Stopping

Japan’s problem is not that it is stopping having babies at a record speed. It’s just that he did it 17 years earlier than he should have.

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If there is a way out of demographic pitJapan still hasn’t found it. And not for lack of effort. Although all your effortsof the imagination and million-dollar investment that has been allocated to birth policies, its balance of births continues to be disastrous. The last one has just been published by the Government and shows that in 2025 they were born in Japan 15,179 fewer babies than in 2024. It is the tenth consecutive year of decline, a new historical low and above all a scenario in which Japan did not expect to find itself until 2042. The question is: Is Tokyo willing to cover this birth rate disaster with a greater migratory flow, the demographic table that keeps afloat other countries? What has happened? that Japan has received a hard bath of demographic reality, something that is beginning to be common. The Ministry of Health has just published the birth rate for 2025, a document that leaves little room for optimism. Throughout last year, 705,809 babies were born in the country, a bad figure no matter how you look at it. It represents the lowest record since statistics began to be compiled in 1899, and above all it confirms that the birth rate has been declining for ten consecutive years… with no prospect of improvement. In annual terms, these 705,809 births represent a decrease of 2.1% compared to 2024. If we look further back, to the last decade, the drop is around 30%. The only good news is that the data improves (slightly) some forecasts launched by the Japanese press a few months ago and that the speed at which the birth rate falls seems to be slowing down little by little. At least it is lower than that of the 2022-2024 period, when it exceeded 5% annually. Is it that bad news? Yes. For several reasons. The main one is that the Japanese demographic crisis is worsening much faster than the Government believed, which years ago prepared for a pessimistic scenario. In 2023 the National Population and Security Research Institute and Social Security (IPSS) published a report in which it calculated that the number of annual births would not decrease to 700,000 until 2042. The reality is that the country has already moved within that range in 2025, 17 years than expected. What’s more, the IPSS estimated that 774,000 babies would be born in 2025. The actual data that we know today (705,809) is closer to its most pessimistic projection (681,000). Why is it a problem? Because Japan is proving that, despite its multiple attempts, it has not managed to close its demographic gap. It is not just that their birth rate is falling, it is that vegetative growth (difference between births and deaths) gives clear alarm signals. Although the deaths have decreased by 0.8%the Japanese population shrank by 899,845 people last year. Media like Nikkei either The Japan Times In recent hours, they have published analyzes that warn of the gradual aging of the country and (above all) the pressure it puts on its social security system and pensions. There will be something positive, right? More or less. The statistics leave some positive readings or that show possible paths to follow, although with nuances. For example, in 2025 marriages increased slightly compared to the previous year (1.1%) to reach 505,656. The question is whether this rebound is the result of the hangover from the pandemic, when many couples postponed their weddings. Another curious fact is that there are territories that seem to have hit the right demographic key: in Tokyo the births increased by about 1.3% last year, reaching 88,518, and it is estimated that its metropolitan area accounts for almost a third (30%) of all births registered in the country. What is the solution? The big question. The difficult thing is to answer it. Japan has tried with economic and labor incentives, programs for pair…Everything to boost your birth rate, a goal to which you have dedicated millions and millions. It has been of little use to him. There are those who believe that in this scenario a possible salvation is to rethink the national immigration policy. “Refusing to accept an adequate flow of migrants is not only ignoring economic reality, but giving up on our collective future,” pointed recently to The World Akito Tanaka, from the Migrant Solidarity Network. “Policies that are increasingly limiting the entry of foreign workers are exacerbating precisely this problem,” Tanaka insists.who warns that Japan faces “an unprecedented demographic crossroads.” The latest data from the Ministry of Health actually leaves an interesting idea: the 705,809 babies registered in Japan in 2025 not only correspond to births to parents of Japanese origin, but also include foreigners. What is Tokyo’s position? It does not seem very willing to bet on foreigners to revive its population. In fact just yesterday transcended that Japan’s immigration agency has tightened the guidelines that applicants for permanent residence must comply with. In practice the changes make it more difficult meet the requirements to obtain the visa, for which it is key to demonstrate good conduct and financial self-sufficiency, among other conditions. It’s not exactly new. It has been known for months that the government of the conservative Sanae Takaichi was planning double the time minimum stay that foreigners must remain in Japan to qualify for citizenship. Can it change? In the midst of an avalanche of international tourism (which has generated multiple tensions between foreign visitors and the native population) the presence of foreigners has become a relevant issue in Japanese politics. In fact, after taking the reins of the Government, Takaichi did not take long to promote an immigration policy that revolves around regulations with an eloquent name: “Law for a society of orderly coexistence with foreigners.” His last results at the polls They show that their position does not upset the electorate. Image | Andrew Leu (Unsplash) In Xataka | If Korea believes it is experiencing a demographic crisis, it is because it does not … Read more

We have been dreaming of stopping aging for centuries. The question is if we are finally achieving it: Crossover 1×37

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Myths such as that of the fountain of eternal youth have helped human beings through the ages. let’s dream of not aging and living forever. Reality is still cruel: Although life expectancy has increased, we age without seeming to slow it down. But there are those who argue that there may be. In this episode we have spoken with Dr. José Hernández, longevity expert and founder of a clinic specialized in Age Reversal, to understand what aging really is, why it is considered a disease today, and what technologies could allow us to go back biologically. In this debate we talk about information theory and epigenetic damage, cellular reprogramming, or how there are already large companies —and some billionaires— investing significantly in this. In fact, the most advanced science is accompanied by methods that seem much more effective not so much in slowing down aging but in ensuring that our physical condition is much better when this process affects us: Physical exercise is an absolute pillar of longevityassures this expert. Of course there are other factors that influence – diet and genetics, of course, do – but we are dealing with a question that has opened numerous avenues of research, some of which are promising. Who knows what can happen. On YouTube | Crossover In Xataka | Don’t tell me your age, tell me your grip strength: how simple gestures tell us how well we are aging

Spain is stopping making its potato tortillas at home. And that is why the Mercadona supplier is growing by 20%

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After decades of debate Spain hasn’t decided yet Whether or not the tortilla should contain onion, what thousands and thousands of Spaniards do seem to be clear about is that the ideal is for someone else to cook it. More and more people prefer to go from peeling potatoes, heating oil and making their own tortillas to buying them directly at the supermarket. And so is making gold to one of Mercadona’s allied companies, a Navarrese firm which in 2025 increased its turnover by 20% to reach almost 200 million euros and this year it hopes to make another growth spurt to reach 230. It is the financial data of a company in the food sector, but it also tells us a lot about the market and our consumer habits. Sincebollists V.S. concebollistas. It is not easy to classify the Spanish population into tight compartments, but there is something that does not fail: the majority of 49.4 million of people who live in this country can be defined as sincebollists either concebollistas depending on whether you prefer the potato omelette (one of the great emblems of the native cuisine) with or without onion. The curious thing is that both seem to increasingly opt to abandon the stove and buy ready-made tortillas. At least that’s what they suggest. the latest data from Grupo Elaborados Naturales, Mercadona supplier and one of the largest tortilla manufacturers in the country. One figure: 197 million. The company presume that since its founding in 2006, it has managed to achieve “a dizzying pace” of growth of between 15 and 40% annually. 2025 has not been an exception. His last balance shows that last year it had a turnover of 197 million, 20% more than the previous year. This year it hopes to maintain that pace with another growth of 16.7% that will allow it to reach a turnover of around 230 million. As? Basically with your offer of refrigerated and frozen tortillas, although in the HORECA channel (the professional hospitality industry) also works with processed potatoes and vegetables. 2026, big. To achieve this growth, the company has redoubled its industrial muscle. The firm has dedicated approximately 40 million euros to strengthening its facilities, expanding its factory in Funes (Navarra) by 20,000 square meters and equipping itself with 12 new lines which will allow it to double the production capacity in that plant: from 300,000 units per day to 600,000. The company assures that it will also generate hundreds of jobs. In total, the company has three factories: Funes, dedicated to the production of tortillas; that of Corella (Navarra), which combines the manufacture of tortillas with prepared refrigerated potato-based dishes; and Aguilar del Río Alhama (La Rioja), where 150 people work dedicated to cooking migas and ‘fifth range’ foods (ready to eat) with vegetables. Apart from the national market, the company exports to a dozen and a half countries. The (long) shadow of Mercadona. Beyond its production capacity, there is one fact about the company that draws attention: its weight in the sector. Elaborados Naturales has reached a market share in the ‘potato tortillas’ category of 56% in large national distribution. This enormous footprint is better understood when knowing a key fact about the Navarrese company: its alliance with Mercadona. The firm is a supplier to the Juan Roig chain, which has in turn expanded throughout the sector until it has gained a market share of between 25 and 30%a percentage that has been reinforced thanks to its good rhythm of growth. More than just a business balance sheet. The balance sheet of Elaborados Naturales is nothing more than that: the balance sheet of a company in the food industry. If it is interesting to read beyond the company’s offices, it is because it connects with other underlying trends that are clearly identifiable in both the industry and Spanish society. For example, the growing demand of prepared foods. The latest data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MITECO) they talk to us of an increase in the consumption of prepared dishes of around 6% while that of fish, fruits and vegetables declines. Much of it Of that demand is also satisfied in supermarkets. Rain of millions. A good example is Mercadona, which has seen how its line of ready-to-eat dishes has been taking over a growing gap in that business niche. Its success (also supported by white label) is in turn boosting its extensive ecosystem of suppliers, including Elaborados. In fact, the tortilla manufacturer is just one of the many companies that have seen their turnover grow by close to 20% in recent years driven largely by the commercial expansion of the Valencian chain. Images | Kent Wang (Flickr) and Natural Prepared In Xataka | Years ago Mercadona decided to conquer the market with its white brands. And that is making gold for some companies

20 years after Dolly we still haven’t cloned humans, but stopping aging is feasible: Crossover 1×32

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In the summer of 1996, a Scottish laboratory made a breakthrough that would forever alter our understanding of genetics and ignite intense debates about the ethics and the possibilities of cloning. That day Dolly was bornthe first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell. This milestone, achieved by researchers at the Roslin Institute, opened a new era in genetic engineering and shattered the belief that only embryonic cells possess the potential for the complete development of a new individual. Since then there has been debate about the possibility of cloning human beings, but we have not done it and it does not seem that we will ever do it. Serezade, molecular biologist, researcher and scientific communicator, talks to us about that and many other things this week. But we also discussed with her another fascinating topic: how the latest advances seem to be achieving something long sought after: slow aging. There is a lot of fabric to cut here, and for example the environment, culture and habits shape our DNA. But there are also risks, ethics and genetic privacy intertwined. And all this raises a key question: does it make sense to be immortal? On YouTube | Crossover In Xataka | The promise of 120 years is dismantled: biology sets a life ceiling that is quite difficult to break

We Spaniards are stopping having Christmas trees because they don’t fit in our house. So there are already companies renting them

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The year or the city doesn’t matter. At least in Spain, Christmas usually comes accompanied by a series of images that are repeated December after December, invariably: streets full of colored ledsbalconies in which they begin to appear papanoels and other Christmas decorations, shop windows in which gold, silver and reddish colors suddenly predominate… and living rooms in which trees full of tinsel and garlands sprout overnight. Year after year the same questions are also repeated: better natural or artificial tree? And above all… What the hell do we do with it after Epiphany, when it’s time to pick up the decorations? Where do we store it, if we already have the storage room all the way up? There are those who have seen In those doubts a promising business. Tree Earrings. There is no Christmas without decorations. And there is no Christmas decoration worth its salt without a good tree. It’s been like this all our lives, but just in case there were any doubts, cities like Vigo, Barcelona, Badalona either Madriddetermined to build gigantic trees in the heart of the urban area. Something similar happens in businesses, offices and homes. People demand trees (both artificial and natural), something that is felt in the nurseries and the big chains of decoration. As a reference, the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) estimates that each year they are sold in the US between 25 and 30 million of natural Christmas trees, which requires a huge plantation with hundreds of millions of copies distributed throughout the country. The dilemma, whether you choose real or fake fir trees, is… What to do with them later? A question, a business. There are those who have seen that question and the demand for Christmas trees as a business. After all… Why rack your brains choosing decorations, assembling them, disassembling them and then looking for a place to store them for months if we can pay a company to take care of everything? Or better yet, what if instead of buying the tree we rented it? Leasing trees may sound strange, but there comes a quick search on Google to find a few companies that operate in Spain and they dedicate precisely to that: to temporarily give up trees full of lights in exchange for a fee. The offer is wide and includes everything from small specimens to others of large size and size, for both indoor and outdoor spaces. But is it a business? Yes. The holidays may only last a few weeks, but if companies like Ximenezthe Córdoba company that has been in charge of setting up decorations in Vigo, Madrid, Barcelona or Milan, is that Christmas decorations can become a million dollar business. After all, it is not only families who demand decoration. Governments and companies of all kinds also do it, from businesses that do not have space to store decorations the rest of the year to hotels that need trees for their living rooms and hallways. In a warehouse in Madrid… One of the most popular Christmas tree rental companies in Spain is B&M, a family business with twenty years of experience that works from a warehouse in Tetuán, Madrid. Recently those responsible they explained to The Spanish Newspaper Every campaign, about 200 trees come out of there ready to decorate and that the company itself is in charge of collecting once the holidays are over. Their work involves several challenges, such as matching the taste of their clients and coordinating the logistics that require dismantling and removing 200 trees during the second week of January. “The pickup is intense because on the 9th everyone wants you to pick it up.” “Three, four hours at least”. The company also makes it clear that although it may seem like a simple task, preparing the ideal tree requires work. First they convey a proposal to the clients. Then they shape it. “A four or five meter tree is a job for five or six people, who have to spend at least three or four hours on it,” clarifies the signaturewhich explains, for example, that there are businesses that want trees with their corporate colors. How much do these services cost? In your website There are rates (with delivery and collection service included) ranging from 265 to 2,800 euros, without VAT. It all depends on the tree you want. They range from 1.5 to five meters. Are there more options? Yes. The demand for Christmas decoration is intense enough that it has encouraged other businesses, such as those that are committed to sustainability and offer a rent in pot. Your proposal? Instead of buying a plastic tree or taking a felled fir, rent one that you can place in your house alive, with its pot. Once in your living room you can decorate and take care of it and after Christmas the company will collect it to take it to a forest or to its nursery of origin. Images | Arun Kuchibhotla (Unsplash) and Jared Lind (Unsplash) In Xataka | Without knowing it, we all honor Thor during Christmas thanks to a pagan ritual: the Christmas tree

Spain is rapidly stopping consuming it and no one has convincing explanations

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There was a time when many things could be missing from the tables of Spanish homes, but never bread. Never that. The bar was an essential part of the diet, one of its pillars, so firm that it even ended up leaving a mark in the proverb. Things have changed and now it is increasingly difficult to find bread in homes at meal time. And for example, a button: its per capita consumption (at least domestic) has collapsed in the last decade. The big question is… Why? Less bread at home. On Spanish tables and cupboards it is increasingly difficult to find loaves of bread. Although for a long time they were one of the pillars of nutrition (so much so that it has crept into popular proverbs), households seem to be turning their backs on them little by little. And no one really knows why. The last reminder of the extent to which we have lost interest in bread was left yesterday by the EfeAgro agency in a chronicle which starts with a revealing fact: on average a Spaniard consumes 25% less today than just a decade ago. Has consumption dropped that much? To answer that question, it is good to take a look at the data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. To be more precise to the figures of your consumption panelin which they detail “the food consumption data in Spanish households.” The nuance is important because its results basically show domestic behavior, purchases and consumption that are made within the home, not in the extradomestic channel. When the data on bread is analyzed, the reading is clear: today we consume less (much less) than a few decades ago. And as a figure always says more than a long explanation, here is a table with the evolution of demand. The data show annual per capita consumption measured in kg, although one detail must be clarified: the concept “bread” has remained unchanged in the historical series, but not its different classifications, which have changed, combining concepts such as “fresh bread”, “unpackaged” or “industrial bread” and “packaged”. Bread (total) fresh bread industrial bread 1990 56.4 52.9 3.5 2000 50.1 46.4 3.7 2010 36.3 30.8 5.5 2020 32.8 26 6.8 2024 27.4 21.5 5.9 looking back. The drop is even more pronounced if we broaden the focus and look at how Spaniards behaved in the 60s and 70s. Although the calculation criteria may have varied, the data from the Ministry of Agriculture show that in 1964 the “consumption of bread-making cereals in Spain” was around 92.5 kg per inhabitant per year. In the 70s that average was already 76.6 kg. He latest yearbook published by the Government, with data at the end of 2024, show that total per capita consumption of bread fell in the country by 0.2% compared to the previous year, although this decrease was not generalized: consumption of normal fresh bread ‘punctured’, while demand for whole grain, unsalted and industrial bread grew. Is it all negative data? No. Recently the Ministry of Food published a report with data from the year between August 2024 and July 2025 showing that bread purchases have generally increased by 3.9% during that period, leaving annual per capita consumption at 27.8 kilos. It remains significantly below the 34.9kg 2015, but it still represents an increase. Bread can also boast of having an almost absolute level of penetration in Spanish homes, reaching more than 99.8%, and generates a business of billions of euros. To be more precise, the data accumulated between August 2024 and July 2025 speak of 3.4 billion. Searching for the causes. The big question at this point is… Why do we consume less bread at home today than a few decades ago? EfeAgro remembers that in the last ten years its price has become more expensive almost 29%although the CPI data for September show that at least in the last year it remained below the general price index: 1.2% compared to the global 3%. The drop in consumption seems to respond more to changes in consumption habits: a greater availability of alternatives to bread, a more varied diet, a increase in consumption in places outside the home… “There has been a downward trend for years in Spain, it must be taken into account that when societies become more prosperous, consumption is reduced and other sources begin to be used”, explained already 2022 to The Spanish Jorge de Saja, from the Spanish Association of the Bakery, Pastry and Pastry Industry. Another key point from the sector is the increase in more satiating variants (such as whole wheat). “Don’t eat bread”. There are those who provide another explanation for the drop in bread consumption: “The perception that it is a food that can make you fat,” they regret from Asemac. Ángeles Carbajal Azcona, from the Department of Nutrition at the Complutense University of Madrid, also remembered it in 2016 in an article in which, citing other authors, I remembered that the “dietary advice” of some specialists to lose weight is: “Don’t eat bread.” “Epidemiological studies that try to look at the relationship between bread consumption and body weight usually see that people who consume bread more frequently have a higher risk of obesity, diabetes and weight gain,” he clarified in 2024. Jordi Salas-Salvadóprofessor, a The Country. “The problem is that these studies are done with current bread, which is not the same as traditional bread, with sourdough and long fermentation: bread has a high glycemic index, but artisanal bread has more fermentation process and that makes the glycemic index lower.” Image | Diana Krotova In Xataka | “We are the glitch in the Matrix of food”: the Madrid bakery whose reinvention of bread has gotten out of hand

The US attacked China with tariffs and China has counterattacked by stopping buying meat from them. The big winner has been Australia

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The United States was one of the main exporters of beef to China, but the tension between both countries and the tariff war has ended this relationship. The winner of the situation is Australia, which is already the country that exports the most beef to China, but also one of the main partners of the United States. What is happening. There was no official statement from the government. Last March, China did not renew its beef export licenses with the United States and has found a new partner to meet demand: Australia. Beef exports have increased 35% in the first half of the year and the Australian livestock sector has already invoiced 6.6 billion dollars, according to Nikkei Asia. Shipments to the Chinese market have grown by 65%, but they have also increased to the United States by 48%. It’s a double victory. Why it is important. China is the largest importer of agricultural products and is using this stance to harm the United States. They already did it with their decision to stop buying soybeans from the United Stateswhich was their main supplier, and now they have done it with beef. The beef trade between the United States and China produced around 120 million dollars a month. Now that number is zero. It is another example that dismantles Trump’s storywhich defends tariffs as a beneficial measure for the United States. Skyrocketing prices. The price of meat reached its all-time high last September, according to data from United Nations. In particular, the increase in the price of beef is caused by several factors. On the one hand, the decrease in production in countries such as the United States, New Zealand and Europe. In the United States specifically, the shortage has been caused because of the drought. On the other hand, tariffs and geopolitical tensions have put pressure on international market prices. The game board has been reconfigured, with the United States and China turning primarily to Australia and Brazil to meet their demand. perfect position. At least for the moment, Australia wins because it is in a good position with the main meat importers. In China they are already the first supplier of beef, while in the United States they are the second behind Brazil. The key is that while Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilin Australia they only have 10% because they mainly export minced meat for hamburgers. Australia and China. There was not always harmony between the two nations. In 2020, China suspended imports of Australian beef. The reason given was labeling problems for some products, but everything indicates that the decision had more to do with the critical stance of the Australian government about China’s handling of the coronavirus. Image | Wikipedia, PXhere In Xataka | China has just beaten the United States in the most unexpected fight: that of branded coffee shops

More and more people are stopping publishing things on their social networks

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There was a time when opening Instagram meant to look out to the life of our friends. A smoking coffee under the Valencia filter, a badly framed selfie on the beach or the pet of a colleague yawning. It was an improvised, domestic showcase, a mural of shared banalities that, paradoxically, made us feel closer. As The New Yorker recalledthat “breakfast photo” represented the utopian dream of social networks: that millions of common people could publish fragments of their lives with minimal intervention, from the most trivial to the most intimate, and that that worldly record became something valuable, a “dynamic file of reality from the ground.” More than a decade later, the landscape is another. Yes in 2018 The BBC calculated That about 40% of the world’s population used social networks, dedicating about two hours a day to share, today users are still connected, but less and less willing to show their lives. From vacuum feed. The decrease in the public use of networks is already evident. According to a Morning Consult report28% of Americans publish less than a year ago, compared to 21% that does more. Among generation Z, just 18% admit to posting daily. In a recent article, the BBC has confirmed the trend: One third of users publishes less than before, with a descent specially pronounced among those under 30. And the phenomenon is not limited to the United States. In Spain, Iab Spain has presented the 16th edition of the Social Network Study 2025in collaboration with praise, which confirms a similar wear: 33%of Internet users have abandoned a platform in the last year, especially X (28%) and Facebook (15%), but also Pinterest (15%) or LinkedIn (12%). The main reasons are the lack of use, loss of interest and boredom. The hangover of publishing. This withdrawal has even its own name. National Public Radio (NPR) He has baptized it as Grid Zero, The Instagram phenomenon in which more and more young, especially from the Z gene, erase all their publications and leave their profiles as a “blank canvas.” Adam Mosseri, Chief of Instagram, acknowledges: “Adolescents spend more time in private messages than in stories, and more in stories than in feed.” Instagram itself has detected that young people prefer ephemeral or private interactions. His cultural researcher Kim Garcia has summarized it as follows: “Gen Z has award to permanence and the fingerprint. They do not want their entire personal change process to be publicly exposed.” According to NPRhe Grid Zero It works as an immune system against digital addiction: hide the feed, take refuge in the intimacy of chats or private accounts is a way of protecting. This modesty contrasts with the millennial era. For those who border medium age today, networks were the natural space of the exhibition. The hangover was predictable, as the writer Kyle Chayka has pointed out In an interview with the BBC: “We learned the disadvantages of sharing your life online during the 2010s.” Unless you want to be an influencer, it is no longer worth it: the disadvantages of publishing are too large and the advantages do not reach. ” Privacy and fear of judgment. The FEED blackout responds to different variables, but the first is the need to take refuge in oneself. According to online psychologymany users choose not to publish to protect their privacy, take care of their mental health and avoid risks such as harassment or unnecessary exposure. However, in the case of gene z the phenomenon is more extreme. The nod mag He explained Digital hyperconcience: a simple “like” can be interpreted as a political or identity statement. The fear of cancellation leads many to interact as little as possible. The young Kanika Mehra (24) He has recognized it for The New Yorker: “We are all voyeurs now: we keep looking, but we no longer post, because publishing generates a ram of vulnerability.” To this climate is added the sensation of inadequacy in the midst of global crises. A waitress in Washington has told The New Yorker that he erased some happy selfies because “with everything that happens in the world, I was ashamed to seem frivolous.” From the social to consumption. Beyond personal motivations, there is an undeniable fact: almost everything we see today in networks is consumed. “The platforms have become less social; they look more like television, full of mercantilized content, lifestyle aspirations and advertising,” Chayka has summarized in the BBC. Besides, The New Yorker also coincides: The feeds are dominated by influencers, war headlines, political propaganda, videos generated by AI and “sponcon.” Amateurism, the initial engine of the networks, was replaced by careful production and light rings. And the data are there to confirm it: Morning Consult He has found that more than half of adults (52%) perceive the content of networks as “repetitive and tired.” And the Wall Street Journal He has pointed out that users feel that “the community is no longer there”; Instead, there is an endless commercial showcase. Although it is not an empty network. Silence in the feed does not mean abandonment of the platforms. On the contrary: we remain connected, but we move to more intimate spaces. Mosseri He has recognized it in an interview cited by WSJ: “All sharing between friends is going to direct messages. Today more photos and videos are sent by Stories, and more for stories than by the feed.” The BBC Reaffirms the turn: Personal content “has been oriented towards individual messages and private groups.” In Spain, the IAB Spain study Confirm What WhatsApp is the most used network: 96% of Internet users use it daily. The social did not disappear: he simply hid. Millennials, the new boomers? This hurts, but we enter generational. Millennials – among the ones I included – we grew up exhibiting our online life. Today we appear as the “digital boomers” in the eyes of the gen Z. from the new code They have explained it with irony: Millennial profiles seem outdated, full of poses, … Read more

Spam calls are a problem for everyone and Apple knows. Its solution with iOS 26 has been stopping braking

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The mobile sounds and is an unknown number. The possibilities that there is a commercial wanting to sell you the last superooferta fiber They are high Or, in the worst case, it could be a Stofler getting through your bank. We have been talking about the problem of the so -called spam and fraudulent and so far no one has found a 100% effective solution. Yesterday Apple introduced us iOS 26a renewal that We have already been able to try And with a novelty that goes in this line, although the solution they propose is much more aggressive than those of the competition. The problem of unwanted calls. Commercial calls bother. They are abundant and it seems that they have the ability to call us when it comes to us. Even the government has taken letters in the matter and for a few days, Commercial calls from mobile numbers 600 or 700 are prohibited. But beyond wakeing us from the nap to improve our light rate, the real problem is in telephone fraud. The Fraudulent SMS They are incessant, but the scams also come by call. Through techniques of Vishing and Telephone spoofing We have seen how They can empty the account by passing through your bank. In view of such elaborate scams Both entities and the government have begun to take the problem seriouslybut despite efforts, we still can’t talk about the definitive solution. How the Apple call filter works. iOS 26 It will bring news in the telephone app and one of them is the call filter, which in Xataka we have already tried. If you receive a call from an unknown number, the iPhone automatically activates what they call live voicemail that asks the interlocutor who it is and the reason for the call. Once you have identified, the call appears on our screen and we can see the details that you have facilitated, so we can choose whether to respond or not. If we do not respond, the iPhone will tell those who call us that we are not available and will allow you to record a second message. By the way, whoever attends to the phone before us is Siri’s voice. This is how the calls of unknown numbers appear once the iPhone requests more information. Apple’s proposal is very different to what we were seeing in the competition. Here there is no filter as such, if we activate the live voicemail will affect all calls that reach us with unknown numbers. The only thing we can choose is whether the calls will be referred to Siri to request more information, to the voice mailbox or go to the list of unknown numbers. The configuration options offered by Apple. He Approach Android is more flexible and intelligent. A long time ago Android has functions to fight telephone spam. If we use Google’s APP we have different tools to fight with unwanted calls. It has a call identifier that tells us if they call us a business that is in the Google database and also If a number is suspicious of spam. Nor is it infallible and there are times when any call is sneak. If it happens, it allows us to mark the number as spam. As exclusive to the Pixel we have Call Assistwhich works similarly to Apple’s live voice mailbox. If we choose to filter the call, Google Assistant will ask about the reason for the call and will offer us a transcription. There is much similar, but an important difference: we choose what to filter and on the screen we will see before if a number is suspicious of spam, while Apple treats the same to all unknown numbers. This will alert Android of the scams. Image: Google With Android 16Google wants to go further and will be implemented Functions focused on fighting with telephone scamshow to prevent us from deactivating Google Play Protect or install apps from the browser. He will also be able to detect financial scams and alert us with a notice on the screen. Collateral damage. Apple sells its call filter as the solution to eliminate interruptions and in this sense is effective, but it can also be a problem because not all calls of unknown numbers are disposable. How many people will hang when listening to Siri’s voice asking why he calls us? Even though it is normal, it is still very unhappy and even counterproductive in certain scenarios as an emergency or if the doctor calls us. An intermediate solution. As we said, Android is not infallible blocking spam, but it does have some intelligence behind (and more will have when Android 16 arrives), while Apple opts to stop braking. Perhaps the exit is to find a solution halfway between the two where we can have more flexibility when limiting calls without risking to lose some important. Image | Ricardo Aguilar (Xataka) In Xataka | Liquid Glass, iOS 26, Macos Tahoe, Watchos 26, the new Games app and all the news left by Apple’s WWDC 2025

China is stopping money and is starting to charge it. They are not good news for Spain

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The golden age of Chinese financing is over. Beijing no longer gives money to build ports and railroads, now it is demanding payment of what it lent at the time. Why is it important. China has lent more than 800,000 million dollars to 150 countries since 2013 With its initiative of the ‘Silk route‘. Today, 60% of that portfolio is in the hands of technical bankruptcy or on the edge of the financial collapse. The facts. The money that countries must return to China every year already exceed the “new” money that China lends. It is the end of the expansive model of the last decade: the country is going from being a generous lender to becoming a relentless creditor. The strategy. China has divided its debtors into two categories, and each group applies a radically different treatment: Large countries with huge debts (80% of the portfolio): They receive bailouts, bridge loans and special facilities. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Argentina, Angola … Small countries with minor debts (Remaining 20%): Only payment extensions. Zero money new. Zambia, Ghana, Mongolia, Tayikistan, Republic of Congo … Of course, the treatment that the first group receives has nothing to do with generosity but with self -preservation. China is rescuing those who, to break, could make their state banks sink. The rest are abandoned to their fate. The context. The crisis began soon. Specifically in 2015, two years after starting this strategy, when the prices of some raw materials collapsed. Covid accelerated the problems, as well as the war in Ukraine. The rise in interest rates at a global level It was the lace. The money trail. China is replicating the Western Banks Manual of the 1980s and nineties, when Wall Street and the City massively lent petrodollars after the oil crises of the seventies. When the eighties debt crisis arrived, they went from financing development to demand structural adjustment programs. The same banks that had pushed indebtedness became the toughest creditors. China is in that transition: of “Strategic Development Partner” to creditor which prioritizes their banking balances on the stability of debtor countries. It is the market, friend. Deepen. For Spain, the change has three impact vectors: The big construction and Spanish engineering (ACS, Actiona, Sacyr) lose access to megaprojects financed by Chinese banks, especially in Infrastructure in Africa and Asia. Direct Chinese investment in Spain will be more selective: less strategic purchases and more demand for immediate profitability in sectors such as energy and technology. Financial instability in African and Latin American countries where Spanish companies (Telefónica, Iberdrola, Repsol) operate increases political and exchange risk, complicating its operations in markets that depended on Chinese financial oxygen. In summary. China has completed its emerging power metamorphosis to established power, and its financial policy reflects it. The Silk Route was the last great expansive project of a country that sought global influence buying loyalty with cheap money. Now that it has that influence, it acts like any mature creditor: charging. It is the end of an era and the beginning of a more predictable global financial order, but also more ruthless. In Xataka | China wants to dominate world trade and has a plan in progress: bring the sea to its interior cities Outstanding image | F Erickin in Unspash

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