Spanish

The Spanish festivals are in crisis for Israel. Meanwhile, Spring Sound has included bombings in Gaza in its poster

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We had not had such a moved season of festivals for years. With the vast majority of the great musical events of summer marked by controversy Related to the KKR Investment Fund, the Spring Soundwhich is celebrated this week in Barcelona, ​​has decided to position itself with an installation halfway between political exhibitionism and the commercial hook. That is pure spring Sound, too. The tunnel. Spring Sound has installed in the PARC of the Fòrum A 15 -meter tunnel that replicates the sounds of the bombings in Gaza. The name of the installation is ‘Unsilence Gaza’, it is the work of the Palestinian sound engineer Oussama Rima and has been done in collaboration with the NGOs Casa Nostra, Casa Vostra and Novact. These have stated that “in spring sounds the sound is emotion, connection, pleasure. But sound can also be the opposite: it can become a weapon.” To this have added a chilling fact: bombings can reach 170 decibels, “much more than the human body can bear.” But … how much of genuine commitment and how much for winking for the gallery in this installation? The problem with KKR. KKR is an American investment fund, one of the world’s largest private capital companies, and whose most criticized activities There are real estate investments in Palestinian territories occupied by Israel, such as Jerusalem Este, Gaza and the West Bank. In 2024, the Fund acquired Supersruct Entertainment, a company that organizes some eighty festivals worldwide and that in Spain is behind events such as Sónar, Arenal Sound, Viña Rock, FIB or Monegros. The reaction of the groups. The response was not long in coming from numerous groups, which They canceled their participation In many of the festivals, and in some cases they launched communications clarifying their exact relationship with KKR. Seventy bandsfor example, they demanded that Sónar a more compromised positioning. Voices have emerged that They ask for the boycott from the festivalsand some like Sónar himself have lost poster heads as ark. At the same time, others Artists like Kase.O either Angelus Apatrida They have decided to keep their commitments to the festivals, which has generated controversy and discomfort with some sectors of their fans. More than festivals. Spring Sound does not have those ties with the KKR, which allows him to adopt a more combative position with respect to Gaza. But he does it in the PS style: for a few years, the festival is giving up the Transformation of Spanish festivals into more than encounters to listen to music. In many of them, the poster becomes something completely secondarybelow socialization: it started years ago with the transformation of the Benicàssim festival at the unavoidable point of meeting of the indie girl Before British invasionand Spring Sound partly collects his witness. And with Noria. Perhaps the spring element that shows the most this option is the Noria that was installed in 2013. Since then they have worked in that direction by approaching the festival more to an leisure center than something else: Food Trucks and gastronomy positions, workshops and activities (many of them oriented to children), Conferencesmultidisciplinary exhibitions, handicraft, fashion and merchandising. An authentic brand and advertising exhibitor, which is the clear current orientation of spring, which in a sense questions its political meaning. It is not Kkr, but. Spring Sound has dodged the summer controversy that has affected practically all its competitors, but it cannot be said that she does not have her own economic commitments. In fact, after its financing There is the American Investment Fund The Yucaipa Companiesled by businessman Ronald Burkle. In that sense the spring Sound is matched with the rest of the festivals: It is a more turned event into a financial asset for foreign billionaires with the excuse of culture. And that it is a business they have never hidden it, as their progressive name changes demonstrate to Estrella Damm Spring Sound or San Miguel Primavera Sound as they were dancing their main sponsors. Ethics of income. Spring Sound financing has always generated innumerable ethical conflicts, as detailed This article by El Salto: Advertising of companies such as SEAT either Spotify while the claim of labor rights is raised; accusations of Purplewashing and Pinkwashing; Propaganda of brands of dubious ethics, for example linked to NFTS … and, in general, marketing of culture, which is always problematic. It spoke in depth by cross in A series of three controversial articles about the birth and evolution of the festival, and that made clear its abundant contradictions. It does not leave Barcelona. The reason that spring sounds so consciously the flag of Catalanity (and with it, of a certain political activism) is precisely that He has not managed to leave Catalonia. The international spring expansion Sound has been a failure: it closed All its Latin American editions In 2024 after the fiasco that supposed The 2024 edition in Madrid. Actually, the latter was the result of a tense Pulse with the Barcelona City Council where interests much more substantial than music were at stake. A series of sticks for the Financial of the Festival, which retains only the first of its first international expansions, Porto, Out of Barcelona. Intermediate point. Spring Sound is a first -order tourist attraction for Barcelona (left 272 million euros in the city in 2024according to a study by the MKTG Spain consultant). Thus, he plays (despite those nonsense with Madrid that They did not set For reasons that have nothing to do with their catalanity) not to lose their purely Catalan identity, with actions of the foundation linked to local training (many of their courses have joined the autonomy study programs). And within that identity is the claim in favor of Gaza, which maintain constant and explicit in aspects such as the programming of Radio Primavera Sound, where they do not have fear of positioning yourself. Business is Business. Spring Sound is a business, and that is why you have to take any type of positioning with tweezers: remember the … Read more

Spanish universities controlled online exams with facial recognition. AEPD has decided that it is enough

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The Spanish Agency for Data Protection (AEPD) has reached a clear conclusion about the use of biometric systems with artificial intelligence in online university evaluation. There is no possibility that they can be used legally, at least without a specific enabling law. The trigger. The AEPD has presented A complaint against the International University of Valencia. The VIU had been using a system that combined use of artificial intelligence tools with double camera recording (which the student must contribute) to monitor online tests. It is a practice that It has been doing for more than three yearsand that the agency has sanctioned rejecting the legitimacy of this data processing. Viu is not alone. The International University of Valencia is not an isolated case. Some of the most prestigious in Spain, such as University of BurgosUniversity Isabel I, European University, or the University of La Rioja have been implementing this system for years. It is a solution to the growing demand for 100% online training, with tools that allow the student to monitor without the need for the exams in person. The main objective, according to universities, is to avoid fraud and impersonations of identity during evaluations. The culprit. Smowl, this is the name of The online exam supervision tool. This solution, designed for both business and academic use, allows monitoring with webcam, extra camera, browser block, eyelashes control and, ultimately, replaces human role in exam supervision. In the case of the UIV, it was guaranteed that these data were pseudo and eliminated “quickly”, although it recognized that the processing of these data meant “a very high impact risk for the rights and freedoms of the affected people” The universities are covered in which it is the student who gives their consent to the use of these tools by accepting the general conditions of the course in which it has enrolled. The AEPD has another opinion. There is no legislation that covers its use. Universities are shielding that it is the student who gives their consent to the use of these tools by accepting the general conditions of the course in which it has enrolled. The AEPD has another opinion. “The consent cannot be considered valid because there was no real and effective alternative to students as the software used is the only method allowed to perform online exams. Their rejection by students involved losing their right to evaluation. Nor is the mandatory acceptance of general conditions to enroll when enrolled.” These data are of special category and are regulated by Article 9 of the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD) Since 2022. According to the agency, there is currently no legitic exception in said article or a specific legal framework that enables these practices. It is also rejected that students can give consent, having no alternative available. But it doesn’t close the door. Data protection does not close the door completely to these types of systems. Specifies that it is necessary to develop specific regulations to determine “in what cases, conditions and under what guarantees this biometric treatment can be carried out”. “ Currently, without frame in which to protect yourself, the use of these tools will be subject to sanction for breach of the GDPR. A deep modification of the regulation would not be necessary, it would suffice with an exception that specifically reflect these scenarios of use. Facial recognition in Spain. It is not the first time that Spain calls into question the use of this type of systems. The OBERTA UNIVERSIDAD DE CATALUÑA was sanctioned In 2022 with 20,000 for using facial recognition in their exams. Outside the educational field, one of the most popular cases was that of Mercadona, fined 2.5 million euros for a pilot project in which they tested a facial verification system in their supermarkets. At a lower level, local companies have also faced large fines for breaching the regulations of the GDPR in the workday registry through biometry. Despite this, it is a technology used in video surveillance systems, Like Renfeor that of Madrid in its streets with hundreds of cameras with AI to reinforce the security of the capital. Images | Pexels (Andrea Piacquadio), Unspash (Dom Fou) In Xataka | Pau is approaching: here you have all the degrees related to technology and science with its cutting notes

The BAC II will be the new supply ship in Spanish combat. And will have a digital twin

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After being announced almost a year and a half, the Council of Ministers has approved The execution order for the design and construction of a new supply ship in combat of the Spanish Navy. It is a notable project for its budget, but also for its impact on Spanish defense and naval industry. BAC II. This new supply ship will be the third of this type with which Spain will have for logistics missions, after the A-14 Patiño and the A-15 Cantabria. The BAC II will in fact replace the Patiño, which was built in 1993 in the Ferrol shipyards and that faces the last third of its life cycle. Galicia and Ferrol protagonists. The contract has been awarded to The public company Navantiawhich will be carried out in its Ferrol shipyards (La Coruña). That will have a clear positive impact on the employment sector, and according to Pedro Sánchez its construction will imply three million hours of work, it will generate some 1,800 jobs and some 300 companies will participate, 175 of them Galicians. The project has a budget of 650 million euros. Based on Cantabria. The new ship will be based on Cantabria, thrown in 2008 and delivered to the Navy in July 2010. The BAC II will have a 174 -meter length, a 23 -meter sleeve and an 8 -meter draft. It will have an endowment of 164 people and can displace up to 19,500 tons: only the LHD ‘Juan Carlos I’ carrier exceeds it throughout the Navy. It will also be propelled by two diesel engines of 10,890 kW each, which will allow it to reach a maximum speed of 21.3 knots (almost 40 km/h) and an autonomy of 6,000 nautical miles. A very prepared ship. This logistics capacity is complemented by five supply stations (two for each band and one for the stern). It has a crane for movement of containers of up to 20 tons in addition to two others of general load movement and three load elevators. It has a flight cover and a hangar beanger for medium and heavy -type helicopters. It has wastewater treatments, garbage treatment and also a hospital area with intensive care room with four beds, fully equipped consultation and operating room. What does a supply ship. As its predecessors, the BAC II will be destined for fuel supply, food, spare parts and ammunition to the rest of the Navy units, allowing all of them to remain at high seas for long periods. Digital twin. The BAC II will have a “digital twin“, An advanced and dynamic virtual representation of the ship itself. This digital twin receives real -time information from the ship’s systems and sensors, allowing to visualize its status, analyze data and simulate various situations. The latter is especially useful for the formation of the crew but also to test new solutions without risks or costs associated with physical tests. Deadlines. The design of the BAC II will begin immediately and the objective is that its construction can begin in 2026 and be fully operational in 2030, thus coinciding with the withdrawal of the A-14 Patiño. A reinforcement for the Spanish defense industry. This project is approved while interest in Increase defense spending in Europe and Spain. NATO has set the target of defense spending in 2% of GDP, but Trump warned that I had to rise to 5%. In Spain it moves In 1.32%but the goal is to reach 2% in the late decade. In Xataka | Ukraine and Trump’s uncertainty are pushing Europe to recover something until recently anathema: the mili

My new favorite way to learn on any topic is free and is already in Spanish: Notebooklm

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Learning is changing. Or, rather, we are beginning to relear how we learn. With AI as the protagonist. In my case, the click Definitive was caused by a tool: Notebooklm. At first I used it as who tantles a new toy. I uploaded some PDF, he launched some question, compared his answers with those of Chatgpt … I soon started seeing him with other eyes: as a tool to think out loud. Or better: to think accompanied. The moment Eureka He came one night, when I was realizing that there was a book that had been postponing months. It was one of those 300 -page trials that revolve around the same idea, something that sometimes goes very well (‘Atomic habits‘) And others get fatal (‘The monk who sold his Ferrari‘). And he suspected that the second could happen with him. Although I was interested in the subject – the economy of attention – the book was going to stretch it to exhaustion. So I uploaded it to notebooklm and I asked him to do something better than a summary: a conversation, a podcast. I asked him to simulate a talk between two voices to comment on the book, his ideas, his implications, his weak points. The result surprised me. It was not a memorable podcast, but interesting enough to stay attentive for eleven minutes while doing dinner. It was a way of knowing if it was worth going further. After eleven minutes listening to circular discussions around the same idea, I decided not to do it. I will end up throwing some diagonal reading to chapters that interest me especially, but I will hardly invest the time to read it completely. The next day I was repeating the experiment. This time with ‘The love algorithm‘, which is presented as an investigation into Tinder but actually goes much further. Explore the cross between technology, psychology, surveillance capitalism and human relations. Each chapter opens a new line of reflection: the way in which desire is constructed, the way in which algorithms condition us, what ‘consent’ means in a digital environment. That book was perfect for Notebooklm. It generated a rich conversation, without resulting, with diverse ideas that are linked and discussed. He did not take away the desire to read it, on the contrary. He convinced me that it was a great idea. Beyond the podcast, I took advantage that I had at hand ‘OPERATION ELOP‘, the book that speaks of the last years of Stephen Elop in front of Nokia, just before the sale to Microsoft. It was great to see his “line of study”, which even proposes a questionnaire to see if you understood the ideas well and retweet the information or not. Image: Xataka. And you can go beyond books, of course. Take a few PDFs and discuss them. The same with articles with a conductive thread. The possibility of creating podcasts ad hoc Personalized – not something done for thousands, but for oneself – is bestial. Sometimes they are voices that arise from admiration, others from suspicion. Of course, It is not perfect. I would love to adjust the duration of the audio. There are issues that could be dispatched in five minutes. Others well deserve an hour of debate. The personalization that allows right now is scarce, and summaries are rather short. There are also limits: sometimes omits relevant data or remains superficial. And of course, The dreaded hallucinations with which you have to go with lead feet. Even with those failures, it is still useful as the first pass, as a tanteo before knowing if it is worth deepening more. Or to give us a first varnish of knowledge. And something very valuable: It is we who put the sources. We do not listen to generalities difficult to draw or limit ourselves to completely alien editorial decisions. Your interests, your compilations, your readings. Notebooklm does not replace reading or study, but it is A new entrance door. Fast, accessible, almost playfulto understand what something is going on. That previous decision, in this world of information on information and entertainment, is a good compass. And one last lesson: the well -managed AI does not take away the work of learning, it takes away your fear of starting. In Xataka | Google has put a price on the future of AI: $ 250 per month Outstanding image | Xataka with Mockuuuups Studio

Many Spanish music festivals are financed by an Israeli fund. And some are already distance

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After the recent one Eurovision Festivalthe presence of Israeli capital in events around the world begins to be discussed by activists and even by certain governments, as in Spain. Israel has become a uncomfortable presence For certain cultural events and many music festivals, such as Sónar, they are checking it in recent weeks. Sónar takes a step. He Sonar Electronic Music Festival He has distanced himself from the KKR Investment Fund, current owner of the festival through an intermediary company, in a movement that culminates a few days scrambled in the Spanish scene of large festivals. Public opinion and many groups have been contrary to the interference of the company, with pro-Israeli interests, at several festivals. Sónar has expressed With a statement its “solidarity with the Palestinian civilian population trapped in the humanitarian catastrophe that is lived in Gaza.” It is the second one that broadcasts in a few days, after one that He was criticized for his excessive warmth. This statement is a simple declaration of intentions, since Sónar will continue to be the property of KKR. What is KKR? An American investment fund whose acronym corresponds to Kohlberg, Kravis and Roberts, surnames of its founders, and which has established itself as one of the world’s largest private capital companies, with assets of more than 400,000 million dollars. Among the most criticized kkr activities There are real estate investments in Palestinian territories occupied by Israel, such as Jerusalem Este, Gaza and the West Bank. KKR also controls Guesty, an Israeli platform for real estate property management, which reinforces his presence in the country’s housing sector. KKR has also invested in Israeli technology and cybersecurity companies, As Optivwhich was founded by former intelligence ex officers of the Army of Israel. Finally, Henry Kravis, KKR co -founder, is an acquaintance donor of cultural and political initiatives promoted by Israel and has financially supported US politicians aligned with Israeli interests. Within your team there are Figures like David Petraeusformer director of the CIA and president of the group in the Middle East, which makes clear their interests in the region. Festival intervention. A week ago, the newspaper El Salto He published an article About how KKR had acquired in 2024 Supersruct Entertainment for 1.3 billion euros. It is a company that organizes some eighty festivals worldwide and that in Spain is behind events as known as Sónar, Arenal Sound, or are Do Camiño, Love The 90s, Resurrection, Viña Rock, FIB, Monegros, Brava Madrid, Tsunami Xixón or Granada Sound, among many others until they add about twenty of them. At the moment, Sónar is the only one that has been unmarked from the policy of the investment firm, ensuring that he had no “control” on the company’s investments or decisions. Groups that protest. Although the festivals have not been unmarked from the presence of KKR, many groups have done so, especially those linked to social causes. Some of them They are repeat offenders, Fermín Muguruza, Non Servium, the last Ke Zierre, Sinkope, Kaos Urbano or Porretas. And the Spanish case is not unique: the London platform Boiler Roomwhich broadcasts live music sessions throughout the world, has also been acquired by KKR. The DJ and Producer Ikonika and the DJ Beatrice M are two of the artists who have announced their withdrawal from the festival that the company planned to organize in summer. Boiler Room has issued a statement In which he says that the sale has been a decision of his current owners, in which the team has not been able to influence. More festivals. The movement of the groups (and the Very visible action of civil movements such as the known as BDS movement of Boicot, divestments and sanctions against Israel) has encouraged several festivals to join Sónar, as Eldiario.es. This is what Sharemusic!, Organizers of the 90’s, love the twenties or i love reggaeton (“we want to express our total condemnation to the violence that the Palestinian people”), and Rock vineyard (They condemn “without nuances the massacre that the Palestinian people are suffering”). Both, such as Boiler Room and Sónar, clarify that despite the fact that the festivals are owned by KKR, this does not influence the programming or convictions of the teams. Government support. That the music festivals have become a center of attention for their relationship with Israel’s policies are framed in a much narrower observation of different cultural manifestations, with which it seems no longer to serve That “apolitical entertainment”. To the rejection of the bands to the festivals and the dust that has raised the result of Eurovision, the government positions are added. Last Saturday, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, said the KKR fund “It’s not welcome” in Spain and commented on the “penetration” at music festivals. After Eurovision, Pedro Sánchez himself requested the Exclusion of Israel from international cultural eventslike the festival itself.

Orange has a silent plan to reign in Spanish telecos: get with all Masorange

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Orange has begun to contact international investment banks, according to Expansionto prepare an offer for 50% of Masorange that does not control. It has reserved 4,400 million euros – processes of the megadividndo generated during the merger – specifically for that operation. The main vendors would be the providence funds (14.8%), KKR (13.4%) and Cinven (12.1%), together with Spanish minority shareholders. Why is it important. This movement can mark a turning point in the Spanish telecommunications market, where Orange wants to go from being one more competitor – the third operator, in fact – becoming a dominant giant. Give continuity to the process initiated with the fusion of MasMóvil and Orange Spain that culminated with Masorange. If materialized, this operation could influence competition, prices and services offered to millions of users Between the lines. He Timing The operation speaks for itself. Although the shareholders pact establishes that until September 2025 the works for a possible OPV cannot be formally initiated, Orange is already moving file. This anticipation shows the strategic importance that the French gives to the Spanish market … … but also its determination to avoid any possible complication or competitor interested in this participation. Orange CEO, Christel Heydemann, already dropped clues during the last presentation of results When mentioning that “the OPV was not the only option” and remember that they kept the 4.4 billion intact to “maintain all open options.” A clear sign of your will to explore other ways beyond the OPV. In perspective. This operation marks the final episode of European consolidation, where three large groups – Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Orange – are gradually creating an increasingly structured continental oligopoly. Spain, considered so far one of the most competitive markets in Europe and with relatively low prices, can begin to raise prices in the face of lower competition. Movistar, meanwhile, Has Vodafone Spain in the Diana and Digi. For Orange, converting Spain into its second most important market after France has enormous strategic value: It allows you to diversify risks to the regulatory pressure of your domestic market. And makes him gain financial muscle on the European stage. And now what. Although the formal operation cannot be closed until March 2026 (when the two -year period expires during which the sale of shares according to the fusion pact) is prohibited, everything indicates that Orange and the funds will prefer a direct sale instead of an OPV. An IPO to brush would complicate both parties: Orange would have a subsidiary quoted with greater obligations of rePorting And the funds would be forced to sell packages progressively. The greatest question is not whether Orange will complete the absorption, but how the Spanish market will be once you have total Masorange control. And, incidentally, if regulators will have something to say about this concentration of power in a sector as special as that of telecos. Chair change in Brussels, from Vestager to Riberayou can remove obstacles with European consolidation on the horizon. The key is no longer so much in itself, Orange will complete the operation, but how it could impact the Spanish market if consummated. And, incidentally, if regulators will have something to say about this concentration of power in a sector as special as that of telecos. In Xataka | The service that nobody wants to give but we all pay: this is how the universal internet works in Spain Outstanding image | Orange

Opposite is the boring dream of millions of people. And the Spanish fashion writer has made him a book

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“I tell the people I appreciate, he said, so I also tell you, that the important thing in work is security,” says the official Beni to her young interim partner Sara, thus encouraging her to oppose. We could change those names for almost any other because, although they are the ones he uses Sara Mesa In his latest novel ‘Opposition‘They are the reflection of a reality. And the writer captures the thought of the majority of the Spanish population with her last work: the tranquility of a stable work is synonymous with a public square. Once again, the writer of the awkward truths tells us about a fact that floods the conversations and the future of the population. The study ‘State of the discomfort: the labor turn towards the public sector’, prepared by OPPOSITATESThe states that seven out of ten Spaniards would leave a stable job in the private sector for a fixed position in the public sector. Besides, it makes clear Who would lead that change; 72% of women would abandon the private sector because of that dream of conciliation and stability that seduces the official, something that especially captivates the strip between 18 and 24 years. All this added to the duration of the working day, the possibility of accessing a better retirement or the good eyes of the banks when admitting a mortgage of a public worker. Being an official in Spain looks like a vital option More than attractive. (Unspash) In addition, the pulse of society is marked by social networks, and it is clear the interest among a sector of the population to oppose when there are many Dedicated videos To this on platforms like Tiktok. Give advice for the study, what you should know before starting, hauls of material … All this enjoys great success Within the vertical video platform. But there is even more revealing fact and that it seems that Sara Mesa drinks in ‘opposition’: the 42.4% Of these young people between 18 and 24, they confess that they consider opposing or are opposing for the fear that the employment situation raises. A writer who radiography to society Sara Mesa has become In a key figure of literature in Spainwith a work that challenges you and many times it bothers you. His narration feeds on what defines us as a society, of what blushes us as individuals, and becomes that internal voice and at the same time that is installed in your thoughts, moving as a dictation, word by word to the paper. That theme that frames us and places, in this case in the world of oppositions, serves to talk about many issues and set a photograph of the now. Already in ‘Scar‘(2015) tells us about a disturbing love story, but also of guilt, submission or consumerism. On the other hand, in ‘Bread face‘(2018) faces us without surroundings with the taboo and with the discomfort when narrating the relationship between an adolescent and an older man, exploring and exploring the issue of maladjustment. With ‘A love‘(2020) and its subsequent adaptation to the big screen by Isabel Coixet, tells us obsessions and drives, shows us a little explored place of female desire in its most primitive form, while reflecting on social classes or types of male. With the interesting elections made by Coixet in its adaptation of 2023 we can see in image that internal dialogue of Nat, as well as the roughness and acidity of the work. Already in 2022, ‘A family‘, repeated the pattern of addressing a topic that would already give for books and books such as family relationships, but took the opportunity to touch insecurities, emotional education and how power within relationships is an actor who forges and molds them. Its wealth is that, despite the variety of stories, the magnetic pen, dark and polished table is not lost at any time; Like your star theme, incommunication. Word after word we see on paper a complete breakdown of human relationships in the purest style Sally Rooney; immersing ourselves in the cause of the beginning of that personal connection between the characters, and the uncertainty and knot in the throat that holds the end of it. The terrifying hope of knowing your future On this occasion, ‘opposition’, it is a precise portrait of the pressure of a society that offers the opposition world as the only profitable future. The author introduces us to Sara, a young woman who has achieved an interim post in an administration office and who considers that the opposition may be the next logical step in her future. We find a reading of the public institutions that shows enough sneer, but without forgetting to be truthful and scathing. Sara arrives at a job where he literally has nothing to do, immersing himself to the Kundera in the unbearable lightness of the administration and thus beginning the doubt, tedium and discomfort. Those rigid hierarchiesthe hostility of the environment, the absurdity of many of the tasks of the official and unconditional obedience are wearing the protagonist, which is strengthening in his psyche the idea of ​​moving away from that day of the Marmota that replaces Bill Murray’s bed with an immense building that catches you and tries to expel you. The anguish of what your day to day will be after the opposition is another cause of restlessness. What is left of life is going to be like that? It is the question that, as a ghost, is around the protagonist daily, and what most likely is the same issue that much of the public staff is done and, why not say it, also the rest of society. Face to face we face what we are willing to give up To submit to the rigidity and stability it offers, such as a siren song, the public administration. The wet dream of all Spanish: a little year in a ministry. It would be perhaps a more simplistic story if we only stay in that layer, speaking of … Read more

Spanish bank has made a “confiscatory” tax in Confetti for its party: 8.4 billion benefits

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8,487 million euros. That is the joint benefit of the six great banks quoted in Spain during the first quarter of 2025. 27% more than a year ago, according to The economist. The most striking thing is that they have achieved it in full application of the extraordinary government of the Government, to which They called “Confiscator”, “disproportionate” and “harmful to the stability of the financial system.” That tax has ended up being a mere accounting score. A cost that can be moved, adjust, deduce. In summary: overcome. Why is it important. Because it shows a historical constant: when trying extraordinary to financial power, it reacts extraordinarily effectively. And because he talks about systemic inequality: a citizen cannot choose when and how to pay their taxes, but a bank does. And you can even earn more money along the way. In detail. Of the 1.4 billion euros that the bank tax was supposedly costing this year, only 351 million have impacted the first quarter accounts. Not because it has been repealed. But because this year is prorated. The regulations allow deductions of up to 25% of the tax base, a circumstance that financial entities have taken advantage of to optimize their results. Bankinterdirectly, will not pay anything this year or the one that comes. Thanks to the deductions of the Corporation Tax, its fiscal invoice has been zero. CaixaBankthat does pay, it is almost the one that wins the most: +46.2% benefit. He Santander It reduces its tax burden of 74%, and earns 3,402 million. And the BBVAin a context of downward types, its results improves 22.7%. Between bambalins. The strategy is double: accountant and narrative. Accounting, the tax is fractional and make up with deductions. Narratively, the sector projected a resistance image. But the reality is that the tax has not altered the fundamental: Has not stopped profitability (Rote up to 20%). It has not reduced dividends. The business trend has not changed: in Spain, banks grow 48%. The banks expressed concern about the impact, but the adaptation of their fiscal strategies has considerably damping the effect they had planned. The backdrop. In 2024, The tax was loadedand the bank raised his voice. But since then they have learned to manage it. The new design gives them air. A “fiscal air” that allows them to continue flying although in theory they carry ballast in the form of extra tax load. In addition, this fiscal relief more than compensates for the setback in the margin of interest, which falls 3.95% due to the decrease of types. But The gross margin rises 8.31%thanks especially to commissions … already the aforementioned tax adjustments. In perspective. While the general economy looks at the Iribor of side and keeps inflation, the banking sector demonstrates adaptation to the fiscal environment. They have not only avoided the coup, but continue to meet objectives before shareholders and investors. And incidentally, they leave a message to the markets: not even before a sudden tax its benefits are stopped. Outstanding image | BBVA In Xataka | The sweet moment of Revolut: Duplicates his profits in 2024 and aspires to become a whole rule

Spanish nuclear have been criticized for their role in the blackout. This was what they did before, during and after collapse

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On April 29, just a few hours after Total collapse of the electricity grid Spanish, Pedro Sánchez, the president of the Government of Spain, He made these statements: “Citizens should know that during this crisis nuclear power plants, far from being a solution, have been a problem Because they were turned off. And it has been necessary to divert large amounts of energy to maintain their stable nuclei. At this time there are two nuclear centrals activated, and they are not because they are needed, but because their activation was already planned. “ His words require several nuances if we want to know in some detail what was the role of Spanish nuclear facilities in this incident and what they did before, during and after the total blackout. The first thing is worth repairing is that only three of the seven nuclear reactors of the Spanish park were turned off: the Trillo because the technicians were recharging fuel barsand those of Almaraz I and chests due to the needs that the electric market had at that time. The other four nuclear reactors, those of Almaraz II, Ascó I and II and Vandellós II, were operating normally before the blackout occurred. If we have this present the statement of Pedro Sánchez in which he argues that “(…) nuclear power plants, far from being a solution, have been a problem because they were turned off (…)” is not right. As we have just seen, Four reactors were delivering electricity to the network with total normality. In any case, the most interesting is what happened just when the collapse occurred. Security systems went into action to guarantee a safe stop Nuclear reactors are prepared to stop fission reactions whenever. The procedure that is used, very broadly, consists of introducing the control bars in the active section of the vessel, which are made of metal alloys of boron, cadmium or hafnio because these chemical elements have the ability to absorb a large number of neutrons. Fission reactions stop very quickly thanks to the effect of control bars, but, and this is very important, nuclear reactors have a great thermal inertia. This simply means that once the flow of neutron has stopped completely the reactor continues to generate residual heat due to the disintegration of products derived from nuclear fission. The main consequence of this behavior is evident: It is essential to sustain core cooling of the reactor even although this machine has stopped by introducing the control bars and modifying the composition of the refrigerant By adding boric acid to the primary circuitwhich also has a very high index of neutron absorption. Active and liabilities refrigeration systems must ensure that residual heat does not compromise the integrity of the reactor Active and passive cooling systems have to ensure that residual heat does not compromise the integrity of the reactor, and, curiously, thermal inertia can last even for several days. When on April 28 there was the collapse of the Electric Red the four reactors that were in operation were automatically stopped and the security systems that have been designed to hold a safe stop were activated. The first thing that happened was that autonomous diesel generators started automatically and generated the electricity that was necessary at that time to keep the entire installation on a safe stop. Everything was executed as planned according to the Nuclear Safety Council. A few hours later, when the supply of electricity from abroad resumed, the autonomous diesel groups were disconnected and the emergency plan was deactivated. From that moment on, nuclear centrals have been resuming the production of electricity, although before doing so the technicians have carried out the security checks that are necessary. An important note once we have reached this point: the recovery of the activity of nuclear power plants and their synchronization with the electricity grid are carried out as the system operator, which is Red Eléctrica de España, and the electricity market requires it. A week after the total blackout we have no solid reason to conclude that Spanish nuclear power plants have put us in danger. Image | Nuclear forum More information | Nuclear forum In Xataka | China and Russia have an extremely ambitious plan: in 2028 they will build a nuclear power plant on the moon

A Norwegian company is building an empire buying Spanish software startups for SMEs. With patience and without mergers

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Norway houses one of the biggest Spanish software startup buyers, although not well known beyond the niche niche. With five acquisitions since 2021 and more than 250 million euros invested in Spain, Visma has become a fundamental actor in the national technology and entrepreneuraccording to a long analysis of EcoTechers. Operational independence as a management model The Nordic giant broke into the Spanish market in 2021 with The acquisition of HoldedBarcelona business management software, which disbursed more than 190 million euros. Since then, has incorporated to declaring, woffu, quaderno and, The most recent, Tugesto, A Valencian startup that was participated by Angels, Juan Roig’s investment society, president of Mercadona. “I would expect something more this year for own ambition and project ambition. 2025 and 2026 are going to be years of many outings of Private Equity who entered the year 2021 and 2022. We are already beginning to see movements, “says Miguel García-Paredes, responsible for mergers and acquisitions for Spain and Portugal of Visma, according to EcoTechers. The most striking of its strategy is that, unlike other corporate buyers, Visma maintains companies acquired as independent entities, retaining their brands and management teams. “The idea of ​​visma is to set up an ecosystem rather than also from entrepreneurs and conserve the entrepreneur,” said García-Paredes. This philosophy was evident after the recent purchase of Tugesto. As reports The economist“It will continue to operate as an independent company under the same name and address.” Manuel Fandos, CEO of Tugesto, said That this union represents “a unique opportunity to revolutionize business management together, especially in a market such as payroll software, where much remains to be achieved and innovate in Spain.” Who is visma: the discreet multinational Founded in 1996 by merger It was privatized by the HG capital fund. Currently, its shareholding is distributed mainly between HG Capital (70%) and the Sustain Fund of Singapore GIC (14%). The company has closed the year 2024 with 2.8 billion euros of income, a growth of 17%, and 893 million EBITDA (+26.6%)according to data provided to EcoTechers. In Spain, where it has more than 400 employees, it hopes to reach 60 million billing this year. “Spain is one of the highest growth for visma,” said Merete Hverven, CEO of the group, to The economist In 2023. “From our landing in 2021, we grow at a rate of 70%.” Visma has perfected its acquisition strategy after More than 373 completed operations worldwide. Only between 2023 and 2024 closed more than 70 purchases. In Spain, its focus is on SME -centered software startupsan easy pattern to detect seeing your history. According to García-Paredes, they look for companies that meet or approach the “40 rule” for software, that is, the sum of the percentage of income in income and the Ebitda margin is equal to or greater than 40. The company, which has a presence in 27 countries in Europe and Latin America, sees in Spain a strategic market for its size – almost 50 million inhabitants – and for the “growing advance of digitalization”, factors that predict that there will be more acquisitions in the future. Outstanding image | VISMA In Xataka | The technological basis of quantum computers developed in Europe: what happened so that in the long term we lost the race

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