“To say that it is a bubble is a blasphemy against AI, this is just the beginning”

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Bubble yes, bubble no. Nobody agrees. On one side are those who see a clear parallelism with the dotcom bubble and They believe that the explosion is imminent. On the other hand, the most optimistic They see AI as a source of inexhaustible wealth (one that we haven’t seen yetthey say that because we don’t know how to measure it). Guess which side the CEO of SoftBank is on, who only last year put in no less than $40 billion in OpenAI. What bubble? They count in Reuters that, during the last annual results conference, the CEO of the company Masayoshi Son He was blunt with those who see an imminent apocalypse in the AI ​​boom: “I think that saying that it is a bubble is a blasphemy against AI (…) This is nothing more than the beginning. The potential of AI is yet to be discovered.” Are did not rule out a fall completelybut he predicted “many golden days” even if that happened. His position fits with that of other business leaders like Jensen Huangwho believes that we are facing the largest infrastructure construction in history, or Satya Nadellawhich says that it would only be a bubble if no one uses AI, which is not happening. Interests. To understand this very forceful position, it is enough to know that SoftBank is the largest investor in OpenAI. In total, the Japanese conglomerate has committed to investing more than $64 billion, and more importantly: they are not investing in other AI companies. At the moment the bet is going relatively well for them and in the first quarter of the year they recorded profits of 25 billion dollars, which skyrocketed their share price, which has already risen 216% in 2025. However, it is no less true that the future of the company is strongly linked to the success or failure of OpenAI and the AI ​​boom in general. If the bubble punctures, they puncture with it. blind faith. They counted on Bloomberg Recently, many SoftBank executives were concerned about the strange fascination that their CEO showed for Sam Altman. At a time when Rivals like Anthropic are already worth morethe internal leadership is concerned about the risk of “putting all their eggs in one basket” and then Altman not keeping his promises. It is something that It already happened to them with the bankruptcy of WeWork and that repeats the same ingredients: charismatic leader and aggressive investment. Several of these executives have asked Son what would happen if OpenAI failed, but the CEO always dismisses the doubts abruptly, so they have chosen to remain silent. The IPO. OpenAI is planning its IPOprobably before the end of the year, so this gain is still on paper. If the operation is successful, SoftBank can make a significant amount of profit, but it is also exposed to heavy losses if it goes wrong. Recently the analyst Ed Zitron leaked data on OpenAI’s financial status and the losses are so high that they make you dizzy. Despite everything, investors continue to believe in OpenAI and the company It’s already worth a whopping $852 billion. Contrast. The perception of leaders like Masayoshi Son contrasts with the growing concern of the American population. It is estimated that the total investment in AI is already has exceeded one billion dollars and citizens are not clear that it is the gold mine that technology companies promise. According to a recent Haystack News survey54.9% were “very worried” that a bubble is forming in the technology industry because of AI, while only 21.2% said they were not worried at all. This adds to the growing rejection of the construction of data centersmainly because the pollution it generates in nearby towns. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | The CEO of NVIDIA has returned from the future with a warning: there are seven or eight years of astronomical investment in AI left

Europe has been left without cheap gas from Russia. Their new hope is in the renewables of Morocco and Tunisia

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With the war in Russia and Ukraine, Europe forgot with blood, sweat and tears about the gas of the first to throw themselves into the arms of the United States. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has made it clear that looking for a supplier far away and through inhospitable territories is not the best idea, so the old continent has set its sights on its neighbor: North Africa, an area with enormous potential and several essential projects (for Europe) under way. After all, it has everything: abundant sun and wind, available land and it is just a stone’s throw away. That they can produce energy is a fact, the question is whether they can connect it to Europe reliably and profitably. North Africa, energy cluster. While they cook two giant African gas pipelinesthe Trans-Saharan led by Nigeria, Niger and Algeria and the pharaonic Africa-Atlantic and are committed to green hydrogen with projects such as the Algerian ALTEH2A and the Moroccan investment worth 32.5 billion dollars, in the north of the continent there are several clear and concrete plans in renewable energies: Morocco wants add 16GW of capacity and plans an investment of 16,000 million dollars in five years to materialize it. Tunisia wants to reach a 50% renewable share by 2035. It has already put out to tender 2.3 GW of wind and solar infrastructure. Norwegian Scatec closed financing and began construction of the 120 MW Sidi Bouzid II solar plant together with Toyota Tsusho, with completion scheduled for 2027. The connection to Europe is advancing with the 600 MW Elmed submarine cable bound for Sicily. Algeria plans to connect 15 GW of renewables to the grid by 2035, with a first tranche of 3.2 GW solar. Why is it important. For North African countries, these projects entail economic development, creation of critical infrastructure and technological employment and foreign investment. For Europe it is a real lifesaver: the old continent imports enormous quantities of gas, oil and electricity and since the war in Ukraine and Russia, The EU desperately seeks to diversify suppliers and has its sights set on northern Europe as a priority source of hydrogen in its Hydrogen Strategy. If these projects materialize, Europe would have cleaner, cheaper energy close to home. Context. The Strait of Hormuz crisis has revealed something that we already knew: depending on third parties for your energy is a tremendous risk. Tunisia suffers it first hand: 95% of its electricity comes from natural gas and more than 60% of that gas is imported. It’s not new: according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2024 the Middle East and North Africa region supplied more than 30% of the world’s oil and almost 20% of natural gas, but its electricity generation continues to depend on fossil fuels for more than 90%. Making the move to renewables is also a question of energy sovereignty. In these movements there is a key Italian company: Snam. In 2023 acquired a 49.9% stake in the two gas pipelines that connect Italy with Algeria and the Algeria-Tunisia gas pipeline, this places it as a natural operator facing a possible conversion to hydrogen. Despite be an “energy island” On the continent, Spain starts from a privileged position if North Africa becomes the European tap: it will be one of the entry doors. In detail. At a technical level, the most important thing is how to bring that energy to Europe: by submarine electric cable or by converting existing gas pipelines to transport hydrogen, which will have implications in both cost and management. While the second is in the study phase, the cable option is advancing: Italy has already hired Prysmian the construction of a 600 MW interconnection with Tunisia. Meanwhile, Spain and Morocco agreed in 2019 a third electrical interconnection, but to this day it still has not materialized. Yes, but. The conversion of North Africa into an energy hub is a promise full of official commitments, GW targets and billions of dollars on the table, but it is not an installed and operational capacity. And unfortunately, the region has a history of advertisements that fell flat, serve as an example the Desertec solar project. Without going any further, geopolitics is already leaving warnings of the complexity of the matter. On the other hand, there is the question of the price of green hydrogen: although in North Africa it is cheaper than in the rest of the world thanks to the sun, it still cannot compete with hydrogen from natural gas, which costs between 1 – 2 dollars per kg. According to a study by the Technical University of Munichonly a tiny fraction of African sites could approach competitive prices in 2030. Without subsidies, most projects are not profitable today. In Xataka | Russia turned off the tap and Europe looked south: the two pharaonic African gas pipelines that want to change the energy map Xataka | The first natural gas that does not depend on fossil sources is already a reality in Europe: it is manufactured in Extremadura by combining hydrogen and CO2 Cover | Matthew Henry and Anirudh

Spain planted millions of eucalyptus trees to have cheap wood. 90 years later, we have confirmed that they are a green desert

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If you usually move around the Cantabrian coast, you are surely already familiar with that long and stylized tree that is so abundant in its mountains. However, the eucalyptus already covers 30% of the forest area in areas such as northwest Spain. The omnipresence of the eucalyptus is the result of a forestry policy that started in the 40’s whose main objective was to supply the paper industry: it was cheap, it grew quickly, so it had all the potential to be the ideal candidate to repopulate unproductive forests. Decades later, a scientific study of the University of Santiago de Compostela and the CSIC has put numbers to suspicions: For the fauna, these plantations are almost a desert. The environmental cost of the ubiquitous eucalyptus. This research analyzed 240 areas of native Atlantic forest and eucalyptus forest in the Parque Natural das Fragas do Eume and They found an abysmal difference in richness and abundance of birds. In short: the more eucalyptus there is, the fewer birds live in that area and it is no coincidence. Mature eucalypts cannot replace mature trees as functional habitat and their foliage offers very limited support for birds. The most affected are those that eat insects and those that breed in the holes of old trees, such as the great woodpecker or the great tit. The eucalyptus does not generate enough insects to feed on, it has no undergrowth and it is cut down before it forms the cavities that these birds need to nest. On the less bad side, they have also found a fairly simple solution that does not involve eradicating the eucalyptus: simply letting wild vegetation grow in some areas, without clearing it. Why is it important. Because the role of forest birds is important in the balance of the ecosystem: they regulate insect pests, help in seed dispersal and act as an indicator of environmental health. In fact, the EU Birds Directive 2009/147 obliges member states to conserve bird populations in good condition and this study documents that this obligation is being breached in the most eucalyptus of Galicia and the Cantabrian coast. The situation is more complicated than it seems because already in 2017 the scientific committee of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition recommended include eucalyptus in the Catalog of Invasive Exotic Species in 2017, but the proposal was rejected due to the economy behind it: in Galicia this sector generates 2.5 billion euros annually in wood and paper pulp and employs more than 19,000 people, according to the report A Cadea Forestal-Madeira de Galicia 2025 prepared by XERA. It is a complete conflict of interest. Context. The eucalyptus arrived to the Iberian Peninsula in the 19th century for ornamental and medicinal purposes, but its true boom arrive with the repopulation plans of the Franco regime and the commercial demand for cellulose. Parque Natural das Fragas do Eume, the place where the analysis was carried out, is one of the last remaining coastal Atlantic forests on the Iberian Peninsula. There, eucalyptus plantations are currently the second largest type of forest: 1,340 hectares, only behind the native forest. But the species has already colonized its surroundings. In any case, the problem with eucalyptus trees is not local: in Portugal the eucalyptus already covers more than 800,000 hectares and is the most widespread forest species in the country. according to data from the National Forest Inventory of Portugal prepared by the Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas. It is also under scrutiny there due to its relationship with large fires. In fact, on a global scale the scientific community has been documenting for years the impact of eucalyptus on Mediterranean and temperate ecosystems outside its native Australia. In detail. Eucalyptus is a silent killer: it releases chemicals that prevent the growth of other plants under its canopy (allelopathy), which eliminates native shrubs and with them, the insects that feed the birds. Furthermore, since it is cut down every ten or fifteen years, it never ages enough to develop the holes needed for nesting by cave birds such as woodpeckers. The problem does not stay on land: dead eucalyptus leaves release oils and toxic compounds when they reach river courses, harming aquatic insects and amphibians that form the base of the river food chain. Yes, but. The damage to the diversity of the eucalyptus is a reality as undeniable as its socioeconomic importance: it is an economic vector and population fixation in these rural areas and eliminating or restricting its cultivation would have a notable impact in communities where alternatives are not abundant. Hence, the study itself does not call for its eradication, but for something simpler and more practical: leaving strips of vegetation uncut within the plantations so that the native flora can recover and the birds can return. It is a low cost solution that has already proven to be effective in other European contexts. On the other hand, there is the limitation that the study has been carried out in a single forest and is focused on birds. Not all species respond the same. In any case, science does not say that eucalyptus is evil, only that covering 30% of your forests with it has a serious biological toll. In Xataka | The Iberian Peninsula is being invaded: more than 1,200 exotic species have come to stay In Xataka | The Ebro is filling with brown prawns, an invasive species that we are going to find more and more on our plates. Cover | Flickr

30,000 liters/second while the fruit trees next door use well water

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Since February, there is a dam 14 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea that releases water uninterruptedly. Until “30,000 liters per second“they leave the Rules Reservoirthey cross the lower plain of Guadalfeo and enter the sea. A few kilometers away, on the right bank of the river, there are thousands of hectares of tropical fruit trees. struggling with brackish water pumped from permanently overexploited wells. This is a textbook example of the “Spanish way of managing water.” But let’s be precise. Actually, the question “why are we letting that water go into the sea?” has several answers. The simplest and most obvious is that there is no more water in that swamp. Granada is coming off the best snow season in more than a decade. The high elevations of the Sierra Nevada had almost four meters of ‘white gold’ in February and that gold has begun to melt quickly. It is true that the massif has a complex network of irrigation ditches to try to ‘contain’ all that water and delay its arrival to the sea, but it is a matter of time before that water would have to leave Rules. A single piece of information explains it simply: since February the reservoir has received more than twice as much water as its operational capacity. In fact, the water is being ‘thrown’ into the sea because it is overflowing from its spillway. Is the second time in its history that this has happened. The other answer… is that, 22 years later and a cost overrun of more than 200 million eurosthe stored water still does not irrigate the fences 9,000 hectares of subtropical areas of the Tropical Coast. The pipelines are still under construction and, although some may be finished in the coming months, others have not even started. Government, Board, Provincial Council and City Councils have been throwing things at each other for years without solving the problem. And it is not clear that it will be resolved: now the Granada Provincial Council has reactivated the debatebut we must remember that elections are on the horizon. It is time to make promises of investments that no one knows if they will come to fruition. Meanwhile, the Kafkaesque system of subtropical agriculture continues to push the region to the limit. Because that is the worst news of all. Even in the best year in living memory, water is not enough. When we don’t have it, because we don’t have it. When we have it, because we have not built the pipeline that would allow us to use it for decades. Rules, as we said months agoit is a curiosity, but what a curiosity. Because we all know that Spain has a problem with water and we have to recognize that we have been very imaginative trying to solve it. But what we must not forget is that one of the great pending issues is to assume that managing this problem involves making decisions and carrying them out. Image | Cristina Borge In Xataka | In the midst of a drought, one of the swamps with the most water in Spain is in Andalusia. His secret: he can’t spend it

Puertomingalvo, the Teruel town of 130 inhabitants, has been without free beds for the eclipse for more than a year

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The solar eclipse on August 12 will be an ideal opportunity to go sightseeing in places where we normally would not do so. There are many people who have chosen to organize their vacations around this great astronomical eventwhose entire strip will not precisely cross the most tourist places in Spain. It will not pass through Benidorm, the Canary Islands or the Costa del Sol. Yes, it will be seen in some fairly touristy spots on the Balearic Islands, but little else. Mostly it will discharge all its splendor in the famous emptied Spain. The Sun rulesso many people who possibly would not have had these destinations among their options for summer vacations have decided to enter these small towns and discover all their charm. Because, logically, there will be a lot to do beyond seeing the eclipse, whose totality will not last two minutes. Castilla León, Navarra and Aragón, for example, are home to many interesting towns to take advantage of the day of the eclipse and the days before and after it. For example, many people will choose to see it in Puertomingalvo, a beautiful Teruel town in which all its accommodations posted the full sign for these dates more than a year ago. Although it is not necessary to stay directly in the town to enjoy everything it has to offer. A changing population preparing for the great solar eclipse As it could not be otherwise, to get to know the town of Puertomingalvo a little better I have contacted Manuel Vázquez, the guide in charge of your Tourist Office. He says that, although there are currently about 130 people registered in this town in the Gúdar Javalambre regionin summer it is usually around 600 people. There are many second homes where some people who moved to Castellón or other more industrialized cities travel in summer in search of work. But there are also 11 accommodations that have been full for more than a year. It is true that in summer it is always full, but reservations for August usually begin to close in June, not a year in advance. Furthermore, Vázquez is a lover of statistics, so he has been studying the searches that have been made on the Puertomingalvo website. Thus, he has observed that, although last year searches in French stood out, this year they have far surpassed them in searches in Spanish. That does not mean that the town did not have national tourism. He had, and a lot. But maybe they were people who didn’t have to search the town. Now, thanks to the eclipse, there are many more Spaniards who have been interested in getting to know it. Hermitage of Saint Barbara of Nicomedia For all this, the Government of Aragon has also been preparing this and other nearby towns for a year for what is to come. “From the Government of Aragon they send us talks and information about how to use approved glasses“, prevent fires, etc.,” says Vázquez. “We are dedicated to informing anyone who needs it about the eclipse.” The town is located at 1,456 meters high and it has a very clear sky. Additionally, according to Vázquez, there has only been one summer storm around that time in recent years. Generally the skies are usually clear, so the weather will most likely behave when the day arrives. Much more than an eclipse The eclipse will be an ideal occasion for many people who did not even know Puertomingalvo to venture inside its medieval walls. In summer, with its population quintupled, the town bustles with a very complete program of festivals. “The schedule for August is crazy,” celebrates the tour guide. “Last year they made more than 100 activities in 30 days and this year many activities are also expected.” In short, people who decide to take advantage of the eclipse to visit Puertomingalvo will have a good program of activities. But, in addition, you will enjoy many places to visit. And, despite its small size, Puertomingalvo has a lot of heritage. It is part of the Association of the most beautiful towns in Spain and in 1982 It was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in the category of Historical-Artistic Complex. Upon arrival, the visitor can enjoy observing its walls, but inside the art and history do not end. The Castle stands out, where you can arrange a private visit, as well as the Town Hall building and the hermitages. All these buildings are from Civil Gothic and were built between the 14th and 16th centuries. You can also visit the Church of the Purification and San Blas, El Hospicio Poma, the laundries and the Hospital for the Poor, which has currently been converted into a hostel and library. On the other hand, Casa Llorens stands out, a very well preserved palatial house, which was built between the 16th and 17th centuries. Sport and Nature In the surroundings of the town there are numerous hiking trails which can be visited on foot, by bicycle or even on horseback. It is an ideal way to enjoy nature and sports at any time of the year. In summer, without a doubt, one of the most recommended is the Cascada del Arquero route, since you can end it with a swim in the river, ideal for the heat. Outside the town, you can also visit the remains of the Iberian town of Los Castillejos. In short, history, nature and the sky come together in a perfect combo for a different vacation. Puertomingalvo is a great location to observe the solar eclipse, but also to delight in everything it has to offer, both this year and whenever we decide to visit. Image | Pabloandr85, Juan Emilio Prades Bel In Xataka | Between 2026 and 2028 Spain will become an eclipse paradise. And we have new maps to know where they will look best

We know that the inhabitants of a Roman site in Aragon loved wine and games. A mystery remains: why they vanished

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When we think of ancient Rome, the first image that comes to mind is that of patricians in togas, the Colosseum, legionnaires and heroes gathered in the Senate. That however is only one part of the Empire. The “Rome of marble”, as the archaeologist Ángel A. Jordán recently summarized it in an interview with The Newspaper. Another, equally important and much less known, is the “Rome of clay”, that formed by people who lived far from the metropolis and dedicated their days to working, drinking and playing, went hungry, loved and mourned their dead. That last Rome is the one that Jordan and his companions are discovering little by little in Barker Heada deposit of Five Villasprovince of Zaragoza. In a place in Aragon… It may not be the best-known site in Spain, but Barker Head has proven to be a box of surprises for archaeologists interested in the history of Aragon. Located in the pre-Pyrenean foothills, near Sofuentes, its land was occupied for centuries and played a key role in the road which Augustus ordered to be built and toured the area. Hence since 2016 Researchers have carried out several campaigns to peer into the secrets of a population that, it is estimated, covered 19 hectares and extended from the late bronze age until late antiquity, between the centuries VI and IX AD., a period that has left a good handful of vestiges. Last year, for example, was announced the discovery of a Roman road. Why is it news? Because after eight campaigns, a new excavation has just been launched at the site. He revealed it a few days ago The Aragon Newspaperwho in the process chatted with the project director, Angel A. Jordanabout the objective that the team has set for this year: to clarify why the population declined, something difficult to understand with the data they have collected so far. “It is a city that a priori has water because it is located in a place where there are many springs, it is a privileged area with very good agricultural land… It is a great mystery why the city stopped being inhabited. In the 7th century it no longer exists,” details the expert The chronicle of Cabeza Ladrero can therefore extend from the IX or VIII BC until late in our era, although it is believed that it reached its period of splendor during the Roman era. One unknown, two theories. Although the excavations will (hopefully) clarify the mystery, Jordán and his team already start with some theories on the table. One is that the settlement succumbed to external attacks. “Last year the excavation began to give us curious elements. Small remains are appearing that indicate the presence of fire, ashes are appearing in different parts of the street and that makes us think that it could have been abandoned due to some violent event,” admits in The Newspaper. “Taking into account that the city does not reach the 7th century and that there are signs of destruction, we could still be facing some type of attack, especially from the Bagaudas, rebel groups that acted in the Ebro valley during the 5th and 6th centuries and that looted several cities in the region,” apostille the expert The other suspect. The second hypothesis is that it was the disease that killed the locals. As remember Jordanit is known that in the 6th century there was “a brutal epidemic of the Black Death” that had devastating consequences. “It is estimated that in many parts of the empire up to 25% died,” says the director of the archaeological project before remembering that there is evidence of another phenomenon: a transfer of population to The Bañalesa Roman settlement located not far from Cabeza Ladrero and which became a prosperous town. The “Rome of clay”. Beyond its geopolitical relevance, its role in the road system or the details of its chronicle, there is another reason why Cabeza Ladrero is so special: it offers us a window into the “Rome of clay”which completes the image of “marble Rome” that cinema usually conveys and has formed the cliché of the empire. After all, at the Aragonese site archaeologists have found much more than vials and ancient milestones. Pitchers and board games. During their excavations, researchers have found jugs that tell us about his love of drinking and several tokens that, experts believe, could have been part of an ancient board game. “They were people who lived, got drunk and robbed each other; but they also loved and we have been able to see that very well in the necropolis,” Jordan says in The Newspaper. “Indeed, they played because they had to have fun and, if not, they were bored out of their minds. They organized tournaments and the kids had their toys.” Images | Wikipedia 1 and 2 Via | The Aragon Newspaper In Xataka | Under an institute, Rome has found something impressive: a perfectly preserved “domus” from the 2nd century

Every time a rocket ship fails, an industry grows. And China has just decided that it wants to be the owner and mistress

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In 2016, a SpaceX’s Falcon 9 exploded at Cape Canaveral destroying Israel’s Amos-6 communications satellite. Luckily, like when you get hit by a car while parking, there was insurance behind it that paid for the mess because the incident cost almost 300 million dollars. Because imagine that your latest and most ambitious project explodes and that as a consequence you end up bankrupt. Insurance is that industry that when everything goes well seems like a superfluous expense and that saves you when there is an accident. Applied to space, they move more than 4 billion dollars a year. Well, space insurance is undergoing a historic transformation: China has decided who no longer wants to be a mere customer, she wants to be the owner of the business. China goes from client to insurer. China had been insuring its satellites for years through the state insurer PICC, but part of the real risk was absorbed by the international market via reinsurance. So when ChinaSat-18 failed in 2019, it was foreign insurers that absorbed part of the hit, according to SpaceNews. China paid the premiums and London and Paris, where space reinsurance business is concentratedthey stayed with the business. Everything changed in March 2025: a consortium from Beijing covered 25 private launches for $1.47 billion in its first year, bringing together domestic insurers so that everything, money and control, stays at home, according to Caixin Global. It is the first consortium dedicated exclusively to the Chinese commercial aerospace sector. Why is it important. Because if there is no insurance, there is no investment and without that financing there are no rockets either. A fact: a geostationary satellite costs between 150 and 400 million dollars to manufacture and launch, according to the Satellite Industry Association. If there is a failure, the economic impact is tremendous and could lead to the bankruptcy of the operator, so having an insurance policy is a condition for any investor to dare to put money into a space project. Controlling space insurance is controlling who can take certain risks and how. The Chinese government is clear: according to the IISSShanghai allocated 300 million yuan in subsidies to the commercial aerospace sector in April 2025, and Beijing has announced targeted insurance premium subsidies for space companies. China replicates the move it has already used in semiconductors or batteries: state push to achieve strategic independence. Context. The space insurance market is growing simply because the commercial space sector is also growing, and because insurance is an essential condition for operating in it: Space Liability Convention of 1972 establishes that states are responsible for damages caused by their space objects. Lloyd’s of London has been insuring satellites since 1965 and for decades, this was a closed market dominated in Europe by companies such as Munich Re, Swiss Re or AXA XL. According to Orbital Radarthis market generates between 500 and 600 million in annual premiums and remains concentrated in London, Paris and Bermuda. SpaceX changed everything: more launches, lower unit cost, new risk profiles… and now new Chinese private launchers such as LandSpace, CAS Space, Space Pioneer bring a new transformation: everything stays at home, China cooks it and China eats it. In detail. As with cars, insurance premiums depend on the history of the rocket and here China has a potential gap to slip through: for new rockets with no history, the premiums are very high. Orbital Radar Explained that launch premiums range between 5% and 15% of the insured value depending on the vehicle and orbit. Therein lies the great advantage of the Chinese consortium: it can take risks where other insurers put their “buts.” A revealing fact: of 10,000 active satellites in orbit, only 300 have insurance, according to Space Insider. In fact, SpaceX does not even externally secure its own Starlink. Yes, but. The market that China wants to enter with everything is in trouble: in 2024 it paid more in claims than it earned in premiums, according to Insurance Business Magazineamong other things due to the loss of Intelsat 33e. And it’s going to get worse: space debris is growing faster than the ability to calculate it and here China is largely to blame. Furthermore, in accordance with the regulations OFAC of the US Department of the Treasury.when a Chinese rocket fails, American and European insurers can’t always pay: Western sanctions legally prohibit them from dealing with certain Chinese assets, so the market is fragmented. In Xataka | SpaceX has always been 10 years ahead of the competition. The problem is that in China that law no longer applies. In Xataka | The race to become “China’s SpaceX”: who’s who in its private space launch sector Cover | Ivan Diaz and zhang kaiyv

“Fate gave us an opportunity to test ourselves to the limit”

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The story we have counted. In 1986, three Soviet engineers volunteered to enter the flooded tunnels beneath the Chernobyl nuclear power plant reactor and open valves that could prevent a second devastating explosion. For years it was believed that they had died shortly after from radiation, but the reality was even stranger: two survived for decades. The story well summarizes the Chernobyl paradox: the greatest nuclear danger often comes not with a bomb, but with an out-of-control reactor. The return of the ghost. Almost forty years after the explosion of reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the place once again experienced scenes that seemed buried with the Soviet Union. How we count Then, in February 2025, a Russian explosive drone blew a hole in the gigantic confinement structure built over the old sarcophagus and caused an internal fire. Suddenly, Ukrainian firefighters had to climb back a radioactive facility to contain a fire on the largest symbol of civil nuclear disaster in history. The image had a disturbing echo: men climbing toward the radiation again, like in 1986. Climb into frozen hell. The operation was brutal. For two weeks, more than a hundred rescuers worked in shifts of just thirty minutes to reduce their exposure while fighting a fire hidden between the roof membranes. The water froze almost instantly due to the extreme temperatures and the wind whipped a structure thirty stories high. He summarized the logic of that mission in a Wall Street Journal interview Oleksiy Chuprov, one of the Ukrainian emergency workers who was directly involved in the operation to extinguish the arson, did so coldly: “We just did our job.” Then he added something more revealing: “Destiny gave us an opportunity to test ourselves to the limit.” It was not rhetorical heroism, it was the confirmation that Chernobyl remains a place where the margin of error is zero. The new nuclear enemy. Here appears the central idea of ​​the current drama. For decades, the nuclear threat was associated with missiles, atomic warheads and the doctrine of mutual destruction. Today, according to the historian Serhii Plokhythe danger has moved: “the true nuclear threat today comes much more from atoms for peace than from atoms for war.” The phrase is not trivial because it actually redefines everything. The reactor has not generated electricity since 2000, but it still contains 200 tons of material highly radioactive. What was once a monument to an accident has now become a vulnerable target in conventional warfare. When a power plant becomes a weapon. Because the war in Ukraine has shown that civilian nuclear infrastructure They are already strategic pieces. Russia occupied Chernobyl in 2022 and keep controlling the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe. Furthermore, its attacks on electrical substations force Ukraine to rely even more on its reactors to maintain the living energy system. The pressure is not only military, it is psychological and political. Every missile that passes near a nuclear plant makes civil energy hostage to the conflict. The hole that changes the equation. He drone impact Russian did not destroy the confinement, but it did break the feeling of invulnerability that surrounded the enormous steel structure of 1,750 million of dollars installed in 2019. Designed to withstand tornadoes, forest fires and the passage of time, it was not intended to absorb direct attacks from war. Now Ukraine needs 580 million of dollars to repair it and avoid irreversible corrosion. The physical hole is also conceptual: it shows that even the best civilian nuclear solutions can be reopened by war. Ignorance as an added risk. During the Russian occupation of Chernobyl, soldiers dug trenches and placed mines in contaminated ground without really understanding where they were. Oleh Lebedev, one of the rescuers, explained it devastatingly: “They had absolutely no idea about radiation control or where they were.” The phrase also summarizes another modern danger: not only deliberate aggression, but operational ignorance about facilities that remain extremely sensitive. In a war like the one in Ukraine, the accident can come as quickly as a simple attack. The erased border. What happens in Chernobyl is a global warning. The line between energy to live and to destroy, as Plokh toldand, it is increasingly blurred. A shut down reactor can still be a potential bomb if hit in the right place. And an active plant can become a military shield, a blackmail tool or a strategic objective. Therefore, the men who rise today to cover the hole Chernobyl are not just containing a fire, they are trying to keep closed the door through which a new nuclear catastrophe could sneak in. Image | Wikimedia, Tim Porter In Xataka | In case there was not enough “gasoline” in 2026, the attack by a Russian drone has crossed a red line: that of Chernobyl In Xataka | We believed that the “elephant’s foot” was the most radioactive point in Chernobyl reactor 4. we were wrong

Spain has lost 17 factories in two decades

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Not too long ago, Spain had a powerful household appliance industry: Balay, Corberó, Fagor… Between the 1950s and 1970s, manufacturers proliferated that manufactured refrigerators, washing machines and ovens “made in Spain” that constituted the middle class’s access to the comfort of the modern era. That era passed away: in the last two decades 17 plants have disappeared (they have closed or relocated) and barely a dozen remain in the entire state, according to APPLIA datathe Spanish Association of Appliance Manufacturers and Importers. Their turnover is 4.5 billion euros per year and they employ 8,000 people, modest figures for a state the size of Spain. They are, literally, low and hanging by a thread. what’s happening. In a word: relocation. Manufacturing outside the old continent is more profitable than doing so within, where the costs associated with production, regulatory and environmental costs are higher. More specifically, there is a star location: Asia. La Vanguardia collects the statements of Augusto Río, spokesperson for APPLIA and sales director of the German company BSH in Spain: “There are certain regulations in Europe aimed theoretically at improving the European industrial environment, but their application makes it more complicated to manufacture within the EU.” An example: the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) taxes the steel necessary for these appliances, but does not apply to imported appliances that arrive already finished. In other words, if you import a ton of steel from Asia, they charge you the tax. But if you use that same ton of steel in Asia to make an entire washing machine there and bring it to Europe, the washing machine enters without paying that green tax. Why is it important. The first consequence is direct and obvious: losing jobs. The not so obvious one is to become strategically dependent on third parties for essential domestic goods. Keeping these companies alive and operational supports local economies under a stable and quality employment model. At least, more than the precarious service sector that usually replaces it. From a technological point of view, the R&D&i ecosystem linked to the industrial fabric is broken: without factories, technical knowledge goes outside and feedback on innovation is lost. Paradoxically, the loss of these industries does not respond to a crisis in consumer demand: according to Renub Researchthe European home appliance market will go from 112.33 billion dollars in 2024 to 147.98 billion in 2033, an annual growth rate of more than 3%. But in this forecast report prepared by Mordor Intelligence We see that the quintet that leads the appliance market is the German BSH, the Swedish Electrolux, the British Dyson, the North American Whirpoool and the Chinese Haier. Precisely another Chinese brand, Midea, was the one that acquired the Teka Group between 2024 and 2025. Context. Historically, the manufacture of household appliances in Spain was a reflection of economic developmentalism and the adaptation of the “American Way of Life” to mass consumption in the mid-20th century. The families established a relationship that went beyond the purchase: they acquired the devices, but they also manufactured them, generating a strong bond and worker identity. I don’t remember one of my student apartments in Zaragoza where there wasn’t something by Balay. The globalization of the late 20th century and early 21st century put an end to it: multinationals moved their factories to countries with lower labor and environmental costs. Added to this context of relocation are specific legal asymmetries: Spain requires three years of guarantee of manufacturing compared to the two required by general EU regulations. Likewise, it is mandatory store spare parts for a decadewhich generates inventory costs that in practice the import avoids. Europe’s (only) great asset. To survive the fierce competition in the Asian market, the strategy of the European industry that is still resisting is to abandon the price war and differentiate itself in quality, as the German Mittelstand serves as an example. That is the plan of the CNA group, owner of the Cata brand and with a factory in Torelló. Santiago Torrent, its executive president, details: “The challenge is not to grow, but to do so with more added value” and that they must focus on quality, innovation, durability and better performance. This also includes after-sales and repairs, two areas in which the European Right to Repair Directive It requires them to have increasing responsibility for the product life cycle. Yes, but. The problem with this value-added strategy requires time, investment and a market that is willing to pay more for a European product, something that does not have to happen. And even less so in an inflationary scenario like the current one. On the other hand, China has already publicly shown its discontent with the protectionist European tariff measures, responding that he will take “the necessary actions.” And Europe’s dependence on China goes far beyond washing machines: it encompasses semiconductors, batteries and rare earths, structurally limiting how far Brussels can squeeze without harming itself. In Xataka | Europe’s passenger car industry, in a revealing map that makes it clear who is the real “engine” of the EU In Xataka | Europe is divided in two: the devastating map of deindustrialization Cover | Homa Appliances and Mati Flo

review with features, price and specifications

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First of all: who names appliances like microwaves, ovens, washing machines and stuff? How difficult it is to then recommend or know which one to buy, and I say this with experience: less than a year ago I bought an apartment and had to set up the kitchen and its associated appliances. What a shame I didn’t know about the existence of this product segment, because the LG MJ3965BP is not just another microwave (like the one I have), it is a three-in-one: microwave, oven and airfryer. They say that he who covers a lot, takes little, so we have tested it thoroughly and this has been our experience. ✅ Buy it if… You have little space in the kitchen. The size of air fryers falls short. You are a fan of microwaves and you think they are underrated. ❌ Don’t buy it if… There are a lot of people at home. You already have an oven and (especially) a good air fryer. You want a simple and cheap microwave. The essentials in 30 seconds The LG MJ3965BP is an oven, microwave, grill and air fryer. I don’t want to entangle you with psychological technicalities about air fryers (you can go deeper here), I’ll just summarize it like this: They are mini convection ovens. and that’s just what we have here, a small oven that also has a microwave function. Come on, he can cook with waves and air and he does it with flying colors. When I was little I remember the legendary microwaves with a grill function that you almost had to put in the burner to toast that gratin lasagna after waiting an eternity, but nothing could be further from the truth: this one goes like a shot and actually toasts food before the oven. As for the airfryer, it has fine print: you can put whatever you want, but limited to 300 grams. There it cooks like the best air fryers because it has power and by adding such a small amount, the cooking is uniform. I don’t know about you, but I usually put more in. If that happens, your best bet is to use the oven version. For a microwave it is large, but for an oven it is small, which makes it precisely a solution for those homes where there is no oven, either because you don’t have space or because you are renting and your kitchen already came like this. In that case, here you have a three-in-one solvent for all types of preparations. LG MJ3965BPS – Microwave Oven, 4 in 1, with Digital Display, 39 Liters and 1100 W, Smart Inverter and EasyClean Function, Cooks Faster, Maintains Flavor, Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Our experience with the LG MJ3965BP A great design in every way. When I took it out of the box the first thing I said was blasphemy: it’s heavier than a regular microwave and it was difficult for me to take it out. And also find a place for it, because it doesn’t fit on the shelf where my resident microwave is. Finally, I found a space on the counter for this 39-liter capacity pot. The good thing is that it has a very striking and modern mirrored finish. To operate it, little story: a touch panel, a screen and a roulette wheel and everything you need to know is on a sheet of paper on the side of the door. Ideal for impatient people who don’t read instructions. This little oven is very big. After the drama of finding a place for it, the joys come: the great handicap of air fryers in general is that there are things that you can’t fit into, but in this LG MJ3965BP, unless the whole family comes, there is plenty of space to fit a whole chicken. And in 50 minutes you have it this golden, a little less than the required hour in my oven. You just have to choose the “Roast and Bake” function and little else. That the plate rotates is a plus for uniform cooking and since there is interior light, you can keep an eye on it without having to open the door. In short, power is not a problem and that brings advantages: you save time in the oven, you use less energy and you fit more than in a deep fryer. Excellent in microwave. It may be the least exciting, but it more than accomplishes the tasks of evenly heating those leftovers, defrosting bread, boiling water for an infusion… What has surprised me most here is that it minimizes the endemic evil of microwaves: you heat a plate of meatballs and while one is hot, the other is cold. The power and rotation help, but the way of heating food with waves is more homogeneous compared to most microwaves I have tried (which are the typical basic ones for 50 – 100 euros). TOirfryer may be saying a lot. With some potato sticks in the next dish, my doubt was whether to bake them or put them in air fryer mode. I ventured to try the second option and there I was disappointed: it is limited to introducing 300 grams of food. With that amount or less you ensure that the food is spread out and cooked and toasted quickly, that is to say: the airfryer function in its most favorable conditions. But who makes only 300 grams of potatoes? I took a gamble by disobeying the instructions and tried it and here I found that it was much more difficult for them to achieve that golden brown. Maintenance: leave a cloth nearby. The finish is a real magnet for grease marks (which, on the other hand, lend themselves to appearing on a device that is used for cooking), so it is better to have a cloth nearby. The good thing is that being completely flat and with hardly any nooks, it is cleaned just as … Read more

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