arrives with an ambitious plan: “Five million units by 2030”

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