work

The animal testing of the elixir for future warfare has been a success. Now the most difficult thing remains: making it work in humans

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In 1667, the French doctor Jean-Baptiste Denis performed one of the first transfusions of history using lamb’s blood on a human patient, convinced that it could calm his behavior and save his life. The experiment generated such controversy that ended up being banned in several countries for decades, leaving a lesson that has accompanied medicine since then: when it comes to replacing blood, each advance opens a door… and also a risk that is difficult to foresee. An experiment that redefines war medicine. A lot has happened since that test by Denis, but now it is making strong noises again with the development of a powdered blood substituteone that marks one of the most ambitious advances in military preparation for future conflicts, where conditions no longer guarantee rapid evacuations or immediate access to hospitals. In this context, the idea of ​​transforming blood into a portable and stable resource ceases to be science fiction and becomes a solution, or perhaps an operational necessity. They counted on Insider that, for the Pentagon, what is at stake is not only improving logistics, but changing the way soldiers’ lives are saved in environments where every minute counts and medical infrastructure may not exist. The “elixir” that seeks to change war. The program powered by DARPA has managed to turn a complex concept into a potentially revolutionary solution: a powdered blood substitute that can be stored, transported and activated in a matter of seconds. This system is presented as an alternative to the current model, where fresh blood is limited, perishable and difficult to move in combat zones. The key, they say, is in its operational simplicity: mix the contents with sterile water and have a vital resource at the exact moment it is needed. Success in the laboratory. The initial results have been promising enough to generate expectations within the military and scientific field. After demonstrating its viability in controlled environments and later in animal models, the project has overcome one of the most complex phases of biomedical development. In other words, the advance suggests that the concept works in biological termsopening the door to real applications in scenarios where conventional transfusions are not possible. The great challenge. There is no doubt, despite of the advancesthe final jump remains the most difficult of all. The next step is to overcome the regulatory processes and demonstrate that the system is safe and effective in humansa long path that involves clinical trials, medical validation and approval from regulatory bodies. In fact, this is where many promising developments stall, not because of a lack of technology, but because of the complexity of ensuring that they work in real conditions without unexpected risks. A necessity. They counted in their report in Insider that interest in this type of solutions does not arise in a vacuum, but as a response to a profound change in the nature of conflicts. Conflicts have shown that air superiority no longer guarantees rapid evacuations, and the wounded can be trapped for hours without access to advanced medical care. In these contexts, the immediate availability of blood becomes a critical factor that can make the difference between life and death. Limitations of the current system. In the absence of alternatives, the armed forces have resorted to methods such as emergency transfusions among soldiers, known as “living blood banks.” Although effective in specific situations, these solutions depend on the availability of donors and cannot scale in scenarios with multiple casualties. Again, this highlights the need for a more robust solution, capable of responding to high-intensity situations without relying on improvised resources. Beyond science. The future of this technology announced by DARPA depends not only on its medical effectiveness, but also on its economic viability. The production, distribution and adoption of synthetic blood require significant investments in a sector where margins are traditionally low. Without a sustainable model that incentivizes companies and hospitals, even the most promising advances can remain in the experimental phase, never reaching the battlefield. Be that as it may, the objective set is more than ambitious: to turn development into an operational tool before end of the decade. To achieve this, almost nothing: coordinate science, regulation and industry in an accelerated process that avoids the usual blockages in such complex projects. But if successful, this sort of modern “elixir” could redefine war medicine, bringing the ability to save lives directly to where it is needed most. Image | DARPA In Xataka | Four years later, the Ukrainian war is the first war in history where humans are spectators In Xataka | In 1914, submachine guns forever changed the way war was waged. In 2026, it’s algorithms’ turn

15 minutes of work a week and then warm up the chair. Leyla Kazim spent a year without giving a damn and no one noticed

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Leyla Kazim has taken chair warming very far. Writer and presenter for the BBC, a few weeks ago she told it on her Substack A Day Well Spent his experiment, a sort of ‘The Fiaca‘ by Talesnik applied to the world of work as Marisa executed with mastery in ‘The discontent‘the sharp debut feature of the brilliant Beatriz Serrano, but elevated to maximum power: a year without hitting the water in a London technology company. Nothing happened. Neither conflict nor dismissal nor discovery, unlike the ghost official of Cádiz who spent six years without going to work: it was the worker herself who took her knives things and closed the door from the outside, evidencing in a crude and documented way the structural cracks of large corporations and office positions. A real experiment on bullshit jobs and face-to-face work. Let Rita work. In 2013, Kazim spent an entire year doing absolutely no work for the London-based tech company where she was employed. Nobody noticed. In 2014 he left the office permanently voluntarily: neither reprimands nor dismissals were appropriate. His trick? He spent as little time as possible fulfilling his contractual obligations, doing so at a level competent enough not to raise suspicions. The mechanism was quite simple: he spent 15 minutes a week preparing for meetings where he showed fictitious progress and meanwhile spent the hours with an open Excel sheet. Neither budgets nor calculations for projects: he planned his personal trips. She made her efforts, but in other tasks, the most important: those dedicated to herself. Why is it important. The case of Leyla Kazim is not an isolated anecdote: this YouGov poll put on the table that 37% of British adult workers believe that their work contributes nothing to the world. And this has consequences: there are investigations from the universities of Cambridge and Birmingham who point out a relationship between the sense of purpose in employment and psychological well-being. Come on, if you think that your work is useless, you’ll burn out sooner. On the other hand, it exposes business control systems: if a corporation is unable to detect that one of its employees has not worked for twelve months, something is wrong: the performance metrics it uses, whatever they may be, do not work. Context. Kazim’s experiment is a practical application of bullshit jobs, or shit jobsa concept coined by anthropologist David Graeber. His thesis is as simple as it is uncomfortable: between 37% and 40% of workers in rich countries feel that their work is worthless. In this sense, automation has been part of the problem: according to Graeber, instead of freeing us from repetitive tasks, it has led to the creation of empty jobs. The consequences are twofold. For the person who works, psychological deterioration: it is difficult to get up every morning knowing that what you are going to do does not matter. For the company and the economy it represents a waste of talent and money. But the most revealing thing about Graeber’s theory is precisely what the writer has done: those who occupy these positions know it perfectly well and yet they pretend that they don’t. They keep up appearances because the system demands it. Added to this phenomenon is the in-personismthat cultural mechanism that allows shitty jobs to go unnoticed: it doesn’t matter about productivity, the important thing is to be in your chair all the hours that your workday marks. Since 1998, it has been studied and defined as “the tendency to remain at work beyond the time necessary for effective performance.” When a company measures visibility instead of results, in-person attendance becomes the norm: just what protected and masked Leyla Kazim for a year. In detail. Kazim masterfully exploited both phenomena: on the one hand, a job with functions so diffuse that reducing it to the minimum essential did not generate any imbalance (what Graeber calls box ticker tasks) and on the other, he took advantage of the company’s face-to-face culture. It is worth remembering that there are work environments that consciously or unconsciously perceive better and reward those who arrive earlier and leave later. In fact, has been proven that there are managers who show a predilection for in-person workers compared to remote ones due to proximity bias. As long as she had Excel open, kept her schedule, and attended meetings, the lack of effort went unnoticed. What he learned. The now BBC presenter’s conclusion is that modern office work is something of a play. Once you accept that your work has no real purpose and understand the rules of the game, you have a better chance of winning, which in this context means spending as little time as possible on contractual obligations. Of course, he issues a warning: his experiment is neither universal nor does he recommend it. Having a shitty job with diffuse tasks and wrong performance metrics is not the same as having someone whose job, even if it is shit, consumes their health or their room for maneuver is tight. On the other hand, let’s remember that even this perception of having a shitty job ends up taking its toll on psychological well-being. In Xataka | We believed that AI was going to take our jobs. At the moment he has started whispering to your boss who he should fire In Xataka | Spain has become accustomed to something abnormal in the rest of Europe: working with unsustainable stress levels Cover | Vitaly Gariev

let humanoid robots work

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An airport can seem like a highly automated machine: screens, boarding gates, belts, controls and processes that advance almost without us realizing it. But it is enough to look a little beyond the passenger journey to find another reality: planes that must be prepared, luggage that must be moved, merchandise that must be loaded and operations that continue to depend on human hands. What we have seen now in Japan starts precisely from that less visible area of ​​the trip, where automating is not as simple as it seems. The test. According to the statement published by Japan AirlinesJAL Ground Service, the group company in charge of ground handling operations at large national airports, and GMO AI & Robotics will begin a demonstration with humanoid robots at Haneda airport in May of this year. The plan includes phased verifications until 2028 and the companies present it as the first demonstration of its kind in Japan. A key point. The commitment is not only to automate a task, but to test machines capable of moving in an environment already designed for people. The airline explains that ground operations are carried out in limited spaces around the planes and with support equipment of very different shapes, something that makes the use of fixed automated installations or single-function robots difficult. The advantage of the humanoid robot, according to the companies, is that it can adapt better without requiring major modifications to airport facilities or aircraft. What robots will do. The first phase does not aim to replace all ground operations at once, but rather to measure very limited use cases. So to begin with, the robots will be deployed in tasks of loading and unloading freight containers. Other possible uses are also contemplated within the project, from baggage and cargo handling to cabin cleaning and the operation of ground handling equipment. The key is in that nuance: these are scenarios that we want to test, not capacities already implemented on a large scale. The bottleneck is on land. We are not facing an isolated test because an airport wants to exhibit technology, but rather a tentative response to a very specific problem. Japan Airlines links the project to a lack of ground handling personnel, a pressure it attributes to the growth of inbound tourism and the decline in the working-age population. Furthermore, these tasks are not just repetitive: the company remembers that they require qualified personnel, involve safety requirements and can involve a considerable physical burden. Testing doesn’t solve everything. The design of the project itself invites you to read it with caution. As we say, the demonstration will advance in phases: first, operations at the airport will be observed, mapped and analyzed to identify where the robots can act safely, and then repeated verifications will be carried out that simulate real environments. The ultimate goal is to build a more sustainable operation through less dependence on manual labor and a reduction in physical workload, but not completely eliminate the human role. Images | Japan Airlines In Xataka | Anthropic is one step away from being worth as much as Samsung. And what the market is buying is not Claude

people who go to live in Valladolid and return to work by train

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For a simple work issue, for decades Many pucelanos had no choice but to pack their bags and move to Madrid. The companies are there. And good job prospects. Today things are different, as suggested the data of the Valladolid City Council. The expansion of teleworking and the improved communications It has allowed quite a few people to return to the Castilian-Leonese city without giving up their jobs in the capital and even turn the tables: Valladolid is the one that grows at the expense of Madrid. The data are certainly eloquent. What do the figures say? That for years the Castilian-Leonese city endured a clearly negative migratory balance with the capital. Many more people from Pucelanos went to Madrid than people from Madrid arrived to Valladolid. If you follow the historical series The census shows that this imbalance favorable to Madrid dates back to at least 1997, with years in which the difference was brutal. In 2014, for example, Valladolid recorded 736 casualties of Pucelanos who packed their bags to move to Madrid; The reverse route (from Valladolid to Madrid) was done by 305 people. And is it still like this? No. We know the change thanks to an analysis published in 2025 by The Confidentialwho has had access to the records of the Valladolid City Council. They show how between 2022 and 2023 the migratory balance between the cities of Valladolid and Madrid experienced a change: if in 2022 the Pucelana city registered 799 departures of residents bound for Madrid compared to 617 registrations in the opposite direction, in 2023 the “photo” was the opposite: 765 registrations and 566 cancellations. From the red numbers it went to a positive balance of 199 people. The trend was confirmed in 2024 with a new positive migration balance. That year, the Pucelano City Council recorded 796 new arrivals from Madrid compared to 504 new arrivals from residents who moved to the state capital. Again a positive balance, 292 people. In a matter of two years, Valladolid therefore went from dragging a historic deficit in population exchange with Madrid to “gaining” 491 new registered residents at the expense of its southern neighbor. This trend has coincided with the general growth of the Valladolid registry, which has been gaining population for several years and is now located at 303,843 inhabitants according to the municipal censusthat doesn’t always match with that of the INE. Is there more recent data? The last ones indicators published by the Statistical Institute of the Community of Madrid and the Junta of Castilla y León They are from 2024, but a quick Google search comes to find articles with testimonials recent of people who live in Valladolid and work in the capital. Even from other parts of Castilla y León even further away from Madrid. “Right now, whatever station you go to, Zamora, Salamanca, Segovia, Palencia or León, they are packed. Before you saw the train half empty,” explained a few weeks ago Carlos Perfecto, promoter of the Association of AVE Users in Castilla y León, told RTVE. “We are talking about the fact that between Valladolid and Segovia alone, 7,000 direct families go to work in Madrid every day.” Does it only affect cities? The “picture” can be completed with more brushstrokes that help understand the change. The change in the migratory flow has also been observed in the entire Madrid region, not only in its capital. After decades in the “red numbers” (in demographic terms), in 2023 Valladolid registered more registrations of new residents arriving from the Madrid community than registrations of Pucelanos who had moved to municipalities such as Móstoles, Alcalá, Leganés, Fuenlabrada, Getafe or Madrid itself. Between 2023 and 2024, in this sense, it accumulated a positive balance of 758 new registered. At the end of 2024 The North of Castile the change was already pointed out trend citing INE statistics, although in his article he handled data until 2023 and at the provincial level, not exclusively from the municipality of Valladolid. What did they show? Something similar to what is reflected in the register of the Pucelano City Council. In 2023, 1,785 people arrived in Valladolid from the Community of Madrid, while 1,270 people left the province to settle somewhere in Madrid. Result: 515 more people for the Valladolid census. Not bad if you take into account that the previous year (2022) the province had lost 115 people to the Community of Madrid. Last December The North of Castile updated analysis with provincial data from 2024 and verified that the trend continues. That year 1,744 people left the Community of Madrid to settle somewhere in Valladolid while 1,232 made the reverse move. Once again the figures favor the Castilian-Leonese demographic with a balance of 512 people. And what is the reason? Rather, we should talk about reasons, in the plural. When analyzing the change in trend, there are those who talk about the expansion of teleworking after the pandemic or the attractiveness of the Valladolid real estate market compared to that of Madrid, which makes buying a home much more acceptable there than in Madrid. According to Idealista, the m2 costs in Valladolid €2,029 while in Madrid it is located in 5,960. Something similar happens in the rental market: in the city of Pucelana, the m2 is rented to €9.7 in front of the 23.2 from Madrid. But… Why this abrupt change? Although it is true that COVID-19 marked a before and after in the implementation of teleworking in Spain and that the real estate market has not stopped tense In recent years, both trends do not fully explain why the population flow between Valladolid and Madrid has experienced such a sudden change in such a short time. Nor why it has become more pronounced in 2023. Hence, when looking for explanations, analyzes of the phenomenon add another determining factor: the improvement of transportation. At the end of 2007 the line was launched Madrid-Segovia-Valladolid high-speed train, which made it possible to get from … Read more

It is not that Germany is promoting the four-day work day, it is that it is the country that works the fewest hours per year

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In May 2025 and through the Eurostat dataa reality was confirmed that sometimes confuses a story: the myth that says that Germans work harder than Spaniards did not stand with figures in hand. The key, as we comment thenwas in the quality of the labor market: a good part of German workers work fewer hours per week in part-time jobs, but they did so for more years than Spanish workers. And now the OECD has arrived to put Germany in your place. Work identity crisis. Germany, traditionally associated with discipline and productivity, today faces a paradox: according to the OECDis the developed country where fewer hours worked per year, just 1,331 compared to the 1,898 of Greece or the 1,716 of Portugal. The situation represents a symbolic blow for a country that just a decade ago imposed austerity policies on southern countries, stigmatizing them as not being hard-working. The drop in workload is combined with a economic deterioration palpable: unemployment has exceeded three million people For the first time in a decade, the economy has contracted for two consecutive years and the GDP is already lower than in 2019, while Spain and Greece are growing at rapid rates. greater than 2%. The debate about work. we have been counting. The reduction in hours worked has become on central theme in German politics. Chancellor Friedrich Merz warns that four-day work weeks and an overemphasis on “life balance” will not sustain the country’s prosperity. The data they are striking: German workers enjoy longer vacations than the legal minimum, numerous holidays and an average of 19 sick leave a year, compared to 16 before the pandemic, a change that experts attribute more to culture than health. Scandals like that of a teacher on leave since 2009 receiving full salary have reinforced the perception that labor laxity is unsustainable. The roots of the phenomenon. They counted in the Washington Post that specialists maintain that it is not about laziness, but rather structural barriers. Almost half of German women work part-time, a figure that exceeds 65% in the case of mothers, which translates into one of the largest gaps in full-time equivalent employment in the entire EU. Historical factors also weigh in: in West Germany, working mothers were stigmatized like “crow mothers”while in the East, under the socialist model, full-time employment was promoted with daycare from an early age. Currently, cultural differences and a child care system with short hours persist that prevent many families from holding full-time jobs. Proposals and resistances. The experts match in which expanding daycare centers and extending their hours would be decisive, but technical solutions collide with politics. Changing the tax system from joint to individual filing could add the equivalent of half a million jobs full-time, but it is perceived as “anti-family” and difficult to approve. For their part, businessmen they claim less bureaucracy and more immigrationwhile some researchers advocate for simple reforms that free up hidden work hours. However, government responses have been considered timid and insufficient, and the feeling of postponement persists. The four-day elephant. Paradoxically, while political leaders call for more work, more and more companies are experimenting with shorter work weeks. In 2024, 45 companies will test the four day week with equal salaries and reduced hours, with positive results: higher productivity per hour and more satisfied employees. The majority of these firms plan to maintain the model, consolidating the trend in favor of free time. Thus, Germany moves between two poles: a productive system that suffers stagnation and pressure to lengthen working hours, and a society that increasingly values ​​life outside of work, drawing a clash of visions that puts not only the economy, but the identity of the country at stake. Image | International Tr In Xataka | Germany seeks a revolutionary change in its labor system: making working more hours profitable In Xataka | Germany tried working four days a week: seven out of 10 companies no longer want to work five days a week A version of this article was originally published in September 2025

What is Claude’s graphic design tool and how does it work?

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Let’s explain to you what is Claude Designa new function within the chat artificial intelligence of Claude. It is a graphic design tool with which you will be able to create all kinds of interactive elements and then shape them until they are to your liking. We are going to start by describing what exactly this tool is, so that you know all the possibilities it offers you. And then we will explain to you in a quick and simple way how it works. What is Claude Design Claude Design is a visual creation tool through conversations created by Anthropic for Claude. It’s something similar to Canvabut with artificial intelligence. What it does is allow you to do visual work with prompts instead of starting from scratch from a blank piece of paper. We could say that it is something like a graphic designer using artificial intelligencewhich allows you to order creations without needing to know Figma, Photoshop or any other similar program. It’s something like the Claude Code for graphic design. Claude Design allows you to make many types of design, such as from websites and applications to Power Points or animations. You will even be able to configure your own design guide, in addition to all kinds of interactive prototypes and presentations. These are the things you can do with this tool, according to Anthropic: Realistic prototypes: Designers can turn static mockups into easy-to-share interactive prototypes for feedback and user testing, without needing to review code or submit pull requests. Product diagrams and mockups– Product managers can outline feature flows and pass them to Claude Code for implementation, or share them with designers for refinement. Design Explorations– Designers can quickly create a wide variety of proposals to explore. Presentations and sales materials: Founders and account executives can go from a rough sketch to a full, on-brand presentation in minutes, then export it as PPTX or send it to Canva. Marketing materials: Marketers can create landing pages, social media assets, and campaign visuals, then involve designers to polish them. Cutting-edge design: Anyone can create code-based prototypes with voice, video, shaders, 3D, and built-in AI. Claude Design is currently in version Research Preview. This means that it is a trial version that has not yet reached beta nor is it available to all users. One of the particularities of Claude as an AI is that it focuses on offering useful functions for the user, but leaves aside others more focused on entertainment such as image creation. This has been a problem for professionals who use AI to create an image, and it is the gap that this tool tries to fill. Claude Design is powered by Claude Opus 4.7, which is currently the latest version of the Claude AI model. At the moment it is only available for Claude Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise subscriberswho are the only ones who can test this functionality. How Claude Design works Claude Design works through textual prompts, combining conversational and interactive logic. This means that combines a chat interface with an interactive canvas located on both sides of the screen, always in view of the user. With this, you will first write what you want to achieve, describing everything in a prompt, and Claude will generate a first version. And then, you’re going to have controls to refine the resulteither through textual instructions or with interactive buttons. To start you will have to create a prototypewhich will be the way to create a new design. This will take you to the main Design window, where on the left you can give commands and on the right you can interact. You will be able to start in several ways, such as loading external files which can be screenshots, Figma files or code, or even just describe what you want with a prompt to which you can attach designs. You will even be able to start from a drawing that you do freehand on the right side with the option of Start with a sketch. The idea is that just by having something in mind you can start creating it. Once you have created the first draft of what you want, you can continue using the left column to give instructions for the things you want to change. you also have options like Tweaks and Comments. The first allows you to create manual controls describing what you want to do with it. For example, bars to resize the parent element. And the second allows you to make concrete changes to specific components instead of the structural changes you make with prompts. and then you have the edit button or Editwhich allows you to choose an element of your design and make changes directly to it. In addition, you can also draw other elements by hand with the option Draw. In short, you have all the options to to be able to shape your design using a combination of manual and artificial intelligence controls, and even being able to create manual controls with AI. In Xataka Basics | How to Improve Claude’s Answers: 18 Steps to Get the Most Out of It

The surprising thing is not its pieces, but how they work

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It was in the middle of the Cold War when Western engineers who managed to examine captured Soviet equipment they were surprised finding surprisingly simple circuits and unrefined finishes, but yes, designed to continue working even in extreme conditions where more advanced systems would have failed. That scenario halfway between simplicity and effectiveness left a lesson that decades later makes sense again. Open a missile and understand war. Analysis of remains of North Korean missiles used in Ukraine has offered (one more time) an image as unexpected as it is revealing about the evolution of modern war, by showing that apparently sophisticated systems hide a reality much more hybrid. Just like have reported Since the kyiv government, Ukrainian engineers and scientists have disassembled and studied these projectiles after their use in combat, finding a surprising combination of elements that don’t fit with the classic idea of ​​advanced weaponry. That contrast, between what it seems and what it really is, has become a key clue to understanding how current military balances are changing. Technology from another era in the midst of globalization. To be more exact, the missiles analyzed, mainly the KN-23 and the KN-24reveal a very clear pattern: they are built with manufacturing methods reminiscent half a century ago at the very least, with rudimentary welding, basic materials and simple technical solutions such as the use of graphite to withstand heat. However, inside it appears a completely different element, with commercial electronics from multiple countries, integrated into its control systems to make up for the lack of its own technology. The result is a weapon that mixes the old and the modern in a way that is as unexpected as it is functional. Bigger, less efficient. According to has explained the Ukrainian ministry, technical limitations are evident, since these missiles use less efficient fuels and require significantly larger motors to reach distances comparable to more advanced systems. This lack of sophistication also translates in reliability problemswith failures in flight and premature explosions detected on multiple occasions. Even so, all these shortcomings do not make them irrelevant, but rather an example of how less refined engineering can remain useful if it fulfills its basic objective on the battlefield. The real problem. Be that as it may, and despite their apparent low quality, these missiles continue representing a danger more than significant, since their ballistic nature makes them difficult to intercept and requires the use of advanced air defense systems like the patriot. In turn, this creates a strategic paradox in which relatively simple weapons force the use of resources much more expensive to neutralize them, replicating the same economic imbalance that is already observed in drone warfare. In other words, they don’t have to be perfect to be effective. Adaptation on the ground. Furthermore, they said in kyiv that the use of these systems is also linked to a tactical evolution on the ground that we have been countingone where North Korean forces deployed alongside Russia have been adjusting their way of fighting after suffering significant losses. In this way, they have gone from massive attacks to operations smaller and more flexiblesupported by drones and better coordinated with artillery, in a process of direct learning from the battlefield. If you will, this adaptation also reinforces the idea that the current war not only transforms technology, obviously, but also the way in which it is being used. The new norm. Ultimately, the last unboxing of missiles illustrates a deeper change where war no longer depends solely on the most advanced technology, but on the ability to combine resources available effectively. Blending ancient manufacturing methods with accessible global electronics proves that innovation doesn’t always mean sophistication, but intelligent adaptation. In that context, what Ukraine has found inside these North Korean missiles is not only a technical curiosity, but a clear sign of where modern warfare and its resources are heading, one where imperfect systems coexist, but sufficient and capable of generating real strategic effects. Image | Ukrainian M., Lightrocket In Xataka | A disturbing idea has begun to take hold in Europe: Ukraine has turned Russia into a fearsome air force In Xataka | Cities such as London or Madrid appear on Russia’s new objective map. The reason: drone production

that talent has to pay to work

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Japan needs foreign workers. The really need and urgently. But its hiring system for foreigners experiences a curious paradox: the country needs these foreigners, but charges them a fortune and places innumerable obstacles for them to go to work. Well, to be exact, it’s not actually the government that charges them to work, but a network of intermediary agencies in recruitment who take a good commission before the worker even sets foot on Japanese soil. According to the second edition of the survey on foreign workers in Japan85% of foreign workers who arrive in Japan do so through some type of intermediary. The majority pays a bill for this service that can exceed 6,000 euros. Import workers due to low birth rate. According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfarethe number of foreign workers in the country reached 2.57 million at the end of 2025, 11.7% more than the previous year, and the thirteenth all-time record consecutive. That is, in 2025, that figure was almost three times higher than that recorded a decade earlier. The manufacturing industry accounts for 24.7% of the total foreign employees, followed by the services sector with 15.2% and wholesale and retail trade with 13.3%. By city, Tokyo, Aichi and Osaka host more than 43% of all these workers. These data show that there are entire sectors that cannot fill the majority of their vacancies with local workers and need this foreign workforce to fill them. They pay to go to work in Japan. According to the data collected According to the Japanese Ministry of Labor, the vast majority of these workers arrive through a recruitment agency at origin that charges them a fee of between 200,000 and 400,000 yen (the equivalent of between 1,200 and 2,400 euros), while 13.2% of foreigners paid up to 6,000 euros just to have the opportunity to go to work in Japan. Of the 10.9% of workers who reported having had labor disputes in Japan, 18.6% indicated that the cost of agencies was excessive, and 14.9% admitted not having known who to turn to when difficulties arose. Meanwhile, 69% of companies cited labor shortages as the main reason for hiring foreign staff, up from 64.8% a year earlier. The end of the system that allowed it. Much of this friction has its origin in how the Japanese immigration system itself was designed. For more than thirty years, the Technical Internship Program (TITP), launched in 1993 with the stated objective of training workers from developing countries. In practicethis program functioned as a way to obtain cheap labor that, once in the country, had very little capacity for maneuver, denouncing marathon days, salary failures and the impossibility of freely changing sectors or jobs. In June 2024, the Japanese Parliament approved its replacement by the system Ikusei Shuro Seidowith entry into force scheduled for June 2027. For the first time, the Japanese government officially recognizes that the goal of the new program It is to train and retain foreign labor to cover the talent shortage, something that the previous regulations did not allow. Unlike the TITP, the new model does allow changing companies within the same sector under certain conditions, and sets a limit on commissions from recruitment agencies equivalent to two months of the worker’s salary. More visas, more sectors, more talent. The Japanese government has opened new entry ways to foreign labor. In March 2024, the Specific Skilled Worker (SSW) visa program incorporated new sectors in which foreigners can work, raising to 17 the total number of sectors covered. Those who arrive with a university degree can benefit from the J-Find visaaimed at graduates from the top 100 universities in the world. This visa allows you to reside up to two years in Japan to look for work or prepare a business project without having to have an employer to guarantee your arrival. Unlike the SSW or the TITP, the J-Find is a commitment that goes beyond filling vacant positions, and what it seeks is to compete for highly qualified talent at a global level and encourage the creation of startups and innovation projects in Japan. Companies also have their share of the problem. In addition to demographic pressurethe companies themselves have spent years unable to fill vacancies with local workers. According to the MHLW survey30% of the establishments declared having difficulties and “linguistic and cultural barriers” with their employees, and “complexity of the procedures to manage their residency status.” That is to say, not only is it a complex bureaucracy for workers, but Japanese companies are also having problems with this hiring system. The reforms underway aim to correct the most problematic points of the system, from agency abuses to the rigidity that tied workers to a single employer. The reforms will not be completed until 2027, so until that time comes, the paradox that Japan is experiencing still the same: a country that urgently needs foreign workers, in which those same workers have to pay a high sum to be able to work. In Xataka | Japan is being the canary in the mine of the labor market in Spain: reversible retirement is the proof Image | Unsplash (Il Vagabiondo)

Europe has grown tired of being NASA’s “supporting actor.” And that is why it is starting to work with China

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The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have teamed up to launch an ambitious mission, aimed at studying the mechanisms used by the Earth to protect itself from solar inclement weather. The SMILE mission was scheduled to launch this April 9, but a small technical problem has forced it to be postponed until a date that is still unclear. In any case, it is just a small stone on the road for a mission that reinforces Europe’s intention to join forces with the Today it is considered the direct competition of NASA on many space issues. Given the ups and downs that the United States faces in scientific matters, it could be an interesting idea. The terrestrial sunscreen under a magnifying glass. The SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) mission has four instruments aimed at analyzing the interaction of solar winds with the magnetosphere that acts as the Earth’s shield. It is a necessary mission for many reasons. On the one hand, because many of the mechanisms used by the Earth to protect itself from solar radiation remain partly a mystery. And, on the other hand, because data analysis could help predict solar storms more accurately. Currently it is possible to know with high probability whether they will occur, but the situation is far from being exact. Since these types of events affect terrestrial communications systems, forecasting would be a key point. Four instruments. The instruments that SMILE has They are the Soft X-ray Imager (SXI), the Light Ion Analyzer (LIA), the Detector Plane Assembly (DPA) and the Ultraviolet Imager (UVI). The SXI is responsible for taking X-ray images to study the boundaries of the magnetosphere, while the DPA provides mechanical and thermal support. That is, it helps keep the imaging systems at a stable temperature, something essential given the proximity to the Sun. As for LIA, its function is to analyze ionized particles. Solar winds consist of a flow of ionized particles that form in the Sun’s corona and are released into space. They are directly related to the harmful effects of solar storms, so it is important to analyze them. For its part, UVI is responsible for taking images in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum. Above all, they will take images of auroras, closely linked to peaks in solar activity. European and Chinese contribution. The European Union has provided the SXI and DPA instruments, in addition to the Vega rocket that will propel the satellite and all its instruments into space. For its part, China has developed the UVI and LIA instruments, as well as the SMILE suite satellite platform. Spain is not missing either. One of SMILE’s instruments, the DPA, It has been developed at the Spanish National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA). Little recognition. NASA has given Canada a seat on the Orion capsule to travel to the Moon. Canadian Jeremy Hansen is one of the crew members of Artemis II, despite having never traveled to space. Canada has not participated in the technological development of the mission. Europe, on the other hand, has provided the engine system that has propelled the four astronauts towards our satellite. Even so, little mention has been made of ESA’s important contribution during the development of Artemis II. Why China. A long time ago, China stopped being an emerging space power and became one of the most consolidated on the current scene. With its Tiangong Space Station Located in low orbit, it is the only facility of its kind besides the International Space Station. Its lunar mission has great relevance thanks to the exploration of the Chang’e unmanned missions. Besides, hopes to take its own taikonauts (as Chinese astronauts are known) to the satellite in 2030. Its exploration on Mars is also important thanks to rovers like Zhurong. Tiangong Low hours for NASA? Donald Trump’s government wants to make drastic cuts to science with public investment in the United States and possibly NASA will not escape. Therefore, it may be a good time to seek other support in the space race, as ESA is already doing with SMILE. That does not mean that it will stop collaborating with NASA, but it is true that it is open to exploring new partners. If there is one thing that history has taught us, it is that the best way to advance in the space race is to put egos aside and move forward as a team. Closing yourself off only to a traveling companion can end up being counterproductive. Images | ESA | Shujianyang In Xataka | Astronauts’ food is not appetizing at first, especially in China

one in four doesn’t work

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Whether the electric car continues to advance depends largely on the charging infrastructure and Spain is doing its homework on that. In October of last year we had 52,000 charging points spread throughout the peninsula and during the first quarter of 2026 there have already been more than 55,000 operating points. The expansion of the network is advancing, but it has a burden: many are out of service. One in four. The Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC), which collects data on the electromobility sector, has published the data corresponding to the first quarter of the year and there is a worrying figure. More than 17,000 charging points are out of service, which represents 24% of the total. In other words: one in four charging points does not work. If they were operational, the network would have more than 72,000 points in total. The reasons. According to ANFAC, the fact that there are charging points without service responds to several factors. On the one hand, the poor condition and breakdowns, but there are also many that are installed but have not yet been connected to the network. To prepare this breakdown map, the ANFAC uses information that users provide through Electromaps, so the actual figure may vary. Percentages by communities. The ANFAC breaks down the data by communities, so we can know which ones have the most points out of service. The crown goes to the Balearic Islands, which of the 1,828 points have 832 that do not work, 45.5%. Galicia follows with 39.5%, La Rioja with 37.5% and Valencia with 35.5%. Among those with the most reliable infrastructure are Aragón with 22.4%, Castilla y León with 22.4% and Extremadura with 26.1%. The status of fast charging. The absence of high-power chargers is one of the shortcomings that Spain has compared to other countries. According to the data in the report, 69% of the network is made up of slow charging points of up to 22 kW, while the remaining 31% are higher power points. This is the current panorama: 2,253 charging points between 22 and 50kW. 9,015 charging points between 50 and 150 kW. 3,206 charging points between 150 and 250 kW. 2,469 points of 250kW or more. A long way to go. Slow charging points can be useful for private use in homes or for long stays, since we can leave the car charging all night. If we go on a trip and want to make a quick stop, we must use a charger of at least 150kW or more, to be able to “refuel” in half an hour and not have to make long stops. Of the more than 2,000 points that have been added so far this year, half are quick recharge. Things are moving forward, but Spain is still far behind other European countries Image | Reve, own edition In Xataka | Spain has been filled with charging points for electric cars. The problem is that we are not using them

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