Month: October 2025

pop artists have turned suspense into the best marketing

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Rosalia is one of the Spanish artists who has best understood the value and possibilities of social networks and internet to promote your work. He has thus perfected a time management strategy for his announcements based on leaving subtle clues about his upcoming works so that his fans immerse themselves in speculation and constant analysis. But she had never been so enigmatic and it had worked so well for her as with the publication of the sheet music of what could be one of her next songs. Allegrissimo. The unpublished scores are for a melody titled ‘Berghain’, and he has shared them through your newsletter on Substack. Speculation immediately arose: the score suggests a possible turn in her musical style towards arrangements for strings, which increases expectations about her next album, still unannounced, and which may take the artist into unexplored musical terrain. The “leak” was followed by posters in the Plaza de Callao in Madrid, with his face immersed in musical figures and staves. What is Berghain? But there are more meanings. Berghain is the name of a highly prestigious techno club in Germany, which is considered “the current techno capital of the world”, which somewhat contradicts the idea of ​​string arrangements. A red herring? In any case, the score is written on printed pages by the German G. Henle Verlag. After shipping, changed your Instagram profile picture and tweeted “LUX: LOVE” before deactivating your account. Fans assume that ‘LUX’ will be the title of their new album. The fans play. The most interesting thing about the release of the score has been that numerous followers have been encouraged to interpret the piece with various instruments, sharing their versions on social networks, especially on TikTok. The result is fascinating, with fans giving their versions of the melody with violins, pianos, flutes and even accordions. The Twitter account @elojoquetodolov has compiled the best, including interpretations of a second page of sheet music that the artist later sent. A success before leaving: the precedent of ‘Desphá’. In July 2022, when Rosalía sang her new song, ‘Despechá’, at the WiZink Center in Madrid, it had not yet been released on platforms or for sale. But the 15,000 people in the pavilion knew it. Rosalía, knowing how to handle this type of circumstances in her favor, quickly polled the public about the best title for the song and invited 20 people who knew the choreography to dance… on social networks. When the ‘Motomami’ tour began in Spain, in Almería, no one knew it, but the videos of the concerts running around the internet did the rest. That and 35 seconds of the song that Rosalía uploaded to the internet mid-tour. By the time he arrived in Madrid, influencers like María Pombo had spread it and made it a success. They are decisions like this, and masterful information dosage strategies, like the one that accompanied the release of their album ‘Motomami’ which has turned it into a study center for marketing experts and pop sociology. Rosalía is not an isolated case. There have been multiple examples of artists using the internet and social media to create puzzles, games with fans, and cutting-edge marketing to generate buzz. BTS: For the release of ‘Dynamite’ in 2020, BTS created a web page with multiple countdowns with different dates, without showing clear information. Each countdown gave way to exclusive content such as pre-purchase links or visual previews. This tactic kept the public’s interest for an entire month before the album’s release.​ Taylor Swift: ‘Reputation’ (2017) was promoted with a complete deletion of his Instagram, followed by cryptic images and symbols, such as snakes, that anticipated a dark turn in his image. This strategy was also carried out by Beyoncé in the releases of Lemonade (2016) and Renaissance (2022) with network deletion and cryptic messages. Although Beyoncé already knew what she was doing since 2013, when she released her self-titled album without any prior promotion, breaking traditional patterns. Ed Sheeran: For her song ‘Bad Habits’ in 2021, she created a Snapchat filter with digital fangs, encouraging fans to interact with them and create their own content.​ Frank Ocean: Known for his secretiveness and his use of absence to create buzz, he disappeared from the public scene for years before releasing his acclaimed ‘Blonde’ in 2016. Before that, he broadcast a live video on his website for several days, showing a figure building a ladder in a warehouse. Sabrina Carpenter: In 2018 he deleted his Instagram and for the release of ‘Short n’ Sweet’his team designed a campaign full of “Easter eggs” with clues and teasers. Before the release of ‘Man’s Best Friend’, he hosted secret listening sessions in Los Angeles and New York, allowing a select group of fans to hear it before anyone else. In promoting his song ‘Manchild’, he launched a campaign with eye-catching and enigmatic advertising posters in strategic places, with minimal and cryptic messages such as “Hey men” and “Amen”, Daft Punk. Of course. In Xataka | Rosalía and appropriation: why “Malamente” is accused of stealing from gypsy and Andalusian culture

Who will compensate Renfe for its investment in AVRIL trains that are breaking down?

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AVRIL trains are at risk of cracking. At least that is what happened in one of those that provided service on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed corridor, which has forced it to take all its trains out of circulation and cancel the AVLO service. But now, who pays the dishes Broken buggies? a fissure. It all began in July 2025. At least, the nightmare of what promised to be a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep began. At the end of the month and with the entire summer campaign ahead, Renfe suspended the sale of AVLO tickets between Madrid and Barcelona overnight. The reason soon became known: one of the trains had presented a fissure that forced him to stop full. Without being very clear about how to act, Renfe suspended the sale of these options low cost in the busiest corridor in Spain. Then he chose to make high speed… a slightly slower transportation, limiting maximum speed to avoid problems. Finally, ended up suspending the service completely. A setback. Preventively removing AVRIL trains from circulation in the Madrid-Barcelona corridor is a setback for Renfe since it will not compete with an option low cost in this space and leaves the way clear for Ouigo and Iryo. A space that, in fact, Ouigo had started to give way a few months ago. And although Renfe has room for maneuver because This line is the most expensive in Spain and the least sensitive to offers, the truth is that Renfe no longer competes on price in it. The setback comes, above all, because the results of Talgo’s S106 trains, known as AVRIL, are proving problematic. His arrival was already marked by the bad reviews and the turn of the year caused a widespread breakdown on the trains. Half a year later, when everything seemed forgotten, the trains break down (literally) on the Madrid-Barcelona route. Why are they important? When Renfe commissioned Talgo to produce 30 AVRIL trains, it did so thinking about its ability to lower prices. The trains allow access to a greater number of people and promised top speeds of 300 km/h, which they are not being able to take advantage of. But, above all, the batch of AVRIL trains is key because they are flexible. The trains can “jump” from the Iberian gauge to the international gauge. This allows Renfe to be the only one to be able to operate on the Galician high-speed corridor without having to transfer in Ourense. It is expected to be a differential advantage for competitors do not consider entry in said corridor when it opens to the rest of the competition. Who pays for this? Aware that poor performance of AVRIL trains is a setback for the company, Renfe has already started looking for trains in Germany. But, in addition, the relationship between Talgo and Renfe is not in the best moment. To begin with, because Renfe has already been claiming since last year more than 116 million euros compensation to Talgo for delays in the deliveries of its AVRIL trains. If it is confirmed that the problem with AVRIL trains is structural, new economic demands can be expected from Renfe. In Talgo, however, they defend themselves and assure that the real problem is in the infrastructure. In September they already pointed out Adif as the culprit of the cracks in its trains, alleging a “poor state of maintenance of the line (…) the horizontal leveling problems on that line and the vertical accelerations they cause on the rolling can, by repetition, cause the failure mode due to cracks in the bogie frame.” Adif has defended itself by ensuring that the line is correctly maintained and that it has all the necessary approvals so that the services are provided normally. Not happy with the answer, in The reason they explain that Talgo has already hired an external audit to determine what caused the crack in the four affected trains. Designated. What Talgo wants is obvious: to put the ball in Adif’s court. The company already had to reserve more than 100 million euros last year in their accounts to pay the compensation they owe to Renfe for delayed deliveries. Incurring more expenses because of a productive mistake can only damage your accounts further. On the other hand, Adif is the other big one. They explain in The reason that the main union of train drivers (Semaf) also points to the track management company as guilty due to insufficient maintenance. Criticisms that are not exclusive to this corridor since in Andalusia A lack of investment has also been pointed out worrying as the main cause of summer breakdowns. In that case, It was Ouigo who pointed out Adif as responsible for an incident that left more than 300 people completely stranded in the middle of the field for one night. Photo | Talgo In Xataka | Spain thought that Spain could manufacture the perfect trains for Spain. The reality: Spain is already looking for trains in Germany

The metamorphosis of Windows 11 is coming. One that will make us talk to our PC so that it does things for us

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The PC wants to become a device that is somewhat different from the one we knew. At Microsoft they have been aiming for this metamorphosis for some time, and now those responsible tell us about how the fundamental component of it It will be AI and, more specifically, Copilot. The integration of Copilot into PCs and Windows 11 is being relatively slow, but Microsoft believes it is time to take a significant leap. One that affects not only how we will interact with the PC, but how we will work with it. Or rather, how we won’t work (as much). “Hey, Copilot”: the voice as a substitute (or complement) for the mouse and keyboard The mouse and keyboard transformed our lives and allowed us to get the most out of our machines. For decades they have been the key elements to communicate with machines, but that is gradually beginning to change. At Microsoft they know this and in fact they have been working for some time on a new paradigm in which that mouse and keyboard take a backseat. Instead, what comes to prevail is the voiceand although that transition will probably be slow and gradual, Microsoft is clear about it. According to the company, the PC must transform and be able to do three things: That we can interact with it naturally both with text and voice, and that it understands us That the PC can see what we see and offer guided support based on that information That can perform actions and complete tasks for our benefit To boost this interaction, Microsoft has launched an option that allows us to start talking to our PC by saying the words “Hey, Copilot”. If we have that option activated in the Settings of our Copilot application, we will access that feature whenever we want, which is displayed in Windows 11 with an on-screen microphone in addition to a small sound warning. That solves that first capability that Microsoft talks about. For the second, the Redmond company also has its solution. Is called Copilot Vision and it was presented a few months ago in its previous version. Now Microsoft says that this option will be available “in all markets where Copilot is available,” and will allow Windows AI to access the desktop and applications we are using. Thanks to this option, Copilot Vision will see our screen as we see it and thanks to this it will theoretically be able to help us with any questions. It’s the same idea as OpenAI already raised with Operator and that Anthropic too poses with your Computer Use for a long time. Precisely to strengthen these assistance tasks in real time we have the so-called Highlights, which allow us to ask to Copilot “teach me how (do this in this app)”. We can also give it access to Word, Excel or Powerpoint and help us analyze a presentation or better write a paragraph of the document we are working on. Although Copilot Vision was based on voice interaction until now, Microsoft will soon add the ability to interact with this system in a chat window in case we prefer to use the keyboard and text to complete that interaction. Microsoft’s ambition to make Copilot the center of our experience with Windows 11 is also noticeable in the presence of the “Ask Copilot” button on the taskbar. With this access they want to turn that taskbar into a “dynamic hub” that allows us to do more with less effort. To use this option we will have to activate it proactively in Windows Settings. Copilot Actions: when the computer does everything for you Microsoft is also targeting another of the most promising trends in this segment: the ability for the AI ​​model take control of your browser and even your computer to complete actions for you. This type of feature is now more integrated than ever into Windows 11 with Copilot Actions, “an AI agent that completes tasks for you by interacting with your applications and files, using vision and advanced reasoning to click, write and scroll as a human would do,” they explain at Microsoft. Already we saw those Copilot Actions in a previous version (only for the browser) in April, but now they are making the leap to be able to operate on all the apps on our PC. That means that (if we want) the AI ​​stops being passive—it answers questions, and that’s it—to become a proactive assistant which can carry out tasks such as updating documents, organizing files, sending emails or booking a flight. In order to use this option, the user must give permission for the agent to have access to the data and applications on the PC, something that can undoubtedly cause concern to users who fear that this AI will make mistakes or perhaps leak sensitive data. To avoid this and guarantee that security, Microsoft applies different techniques. To start, it uses agent accounts that are different from the account we use on our device. Agents operate in a contained and protected workspace, which isolates and limits their access. Besides They start their activity with limited permissions and they can only access other resources explicitly when we allow them to, such as when they try to access our files. In fact, in the preview version of Copilot Actions, the agent can only access very specific folders such as Documents, Downloads, Desktop or Pictures. In addition, the agents must be “signed” by a trusted source, something similar to what happens with apps that are distributed in application stores such as the Windows Store, Google Play or the App Store. Microsoft’s ambition is clear, but there is a problem: at the moment in Spain and the European Union we still cannot count on the majority of Copilot options in Windows 11. We will have to continue waiting. In Xataka | The bad news is that Windows 10 will no longer have security patches. The bad news is that too many … Read more

The garbage rate has become the big hot potato of Spanish politics. In reality there is little unexpected

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They call him the rubbish and, whether you like it more or less, what is undeniable is that the word sums up well the surprise that thousands of Spanish households have encountered when reviewing their accounts: suddenly their town councils have started charging them sums more than considerable for garbage collection or have skyrocketed their rates (in some cases going from 67 to 126 euros), which even it is already felt in the CPI. In reality there is little unexpected, if you take into account that it is something that can be seen coming (at least) from 2022. What there is behind it is debate… and doubts. What has happened? That Spain has seen how garbage became a huge political hot potato. And rightly so, if we take into account that thousands of homes spread throughout the country have found that the bill their city council passes them to finance waste collection has been shot. In some cities a new rate. The rise has been so forceful that it is already reflected clearly in the IPC and in some municipalities has provoked heated protests. The best example was left on Monday Cangas (Pontevedra), where a thousand residents gathered in front of the City Hall to protest against what has already been called (there and in the rest of the country) rubbish. The neighborhood anger escalated to such a level in the municipality that the councilors had no choice but to leave escorted by the police. But why is the rate more expensive? By the BOE. To understand it you have to go back to Law 7/2022 . Among other issues, the rule establishes that the town councils of Spain must provide themselves with “a tax or property benefit of a non-tax public nature, specific, differentiated and non-deficit that allows the implementation of a payment system per generation and that reflects the real cost, direct or indirect, of the collection, transport and treatment operations.” The wording is somewhat confusing, but at least it leaves two ideas clear. First, municipalities have to charge a specific bill focused on garbage. Second, the ‘polluter pays’ maxim must prevail, with a rate that covers “the real, direct and indirect cost” of the collection service. It is not a minor nuance if we take into account that in many municipalities the service was deficient and it was compensated via taxes. The Commonwealth of O Morrazo, for example (the one that suffered Monday’s protests) handles a report that reveals that its service suffered a deficit of about two million of euros. Why is it news now? Because the Law 7/2022 included another indication: it gave the town councils a maximum of three years to comply with this requirement, a period that ended at beginning of april. Since then, the municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants They are obliged to conform to the norm. Some, like Barcelona, they have been for years preparing the ground to soften the blow; but others have waited until almost the end. The majority of councils have in fact chosen to drag their feet and some have not yet adjusted, as is the case in Malaga either Balearics. Where the change has been noticeable is in Madrid. There the impact has been especially notable because in 2015 the then mayor (Ana Botella) decided “eliminate” the garbage rate for the sake of “less fiscal pressure on the citizen’s pocket.” After years with the amount included within the IBIresidents of the capital have encountered a Waste Management Fee that, according to the calculations published by the Consistory itself in October, will have an average cost of 141 euros for homes and 310 for commercial properties. Does it affect the pockets that much? The best way to answer that question is to use the INE. Its latest calculations on the CPI, corresponding to the month of September, show a year-on-year increase of 30.3% in garbage collection, the largest (by far) in a historical series dating back to 2008. The data far exceeds the general index (3%) and has in fact influenced its upward trend. It is an important nuance because, although the deadline set in the 2022 law has already ended, its guidelines have not been applied in all cities of the country. When that happens, it is not unreasonable to think that that 30.3% will be even higher. Why so much controversy? If he rubbish has raised such a political stir, it is not only because of the cost it entails for residents and businesses. The debate has revolved around more formal but equally important questions: Who is ultimately responsible for the increases? Is it the city councils with the formulas they apply when calculating it, is it the Government for promoting the 2022 standard or is it Brussels, through the community directives that cites the law itself? Some town councils, such as Alcobendashas already released statements to inform its neighbors that the new “mandatory” garbage receipts apply. The truth is that months before the deadline set by law expired, in October, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) already demanded the Government to review a law that, in his opinion, is “complicated to understand and apply” and ignores municipal autonomy. Specifically, they asked the Sánchez Government for “a much clearer and more concise regulation that avoids the discretion of each local entity” and at the same time guarantees the objectives set by Brussels. Is that important? Yes. And for several reasons. The first because one of the topics that is raising the most debate about the rubbish They are the differences between cities and the risks that this implies. “It can be applied depending on the address, the number of people residing in the home, the cadastral value… There are many possibilities and without a guide we can end up with more than 8,000 different garbage rates, which will surely generate resources and even different criteria in the courts until the Supreme Court unifies doctrine,” explained already last December ABC the Association … Read more

Carrefour has this Philips TV with Ambilight for the bedroom and Movistar Plus+ as a gift at an outlet price

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Ambilight technology is perfect for enjoying audiovisual content in a completely immersive way. I have one Philips TV with Ambilight in the dining room and I can’t stop recommending it. Now, if you are thinking (like me) to bring the experience of this lighting technology to the bedroom, Carrefour has a television that will interest you. It is about the smart TV Philips 43PUS8400/12which has gone from costing 399 euros to 289 euros in these moments. Plus, shipping is free and, with your purchase, you get six months of free Movistar Plus+. Philips Ambilight 43PUS8510 4K QLED Smart TV The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A TV with Ambilight perfect for small living rooms or the bedroom There are many features that make it worth buying this Philips TV. One of them is the price, another is the gift of six months of Movistar Plus+ that you get and the third (but no less important) is the Ambilight. This is Philips’ own lighting system that consists of a LED strip on the back that adapts to the image and/or sound of what you see on the screen. This model also has a 43-inch QLED panel and 4K Ultra HD resolution. It is compatible with HDR10HDR10+ and HLG. Its audio system is made up of a double speaker with 20 W power and compatible with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. It works under Titan OS operating systemwhich allows you direct access to the main streaming platforms. As far as connectivity is concerned, it incorporates WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.2, Ethernet, three HDMI 2.1two USB 2.0, optical digital audio output and 3.5 mm jack. Some accessories that may interest you for this TV Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select (latest generation) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Sharp HT-SBW110 2.1 Slim – Home Theater Sound Bar The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Webedia and Philips In Xataka | Best televisions in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended 4K smart TVs In Xataka | Best sound bars in quality price (2025). Which one to buy and seven recommended models from 140 euros

Telefónica has achieved its best portability data in 25 years. It’s a sign that something is changing.

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Between July and September, Telefónica has achieved 80,000 net additions due to portability – mobile and landline combined –, the highest figure since this mechanism was implemented in 2000, according to the latest data reported by Expansion. The data continues to go bankrupt for a quarter of a century, losing customers almost uninterruptedly. Since May 2024, the operator has had 17 consecutive months of positive results in mobile, a streak that it only shares with Digi. Why is it important. Portability measures who best understands what the user wants and who executes it. It’s not statistical noise: it’s money, market share and retention capacity. Telefónica had been the big natural loser of the system for decades—it came from a monopoly so it had the largest base as well as the highest prices—but now it reverses the equation. Something has changed, either in its proposal or in the market. Or both. The figures: In mobile, Telefónica has added 64,000 net lines in the quarter, compared to 45,000 in the same period of 2024. So far this year, it has accumulated 135,000 new lines, almost ten times the 14,000 in the first nine months of last year. In fixed terms, it achieved 16,000 quarterly registrations, its best historical record, and has had a positive six months. It is the first time that it has achieved two consecutive quarters of winning in both markets at the same time. The contrast. If Telefónica and Digi grow, MasOrange and Vodafone sink: MasOrange has lost 138,000 mobile lines in the quarter – 438,000 so far this year, 50% more than in 2024. Vodafone gave up 91,000 lines in the third quarter and 272,000 in the accumulated annual period. Digi, for its part, adds 177,000 quarterly registrations, 21% more than a year ago, and leads the acquisition with 605,000 lines gained between January and September. Between the lines. The market is polarizing: Telefónica retains and attracts the premium customer, who values ​​service, network and stability over price. Digi sweeps the segment low cost pure, where only the cheapest rate matters. The operators in the middle—MasOrange with its cheap legacy brands, Zegona’s Vodafone dragging problems from the past—they lose on both sides. Yes, buteither. MasOrange faces a structural problem: many of its brands—MásMóvil, Yoigo, Pepephone, Simyo—have customers who are hypersensitive to price, willing to jump at the first cent difference. Vodafone, for its part, still bears the consequences of quit football in 2018a decision that caused a mass exodus and from which it has never fully recovered. Now add the uncertainty of Finetworkin pre-contest and losing 48,000 lines in the quarter. The backdrop. To find a quarter similar to Telefónica’s current one, you have to go back to 2018, when Vodafone left football and the historic operator gained 66,000 net lines. But that was temporary, a gift from the competition. This is different: Telefónica has been winning in mobile for 17 months without any rival having made a catastrophic mistake. It is sustained improvement. Small virtual operators are also beginning to disappear from the map. In the third quarter they have lost 11,000 net lines, compared to the 9,000 they gained a year ago. Digi is sweeping them away. The market is simplified: the big ones with the muscle to invest in the network remain (Telefónica, MasOrange, Vodafone) and the disruptor low cost (Digi). The rest, adrift. In Xataka | Telefónica is about to surprise itself: its future is no longer in communications Featured image | Telephone

Mobile phones have been a boring rectangle for years. Honor wants to give them a robotic arm, and it makes more sense than it seems

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With the exception of folding ones, the vast majority of mobile phones are practically the same: a rectangle with a screen in front and cameras on the back. There was a time when the cell phones had crazy designs and very varied, but that time ended, or so we thought. Honor just taught a mobile phone whose camera is mounted on a robotic arm. It sounds crazy, but it makes more sense than it seems. Honor Robot Phone, the pet-mobile At first it looks like a totally normal cell phone, but then the glass that covers the rear camera opens and a small robotic arm emerges from it, as if it were an “eye” that looks at us and that He behaves as if he were some kind of pet. Yes, it also reminds us a lot of Wall-E. In a published video on his YouTube channelHonor shows this original concept that, through artificial intelligence, is capable of not only capturing moments autonomously, but also interact with us and the environment. In the video we see him inside a pocket “looking” around, helping us choose clothes and even calming a crying baby. It also serves as a stabilizer since Its design is very reminiscent of a gimbal. The evolution of the smartphone is a smartphone With the emergence of AI we have witnessed an attempt to create the evolution of the smartphone. Humane tried it with the AI ​​Pinbut it failed. Sam Altman and Jony Ive have been stirring the hornet’s nest for months with the creation of an “AI iPhone” which we know nothing about. As boring as so many practically identical designs may seem to us, the smartphone works and looks like it will continue to do so for many years. At the beginning of the video, Honor makes it clear that the Robot Phone wants to be the evolution of the smartphone in the age of AI. However, unlike Humane or the mysterious OpenAI device, does not seek to reinvent it completelybut it adds a mechanism so that the AI ​​can see at all times, which is the basic function of devices such as the AI ​​Pin or smart glasses. The Honor Robot Phone it is not a real product, In fact, the entire video is generated by AI. It is part of the Honor Alpha Plan that they announced at the beginning of the year and with which They will invest 10,000 million dollars to be the AI ​​benchmark in the mobile sector. They will give us more details at the Mobile World Congress in 2026, where we may see a working prototype. Images | Honor In Xataka | Where mobile phones are not going: we thought that innovating was the way but we were very wrong

Europe looks to Spain to understand the agriculture of the future

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In just a decade, has grown by 3,000% and has generated more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout Spain. We are talking about pistachio: the ‘green gold’ that, despite initial skepticism, has radically changed hectares and hectares of the heart of the country. But we have known all this for years. What we did not know is that this agricultural boom was going to lead to an entire agrotechnological revolution. The epicenter of “pistachotech”. With 80% of the Spanish pistachio, Castilla-La Mancha has taken a step further to become the European epicenter of this “pistachio technological wave”: from “laboratory” rootstocks and new less common varieties to drones, precision irrigation and sterile insect programs. However, that is not the most interesting thing. As the Nobel Prize winners recently reminded us, what is interesting about this technological boom is the cultural change towards an innovative agricultural environment. But let’s go in parts. What is really happening in Castilla La Mancha? As explained in Enclave ODSAccording to Ángel Minaya (director of Agróptimum), the ultimate idea is to “control the entire process from the origin: the seed, the tree, the management and, subsequently, the industry.” This has led a group of researchers, businessmen and producers to start – often separately – an authentic revolution that goes from genetics to industrial organization. Let’s talk about the seed… This has been one of the first battles, for years California has led the creation of varieties with vigor and high tolerance to pests, salinities and low temperatures. And places like Cuenca have been key in its widespread adoption. They are true all-rounders that also reduce harvesting (alternation of crops) and improve harvesting performance than traditional varieties. They produce more, in a more stable way and are collected with fewer resources. …but it’s not just a seed thing. The truth is that, even having the best seed in the world, the genetic approach is not enough. And it is even less so in areas like Spain where water tensions and the pressure of desertification processes are the order of the day. Therefore, beyond grafts and varieties, precision irrigation and nutrition, computerized phenology, drones and their new remote sensing systems and the mechanization of harvesting have a central role in pushing the countryside towards a techno-digital era that has not quite come to fruition. Until now. And the best example of this is the speed with which the Spanish countryside is considering putting into practice sterile insect techniques that, although they are not yet fully necessary due to the youth of the plantations, are the gold standard of pest management. Good news. After all, the pistachio depends to open and close the harvest window properly and, above all, to process the harvest quickly. Without an extensive technical and industrial infrastructure, it is an almost impossible mission. An ecosystem in full growth. In a context in which agriculture needs massive amounts of genetic engineering, automation and data in real time, the configuration of a high-tech hub in the heart of Castilla La Mancha is excellent news. It not only seems an excellent tool to establish population and develop Empty Spain, but it is beginning to be configured as the great opportunity for the Spanish agricultural industry to reinvent yourself. Image | Christopher Burns | Christopher Balz In Xataka | The best pistachio, the one from Madrid: this is how the capital of Spain wants to become the capital of nuts

Europe approved the sale of Nexperia to China in 2024 after “assessing risks.” Someone miscalculated

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Less than two years ago, European authorities assessed the risks of China controlling Nexperia through Wingtech and gave the green light. This week, The Netherlands has used a 1952 emergency law to confiscate that same company claiming that it is strategic for European security. Why is it important. Worse than being too rigorous or too lax is lurching. Europe has proven to lack a consistent criterion on what is strategic and what is not. This inconsistency comes at an enormous cost: any company that wants to invest in technology sectors in Europe now knows that the rules can change retroactively, without prior notice, under external pressure. And that scares away investments. The contradiction: If Nexperia was so strategic for Europe, why was it allowed to be sold to a consortium backed by the Chinese government in 2017? If it wasn’t then, what has changed now to justify a seizure using a law created for supply crises? The only possible answer is that someone miscalculated very, very badly. Between the lines. He editorial of Financial Times He puts it bluntly: Holland made a mistake in approving the sale, and is now trying to correct it. The problem is that this lurch sets a toxic precedent. You can pass all the regulatory filters, invest billions, operate for years under European supervision and suddenly the State decides that it was wrong. When Wingtech bought Nexperia in 2019European regulators had plenty of time to block the operation. They didn’t do it. For years, Nexperia has operated in the Netherlands, manufacturing millions of components annually for the European automotive and consumer electronics industry. Everything legal, everything supervised, everything approved. turning point. What has changed is not Nexperia’s technological capabilities or its strategic importance. What has changed is the geopolitical pressure: The United States blacklisted Wingtech in 2024. In September 2025, the US government extended restrictions to all subsidiaries of sanctioned companies. Court documents in the case suggest that the Netherlands acted under American pressure, not because of its own risk assessment. Yes, but. Wingtech is right about one thing: this is “excessive interference driven by geopolitical bias rather than fact-based risk assessment.” It’s the exact opposite of what regulators did when they approved the sale. So they did evaluate risks with facts. Now they confiscate for geopolitics. The money trail. Nexperia invested in its European facilities under Zhang Xuezheng. The company kept production in Holland, created jobs, paid taxes. He did exactly what an investor is supposed to do. The reward has been a confiscation by a 1952 law and a CEO suspended without formal accusations of mismanagement until it was convenient to find them. The case has an additional twist that is dangerously reminiscent of Huawei in 2018-19: First come Western restrictions for national security. Then the Chinese countermeasures. Days after the Dutch intervention, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce has banned Nexperia from exporting certain components from its Guangdong plant. The company is now caught between two countries that do not speak to each other. Huawei was gigantic and could hold its own. Nexperia is medium and we’ll see what happens with it. At stake. There is… 12,500 employees without knowing what will happen to their jobs. A CEO suspended in Amsterdam. An export veto from China. European automobile customers dependent on their chips. All this because less than two years ago someone approved a sale after “evaluating risks” and now it turns out that those risks were unacceptable. If Europe wants to attract technological investment, it needs clear and stable criteria on which sectors are strategic. What it cannot do is approve operations for years and then seize companies when the geopolitical wind changes. That is not protecting technological sovereignty, it is improvisation disguised as national security. Featured image | Nexperia In Xataka | China is taking a giant step in its quest for technological self-sufficiency: its own EDA software

the first SpaceX employee

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The race to explode all the resources that the Moon offers You’re going to need new spaceships. If Starship manages to become a fully reusable rocket capable of landing and taking off from lunar soil, we will have a winning horse. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is finding competition where he least expects it. From Jeff Bezos to Tom Mueller. Starship delays are causing talk. If rumors emerged last week that NASA could turn to the Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar module of Blue Origin to take astronauts to the Moon in the event that SpaceX did not arrive in time to beat China, this week a very particular company has joined the race for the moon. In this case, Impulse Space wants to solve the challenges facing the commercial race to the Moon with an unmanned spacecraft capable of delivering up to three tons of cargo. And who is behind Impulse? None other than Tom Mueller, SpaceX’s first employee and the genius who designed the Falcon 9 rocket engines. Agility and pragmatism against Starship. Impulse Space, founded by Tom Mueller not as a new rocket launcher but to solve the challenges of orbital mobility once in space, has set its sights on the Moon. The company revealed its plans to develop a lunar landing module which would enter service in 2028. Mueller places his idea in a “critical gap” in the market: a medium-sized cargo ship. Impulse’s proposal is quite pragmatic. Instead of developing a completely new system from scratch, it will combine the Helios booster, already in development by the company itself for upper rocket stages, with a lander of its own manufacture. Helios would act as a cruise stage, transporting the craft to lunar orbit in a week. One of the keys to its design is that it does not require a complex series of refueling in orbit, like Starship and other systems based on cryogenic fuel. The Impulse module’s engine will use a combination of nitrous oxide and ethane bipropellant, which has already been successfully tested on its Mira orbital vehicle. This choice, according to the company, is safer and less toxic than traditional hypergolic propellants, and in turn avoids the evaporation problems of cryogenic fuels. A competitor who knows the house inside. What makes this ad fascinating is the pedigree of its founder. Tom Mueller was a fundamental player at SpaceX: he led the development of the Falcon 9 engines and now applies that experience to his own company. Including the speed that characterizes SpaceX. Impulse Space boasts of having carried its Mira spacecraft from the design table to operating in orbit in less than 15 months. But Impulse’s lander won’t just compete with Starship. It is located in a very interesting competitive niche. While Firefly’s Blue Ghost aims for lighter loads and future systems contracted by NASA, such as Starship itself or Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 focus on enormous loads (30 and 100 tons), the Impulse proposal competes directly with the Blue Moon Mark 1, which also has a capacity of three tons, and which NASA could use to transport astronauts in a mission with several moon landings. But the big advantage of the Impulse design is that it is compatible with a wide range of launch rockets (Falcon 9, Vulcan, Ariane 6, etc.). Its system does not depend on a single supplier, which gives it considerable strategic flexibility. He who laughs last… At SpaceX they don’t consider anything lost (and no one should consider SpaceX a loser in any case, looking at its history). In fact, Musk’s company has just put dates and figures on its lunar ambitions. According to an update on their websiteSpaceX plans to begin its cargo missions to the surface of the Moon in 2028, the same year as Impulse, but with a price that breaks all schemes: 100 million dollars per metric ton, or what is the same, 100,000 dollars per kilogram. To put this in perspective, Astrobotic, another competitor in the sector, sells its flights to the Moon at a price of 1.2 million dollars per kilogram. The difference is abysmal and demonstrates SpaceX’s aggressive pricing strategy, which is only possible with the total reuse of its Starship system. We are, therefore, faced with two opposing philosophies. A bet on the safe side and a bet on breaking the market. Led by two people who worked together for years. Image | Impulse Space In Xataka | The United States has a plan B to win the lunar race against China: change Elon Musk’s ship for Jeff Bezos’s

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