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She alone killed 309 enemies. Then Stalin sent her to Washington

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He killed 309 enemy soldiers in just ten months. Then Stalin made a decision that seemed incomprehensible: to withdraw her from the front and send her to Washington. The Soviet Union had discovered that your best sniper It could also become one of her most effective diplomatic weapons, a mission that would take her from the fighting in Sevastopol to the White House at the decisive moment of World War II. From history student to most feared woman. When Germany launched Operation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union in June 1941, Lyudmila Pavlichenko He studied History at the University of kyiv. Years before he had started practicing shooting sports almost out of pride, after hearing a neighbor brag about his aim and deciding to prove that a woman could shoot just as well. That hobby led her to train as a sniper while working in an arms factory, although the Red Army was not willing to admit women into combat units. Only after insisting and demonstrating her skill with the rifle did she manage to join the 25th Rifle Division, beginning a military career that would change her life and turn her into a legend. Ten months were enough. His baptism of fire came near Odessa, where he shot down two enemy soldiers at long range and began a progression almost impossible to believe. During the campaigns of Odessa, Moldavia and, above all, the siege of sevastopolPavlichenko accumulated 309 confirmed casualtiesamong them at least 36 German snipers and other Axis armies. The figure could have been even higher, since each death needed a witness to be officially validated. Her ability to camouflage, wait for hours, and shoot with precision made her a nightmare for the Wehrmachtwhich even dedicated specific resources to locate and eliminate it before it continued to decimate its troops. Germany tried to buy it and ended up fearing it. Pavlichenko’s fame quickly reached the other side of the front. According to would later relateGerman soldiers used loudspeakers to try to intimidate her, offered her chocolate, a supposed officer’s rank and better conditions if she deserted, and even threatened to tear her “into 309 pieces”, a direct reference to the casualties she suffered. had already accumulated. Far from impressing her, those threats confirmed that his reputation had crossed enemy lines. During the fighting she suffered several wounds and continued fighting as long as she could, convinced that each shot prevented more civilians and Soviet soldiers from dying under the Nazi advance. Stalin understood that his best weapon was not a rifle. In the summer of 1942, a serious wound caused by shrapnel changed course of his career. However, the reason he disappeared from the front was much more strategic than medical. The Soviet Union was going through one of the most delicate moments of the war and Stalin desperately needed convince the United States and the United Kingdom to open a second front in Western Europe to relieve German pressure on the Red Army. It was then that he made a surprising decision: withdraw the most effective sniper in the country and cturn her into an ambassador of the Soviet cause. He had killed 309 enemy soldiers, and now he had to try to change the course of the war with speeches instead of shots. Pavlichenko (center) with Judge Robert Jackson (left) and US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in Washington DC in September 1942 From the Sevastopol front to the White House. At age 25, Pavlichenko became the first Soviet citizen to visit the White House. There she was received by Franklin D. Roosevelt and established a close friendship with the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, who accompanied her during a tour of the United States and later Canada and the United Kingdom. Before packed auditoriums he explained what it was like to fight on the front lines and sent a message that would go down in history: “I am 25 years old and I have already killed 309 fascist occupiers. Gentlemen, don’t you think you have been hiding behind my back for too long?” That phrase perfectly summarized the mission entrusted by Moscow: pressure allies to accelerate their military participation in Europe. They expected a celebrity, they found a soldier. The trip also revealed the enormous cultural clash between both countries. While Pavlichenko talked about trenches, casualties and military strategy, much of the American press seemed more interested in his physical appearance. Some journalists asked her if she used makeup before fighting, how she wore her hair or if her uniform was too unfeminine. His response became another of the great quotes of World War II: “There’s no rule against it. But who has time to think about powdering your nose when a battle is going on out there?” On another occasion he showed his indignation because they criticized the length of your skirt soldier and responded that he wore that uniform with pride because it was stained with the blood of combat, while others seemed to care more about the clothes than the war. Neither invincible heroine nor simple propaganda icon. Pavlichenko’s public image was used intensively by soviet propagandasomething that has led some historians to debate the extent to which the Kremlin exploited his figure. However, this political use does not detract from its widely documented military merits. He was part of the approximately 2,000 women female snipers who served in the Red Army during the war, of which only about 500 survived the conflict. After returning from his international tour trained new shootersshe finished her university studies and worked as a historian for the Soviet Navy, although she never managed to completely shake off the physical and psychological consequences of the front, aggravated by the death of her partner during the war and by alcoholism problems that marked her final years. Your most important mission. Lyudmila Pavlichenko She died in 1974, converted into a of the great heroines of the Soviet Union, decorated with numerous medals and even remembered in songs and films. However, its … Read more

stop making strollers and diapers for babies and make them for pets

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Last year some 671,200 babies. It’s bad, terrible data. They are not only 15,000 less which in 2024, also consolidates the Japanese birth rate below the barrier of 700,000 births per year and represents a new historical minimum. Since the country began to compile statistics, back in 1899, so few births had never been recorded. The figure represents a blow for the Government, determined to reactivate the birth rate, but there is someone who looks at it with even more concern: the manufacturers of baby items. That’s why every time they pay more attention in pets. The new reality. If something tastes good Japan, South Korea, China, Russia or any other country buffeted by the winds of demographic winter (something that Spain is foreign) is that the collapse of the birth rate has multiple consequences. It affects demographic growth, but it also has social, political, health, economic and even consequences. at the defense level. Some of these effects will take years (even decades) to be clearly felt. Others are already perceived, as the difficulties that companies that for years have been dedicated to manufacturing child care items go through. How do you keep a business afloat when your potential customer base keeps shrinking? How the hell do you sell diapers, strollers, rattles, cribs… when there are no more babies to use them? That question has already been raised some companies of Korea dedicated to manufacturing baby strollers (now converted into strollers for pets) and more and more companies in the sector in Japan are considering it, as has just been revealed an article from the Al Jazeera network. @curatedbyangie Inside Interpets Japan 🇯🇵🐾 So many cute dogs & cats, instagrammable booths, and interesting pet products 👀 Also met one of our clients here, their toys are a favorite among pet owners in Singapore 😍 Excited to have them back at SG Pet Festival this year again! #interpets #japanpets #dogsoftiktok #sgpetfestival #AngieCurates ♬ pink blossom – nanako In the absence of babies, dogs. In his chronicle The chain talks about several companies traditionally linked to the child care sector that, little by little, have been showing interest in the pet business. One of the clearest cases is that of Lucky Industriesan old acquaintance in the sector, famous for its baby carriers, an item of which it has manufactured millions of units since the 30s. In 2022 the firm decided to take advantage of that background to launch Nu-ia line designed specifically for dogs. Its approach is very simple: for decades the company helped families travel with babies, now that there are fewer babies, but millions of petswhy not help them with them? A name: Interpets. Lucky Industries is just one example of a much larger trend that Al Jazeera reporter Genevieve Mansfield saw firsthand in Interpetsa fair held a few months ago in Tokyo that focused on the pet care market. One of the stands that could be visited was that of Unicharm, a Tokyo-based company that was successful selling disposable diapers (among other hygiene items) and 25 years ago decided to expand its business line by marketing pet diapers: Unicharm. There are so many for dogs as for cats. Add and continue. Other examples are AirBuggy and Sweet Mommy. The first company offers pet strollers; the second made headlines a few years ago by announcing portable fans to make heat waves more bearable for dogs and cats. It is not just about meeting new needs. The idea is to diversify the business, targeting an increasingly attractive market. A spokesperson for Unicharm has recognized to the Al Jazeera network that expects the pet care business to represent 17% of total sales from now on. And that’s for now. The forecast is to reach 20% by the end of this decade. What the numbers say. It may seem like a strange twist, but the figures show that it makes quite a bit of sense. The Japanese birth rate is collapsing while pets have been gaining weight in homes. According to the Japan Pet Food Association, between 2024 and 2025 the country’s dog population rose from 6.7 to 6.8 million. It is still below the 7.9 of 2015, although in general the country is now less populated. If we talk about cats, the association estimates that at the end of 2025 there were 8.8 million. They are somewhat less than in 2024, but more than in 2015, when they did not reach 8.3. “The second largest city”. “Japan was the first country in the world where pets outnumbered children: about 16 million compared to 14 million. If its 6.8 million dogs and 9 million cats were gathered in one place, they would form its second largest city,” illustrated in February Tom Feiling, author of ‘Alone in Japan’, in a column published in The Times. On an economic level, this means that the pet care market is already around 5.4 billion dollarswell above the 4.2 billion in 2020. But… Why? Japan is not the only country in which the number of pets already exceeds the number of children. In fact that’s the same we have lived it already in Spain, where the first official census speaks of 5.62 million of cats and 7.56 of dogs. The fact that the birth rate falls and the presence of domestic animals increases is explained by profound changes at a social, cultural, educational and educational level. “Lifestyle changes, such as remaining single, marrying late, and the rise of two-income childless households, have led to more people seeking emotional connections through pets. We are seeing a rise in ‘pet humanization,’” resume Isshu Uehara, from Unicharm. Companies seem to be taking note of this. Images | Unicharm and Luckynu_i In Xataka | Spain has more pets than children, so Malaga has inaugurated something inevitable: the first cemetery for dogs

It costs 20% more to manufacture than its competitors and it has too many workers

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There are companies that announce their crises with a solemn statement. Volkswagen has chosen a different path: an internal interview with its CEO posted on its intranet, which ends being filtered to the German newspaper Der Spiegel. This is how half of Europe has learned that the largest car manufacturer on the continent still cannot find a way out of a crisis that threatens the dismissal of up to 100,000 employees and with the closure of factories. Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen, published an interview aimed at offering some more information to the workforce while the board of directors decides the strategic plan that will define the future of the company. According to his words, the result is a plan that can change Volkswagen forever. A message for yours. Blume had been avoiding going into details for weeks about the extent of the cuts that Volkswagen was considering applying to stay afloat, while several workers protested outside its plants. In his interview published on the company’s internal network, Blume acknowledged that the costs of administration and support of the main business continue 20% above of what their rivals manage. This percentage conditions Volkswagen’s line of action: reduce the size of the company and, according to Blume, this involves laying off workers. The million dollar question is how many will have to be fired. “A theoretical derivation without a change in labor costs would give an adjustment of 50,000 jobs worldwide,” said its CEO in the leaked interview. To these would be added the 50,000 already agreed with the unions for Germany until 2030. The round sum is the 100,000 jobs that already resonate in the hallways of the entire company. The factories in the pillory. Blume also broke his silence on the future of the four German plants that They have been in the air for months. “The truth is also that, as of today, we still cannot confirm a competitive occupation for the Emden, Hannover, Zwickau and Neckarsulm plants,” lamented the company’s CEO. The reason is that Volkswagen has an oversized structure. The group’s European plants have the capacity to assemble 500,000 more cars than the market is asking for right now. This forces Volkswagen not only to reduce its production capacity to save costs, but also to cut its car catalog to make the assembly lines more efficient and, thereby, also reduce the number of factories. That plan could also affect Volkswagen’s factories in Martorell and Navarra, although the greatest impact of the cut is expected in its infrastructure in Germany. Volkswagen’s military path. As an alternative to closure, Blume talks about changing the use of the factories, and dedicating them to weapons manufacturing. Something similar to what it already happens in Osnabrück, where Volkswagen is negotiating with the Israeli company Rafael to manufacture anti-missile systems. However, geopolitical interests have blocked these negotiations. Qatar is a major shareholder of Volkswagen with two seats on its board of directors, and does not welcome the company manufacturing weapons that can destabilize the delicate balance of the Middle East. The weight of the “people”. On the other hand, the company is not a typical car manufacturer. The government of Lower Saxony has a very important weight on its board of directors, which makes it difficult for initiatives that are especially harmful to workers to prosper. Which guarantees that the sacrifices will not fall only on the side of the squad. In fact, the State of Lower Saxony nay of the dismissal of a sixth of its staff by twelve votes to seven. Lower Saxony controls 20% of the capital and usually rows alongside unions to protect employment in its territory. “The German automobile industry is the core area of ​​our German economy,” declared Christiane Benner president of the IG Metall union. An opportunity for China. Before the sales drums, some analysts They have set their sights on China due to the possibility of a brand signing an agreement with Volkswagen to take advantage of the company’s infrastructure to manufacture in Europe. The economist Moritz Schularick, president of the Kiel Institute of World Economywent a little further and predicted that the German auto giant “will likely be acquired by a Chinese manufacturer like BYD.” Given the institutional presence in Volkswagen’s shareholding, it is difficult for a total sale to occur. In any case, none of these options have been confirmed by Volkswagen’s management leadership and remain in the speculative realm. In Xataka | Volkswagen led an army of sheep to graze under 31,000 solar panels. It turns out that the way of producing energy began to change Image | Volkswagen

inventing one without potatoes and without eggs

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For weeks, dozens of headlines have paraded the famous chef Jose Andrés on the Internet defending (or reminding) that the “omelet of his childhood” did not contain eggs. In a country deeply divided by the presence of onions in one of its national dishes, this already seems like a joke. And, to a large extent, it is. First, because statements are tricky, of course; We’ll see it right away. And second, because what is behind it is something else: the price of eggs. If the trinxat of Cerdaña or the Swiss Rösti are being sold online as ‘omelettes without eggs’ is because, since 2021, the price has skyrocketed and it already costs practically double what it did then. In these circumstances, the question that many of us ask ourselves, in a world with sky-high eggs, is whether they can really make an omelette. This same question was asked in Spain 90 years ago and we have just recreated it. Let’s start by clarifying what about Jose Andrés. What Jose Andrés claims is not a tortilla, it is a trinxat. A wonder originating from Cerdanya, Alto Urgel and the rest of the Catalan Pyrenees based on cabbage and potatoes. It is a mountain, winter and use dish. Trinxat, as I say, is not a tortilla in the strict sense; but it must be recognized that, when it is well prepared, it resembles it. By compacting the potato starch, the preparation gelatinizes and cakes, allowing it to take the shape of a tortilla. It doesn’t have its characteristic greasiness, but (except in the structure) it packs a punch. Because, in addition to the flavor, that is what the egg provides: a network of proteins that acts as a mortar (unctuous and silky) for the poached potato and onion. Without it, as vegans have discovered, the only way is to use a substitute. The most common thing is to use chickpea flour. It is not the same (it is drier and denser), but when we mix it with water it acquires a consistency, density and binding capacity very similar to that of an egg. And who is interested in all this making omelettes without eggs? Although it is true that the vegan movement has already opted for this type of preparations, the truth is that current events rule: eggs are very expensive. However, throughout history, Spain (and its tortillas) has had more serious problems than this. During the Civil War, for example. In 1941, Ignasi Domènech published a book that he had written in the hungry Barcelona of the final years of the Civil War. In that manual, in addition to nettle salads and bread substitutes, a recipe known as ‘war omelette with simulated potatoes‘. In it, ingenuity and hunger joined hands to use boiled albedo (the white part of the orange peel) instead of potatoes; and a paste based on oil, flour, baking soda and water, instead of egg. Although it may seem ridiculous, Doménech was one of the most prolific gourmets and kitchen editors in Spain. That is to say, he knew what he was doing. How do you make a “war omelet”? A few months ago, our colleague Jaime de las Heras explained how it could be recreated: “for three people use three thick-crusted oranges, one onion, salt, 1 clove of garlic, olive oil, 4 tablespoons of wheat flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, white pepper powder and water.” You have to “grate the orange peel until the white part appears”, cut it into fine pieces and soak it in water for two or three hours. Then it is drained, salted and fried in a pan with a little onion. The rest is simple: beat “three or four drops of oil, salt, flour, baking soda, pepper and between eight and ten tablespoons of water.” Then it is mixed with the orange and curdled like a tortilla. Image | Salah Ait Mokhtar | USDA In Xataka | “The potato sector is on the verge of ruin”: Spanish farmers are losing millions. France is winning them

Testosterone levels have plummeted by half in the last 50 years. The mystery is why it is happening

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If we analyze the blood of an average man today and compare it to that of his grandfather at the same age, the results reveal that testosterone levels have been reduced by half. This is something that for years has been a rumor or an isolated finding in local studies, but now an important study has given it much more rigor. It’s proven. The study, presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, sheds light on what scientists They consider it a “silent epidemic.” And it is that the investigation has focused on analyzing data from 118,593 men from six longitudinal studies in Israel, the United States, Brazil, Finland and Denmark between 1972 and 2019. After analyzing the progression of testosterone levels, a drop of 54% on average in total testosterone levels has clearly been seen. We are talking about a decline of more than 1% per year on average, which has been accelerating since 2000. Aging. The first logical reaction when reading this data is to think about life expectancy. If we live longer, it is normal for the population average testosterone to drop, but the researchers anticipated this hypothesis. Its results have made it clear that the decline detected is independent of aging, since the data have been adjusted for age. This means that a 30-year-old man in 2019 has significantly lower levels of testosterone than a 30-year-old man had in 1980. And if it’s not age, the science points directly to our environment and how we live. Obesity. If we look for the culprits, this is one of them, and without a doubt one of the more decisive. We must know that adipose tissue is not inert, but rather functions almost like an endocrine organ that converts testosterone into estrogen through an enzyme called aromatase that is present in fat. In this way, the more fat there will be a greater conversion and, therefore, a lower amount of testosterone. However, the most recent studies go one step further and warn that type 2 diabetes has surpassed obesity as the leading risk factor for low serum testosterone. The reason is that insulin resistance creates a vicious cycle that blocks the normal production of this hormone. Endocrine disruptors. We live surrounded by chemicals and substances present in plastics (such as bisphenols), food packaging, pesticides and personal care products that act as “hackers” of our endocrine system. And although the evidence on specific substances continues to be built due to the difficulty of isolating their effects, the scientific community assumes that chronic exposure to these chemicals is interfering with fertility and testosterone synthesis at a global level. The lifestyle. Currently we are living in a society where a sedentary lifestyle is the order of the day, and this lack of exercise and excessive hours in a chair slow down hormonal production. But in addition, sleep deprivation is also a big problem, since little or bad sleep destroys the circadian rhythms necessary to secrete testosterone, which occurs mainly at night. Beyond reproduction. We usually associate testosterone with fertility or muscle development, but its role is systemic. Here it is important to know that chronically low levels are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, depression and cognitive decline. That is why a change in life is essential to maintain high levels of testosterone that act with that protective profile to achieve much stronger health over time. Images | Julia Larson In Xataka | For years we blamed testosterone for men living shorter lives. Now we know that the culprit is a chromosome

He is tired of giving it away to Big Tech AI

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Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, has been getting creative on Twitter. Through a message almost as long as the one that his colleague Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox, took the opportunity to communicate the dismissal of 3,200 people just a week ago, Nadella has shared something that disturbs him: in the age of AI, information is power, and You don’t like others benefiting from your data. Nadella cites the phrase coined by Nobel Prize-winning economist Kenneth Arrow, whose paradox of the information market was that “the buyer does not know the value of that information until he has it, but by then he has acquired it, in effect, at no cost.” In Arrow’s formula, for the seller to convince the buyer of the value of the information, he or she must reveal enough of it to make the buyer interested. The problem is that at a certain point, the buyer will already know so much that they will not need to pay for that information. For Nadella, in the age of AI the problem is the other way around because it is the buyer of AI services who runs the risk of transferring knowledge valuable institutional, simply, to use artificial intelligence tools. For Nadella, companies are paying twice. “One with money, but another with something even more valuable: the personal and confidential knowledge that you must reveal for that intelligence to be useful.” According to the CEO, “the better you want the model to perform, the more knowledge of that type you will have to feed it.” That, precisely, is the problem. And this is what Nadella has dubbed the ‘Inverse Information Paradox’. The Inverse Paradox of Information Following Nadella’s reasoning, as a company gives more and more information to the owner of the artificial intelligence model, the asymmetry between both parties becomes increasingly skewed. You can imagine why: the seller learns more and more about your company as you use what you bought, while you learn very little about what the seller is learning in return. Did Nadella just describe what all companies do with search engines and services that traffic in our information? Maybe, but what the CEO is clear about is that, just as intellectual property patents solve one of the aspects of the Arrow paradox, since the inventor can reveal the idea without giving it away, the Inverse Information Paradox would need its own legal framework that protects companies that buy AI services. As? Well, that’s what we should see, since Nadella points out that models learn from the prompts that people write, the agents’ tools and, above all, the corrections that users make when a model makes a mistake. But Nadella goes further, stating that “When you consume intelligence, you are creating intelligenceand what you create should belong to you. This is your particular intelligence, the knowledge of time, place and circumstance, something that no one else can possess.” The message is tremendously ironic, but the reflection is useful and makes perfect sense: “if learning flows in only one direction, the economic value converges towards the owners of the learning infrastructure instead of towards the creators of knowledge.” Therefore, according to Nadella, “it is imperative that we distribute the learning infrastructure to be able to control that learning loop.” Advice for the age of AI (for companies, of course) In short, Nadella continues developing an idea in which what he explains is that the true competitive advantage of AI in the business environment does not lie in choosing the best model, but in owning its learning cycle. What if Microsoft ‘rents’ Claude either ChatGPTbut then it is Microsoft users who train that external model, that knowledge stays in Microsoft and don’t flow to Anthropic and OpenAI. At least free. Of course, and this would end up… Azurethe Microsoft cloud. Because the models belong to others, but if users access them through the Microsoft cloud, then Microsoft should keep all that valuable information, such as the corrections they make to the different models that have been used, remember, thanks to the Microsoft cloud. “If learning flows in only one direction, economic value converges towards the owners of the learning infrastructure rather than towards the creators of the knowledge” On the sidelines, in his very long message, the CEO of Microsoft proposes five points to ensure the company’s profits. Because, if in the era of the cloud companies accumulated data, in the era of AI they accumulate learning, and that learning should not escape if the following advice is followed: Control: create private evaluations, retain ownership of the company’s memory, comments and institutional context. Ability– Build proprietary learning environments within the confines of your own server to train or tune models without exposing company knowledge. Choice: decouple that from any individual model and be able to adapt to any AI model. Cost: thanks to that decision, you can bring together the context, models and efficient and profitable tasks without sacrificing quality. Capitalization: bringing together the four elements above to create a continuous learning loop that allows AI investors to multiply the value of the company. In the end, another thing that Nadella seeks is that there is no competition in the choice of models. Claude, GPT and Gemini are already good enough, so what companies that do not have equivalent models must do is compete to obtain all that knowledge of the learning loops, that does not escape from those companies and that, specifically, are built in Azure. Others have the models, Microsoft, Amazon and Google the servers. Now, not everyone agreesand both OpenAI and Anthropic they assure that their workflows and updates do not depend so much on those loops, but on other issues to keep frontier models evolving for customers who are not big whales like Microsoft. Because learning loops can work if you have Azure ready to provide the service, since the client does not care which model you use because there will always be a working model, but not all companies … Read more

Today at Lidl (and half price) simple wireless headphones that are ideal for this summer

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Walking into Lidl is, most days, finding a good deal on some type of device. Today’s is ideal for those people who are looking for good, pretty and cheap wireless headphoneswhether as an all-terrain option for traveling or for sports. These are these Anker Soundcore, reduced right now to half price: they go for 19.99 euros. Anker Soundcore Headphones The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Whether you don’t get this offer or prefer an alternative, you also have discounts on Xiaomi Redmi Buds 8 Lite. They are very economical headphones with good autonomy and active noise cancellation that are coming out right now. 19 euros. Wireless headphones for less than 20 euros at Lidl These Anker Soundcore are very simple headphones and ideal for the tightest budgets. They are perfect for less demanding users who simply want wireless headphones without spending too muchwhether for traveling, for sports or even if you want “spare” ones. What we can highlight most about these wireless headphones It is, without a doubt, its autonomy. They offer up to 10 hours of playback per charge, which we can increase to 30 hours if we add the battery in the case. Furthermore, the manufacturer promises Up to 2 hours of autonomy with a quick charge of 10 minuteswhich is ideal if you forget to charge them before leaving home. To all of the above we can add a simple design that makes them comfortable and a light case that has a carrying strap. They also have two integrated microphones for making calls and an AI system to reduce outside noise during calls. Besides, We can download an app on our mobile to configure the sound and use a function that will make them emit a loud beep in case we lose them. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: Anker Soundcore offer ✅ THE BEST They don’t reach 20 euros: They are very cheap headphones, ideal for tight budgets or for users who are not at all demanding when listening to music. Very good battery life: Including the case, the battery of the headphones reaches up to 30 hours. And they have fast charging. ❌ THE WORST Without active noise cancellation: They do not have ANC, something that we will notice especially in noisy environments. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for very cheap headphones and you want them to have plenty of autonomy. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… Do you prefer an option that has active noise cancellation or do you prefer that it offers a higher level of sound. You may also be interested Soundcore P20i Wireless Bluetooth Headphones by Anker, 10mm drivers with Big Bass, Bluetooth 5.3 Headphones, 30H Playback, IPX5, 2 microphones for clear calls with AI, Custom EQ The price could vary. We earn commission from these links CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 Wireless Headphones with HiFi Sound, 50 dB Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation, 6 HD Microphones and Spatial Audio Effect, 2025 – Light Gray 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 | Lidl, Anker In Xataka | Best truly wireless earbuds (TWS) with noise cancellation. Which one to buy and seven recommended models In Xataka | Best wireless over-ear headphones. Which one to buy and five recommended models

Experts already fear an extraordinary heat wave next week

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“This is brutal. The main models would be hinting at a possible extraordinary Heat Wave next week with maximums of +45ºC and even other values ​​that I dare not mention,” the words of MeteoBadajoz speak on their own. In recent days, the bad news continues to accumulate. It is true that, “for now, it is better to wait, but the insistence is such that it is beginning to be very possible,” continued. And he is right. Let’s see why. What has happened? Since the AEMET weekly prediction points to temperatures above usual for next week, the dispersion of the models has been reducing. That is to say, what was a possibility begins to become a more than plausible scenario. The important thing right now is to distinguish what we know and what we don’t. What do we know? Today, in the words of Roberto Grandathere are already things that we do know: that “38-40 °C will be reached again in many areas” and the heat wave thresholds will be “comfortably” exceeded. What we cannot know is the temperature it will reach, where it will affect precisely and how many days it will last. These doubts are still so strong, in fact, that the two major models do not agree. While the American GFS sees a general and very intense wave, the European GFS concentrates the extreme heat in the eastern half of the peninsula. Be that as it may, it seems that it catches us completely. What we can expect. If the forecasts are confirmed, this extreme heat event would fall on a country (and a continent) that is already experiencing an extraordinary summer: it would be the third heat wave in a month, with the Mediterranean at 26.63 °C (2.6 degrees above normal) and after the second warmest June since 1961. In fact, mortality (as estimated by MoMo of the Carlos III Health Institute), would have amounted to 1,682 attributable deaths since May 1; around 500 of them alone during the five days of the second wave. But weren’t we going to the cold? Just a week ago, the networks were filled with maps that promised “the end of the heat” and we explained why they had to be read with caution. Now we have confirmation of our reading: a 15-day scenario cannot be confused with a prediction. And now what? Now we have to wait for confirmation. In the coming days, the uncertainties will disappear and we will have confirmation (or ruling out). In previous waves, special notices came about four days in advance. Whatever happens, one thing is clear: summer is looking really bad. Image | Meteociel In Xataka | Neither London nor the United Kingdom: the NASA map that reveals where the grayest sky in Europe is

Renfe thought of France as its great business for the future. Already looking at Portugal thanks to a 19th century decision

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“Portugal is a great opportunity for Renfe.” These are the words that summarize the company’s intentions for the medium-term future, according to Expansion. The newspaper assures that the Ministry of Transportation aspires to turn the neighboring country into the company’s new big business. And the secret is in its track width. “A great opportunity”. “Portugal represents a great opportunity for Renfe. With the 15 units of the Series 106, it will have 30 high-speed trains of variable gauge to which the 13 compositions of the new Series 107 will have to be added in the coming months. In total, 43 trains that are also intended to be approved for circulation in Portuguese territory.” These are the words with which, according to Expansionthe Ministry of Transport defends the change in strategy outside the Spanish borders. The company has been looking for a place in France for some time but This country is putting up all possible barriers to hinder its expansion through French territory. The alternative now passes through Portugal and the gauges have a lot to do with it. The Avrils. At the beginning of July, Talgo and Renfe reached an agreement regarding their Avril trains. These trains have been a headache for Renfe because Talgo has delivered them late, they have presented numerous breakdowns and incidents and they even had to be removed from Madrid-Barcelona because they cracked. The great theoretical advantage is that they are trains that, with the necessary equipment, can jump between the Iberian and international gaugethe European standard for high speed. This allows them to be the only trains that operate the Madrid-Galicia without the need to transfer between trains. This gives it a strategic advantage over Ouigo and Iryo in the face of the upcoming liberalization of these routes. In the agreement, Renfe and Talgo decided that the Avril trains that operate with international gauge were going to be adapted to be able to make this track jump. The cost exceeds 130 million euros but it will allow Renfe to move its trains throughout the national territory… or the entire Iberian Peninsula. A strategic change. With the announcement of this agreement, from the Ministry of Transport they indicated that “Renfe “It will be the only operator with the capacity to provide international high-speed rail services with Portugal, which gives it a clear competitive advantage to lead the Iberian train market.” The phrase is not coincidental. The initial intention was to dedicate some of the trains received from Talgo to France, but the company is encountering so many problems in homologating them that it has shifted its projection to Portugal. And the Portuguese country seems to be a perfect market for the company taking into account its track widths. And the connection between Madrid and Lisbon, which should be completed in 2030 but reach minimum travel time in 2034it has to be built under instructions from the European Union using international gauge. However, the Lisbon-Porto line is being built with Iberian gauge, which limits the Madrid-Lisbon-Porto connection to a single train. The Iberian exceptionality. The situation is complex. The Portuguese railway, like the Spanish one, grew around the Iberian gauge. This isolated both countries from the rest of the continent in this sector but the European Union is working so that the exceptionality is, in part, eliminated. That is why in the agreement reached in October 2025 there is the obligation to bring the international width to Madrid-Lisbon. However, nothing has been said of the high-speed line that Portugal is building between Lisbon and Porto. This line is supported by Iberian gauge and will reach the Spanish border with said gauge. This makes it very difficult for new companies to enter.as we have seen in Galicia. But Renfe has the ace up the Avrils’ sleeve. And since these trains can jump between gauges, Portugal opens up as a very attractive market to expand operations, with trains that can cover Madrid-Oporto passing through Lisbon. Something that no other company in the world can do right now.. Photo | Annie Spratt and Nelson Silva In Xataka | Spain aspires to its most ambitious railway challenge: Madrid-Barcelona in less than two hours. And you have already taken the first step

OnePlus is preparing to leave Europe and the United States. I had been sending signals for months that this was going to happen.

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OnePlus and Oppo are going to announce in the coming days a total withdrawal from two large markets such as the United States and Europe, according to the German media has advanced WinFuture. Neither of the two companies has confirmed it in public yet, but the evidence has been accumulating for months and this time they all fit. What has happened. WinFuture cites internal sources who speak of “fundamental changes in strategy” that will be communicated this week, a classic euphemism to say that OnePlus is going to stop selling new models in two of its historical markets. There have already been press conferences behind closed doors with specialized media in which neither OnePlus nor Oppo have wanted to explain the reason for the closure. There will be no new launches of mobile phones, tablets or wearables in Europe or the United States. He stocks What remains will be settled in the coming weeks. Devices already sold will maintain software support until the end of their life cycle. India and China are left out of the announcement, although the brand will lose its independence there and will become a cheap line within Oppo. The context. This doesn’t come out of nowhere. In January, a report –without clear sources– he was already talking about dismantling and OnePlus denied it. In March, 9to5Google public that the global withdrawal could come in April. In April, the brand itself admitted that it was “evaluating its roadmap” in Europe, while also cutting its workforce in the region, with layoffs focused on communication, marketing and sales. The team that explains, advertises and sells a brand to the public is not fired if that brand is going to continue to need to be explained, advertised and sold. Then came the rumor of a merger with Realme, the leak that OxygenOS would be integrated into ColorOS (Oppo’s software) and, finally, OnePlus’ own websites in Germany, Spain and France They began to redirect buyers towards Oppo products. Between the lines. The replacement plan has an obvious crack. Oppo wants to fill the gap left by OnePlus in Europe, but its phones do not cost exactly the same. OnePlus built its entire brand on the promise of delivering high-end specs at a mid-range price tag, the “flagship killer” with which it was born in 2014. Replacing that proposal with a more expensive catalog is not a change of logo but a change of a brand’s target audience. There is another fissure that is caused by those who are still their clients. In several EU countries Complaints about unfulfilled guarantees have multiplied: users whose OnePlus headphones damaged under warranty receive compensation a voucher of 199 euros for an online store that barely has stocksand which also does not allow the voucher to be applied to the few remaining discounted products. Some have already opened complaints with the European Consumer Center. When after-sales service begins to systematically fail months before an unconfirmed closure, it stops being a customer service problem and becomes an exit signal. We saw it in Spain with BQ. Yes, but. OnePlus already denied similar rumors in 2023 and did so again in January of this year. Neither of the two denials has aged very well. Neither OnePlus nor Oppo have confirmed anything yet an official confirmation. From Xataka We have contacted Oppo and their response has been to explain to us that they are in talks with the regional teams, waiting to get more information to share. They neither confirm nor deny it, something that says a lot after years of categorical denials every time this rumor arose. Meanwhile, the accumulation of coincidences (execution departures, website redirects, software merger, empty store, guarantees that They are paid with hardly usable vouchers…) leaves little room for the benefit of the doubt. Why is it important. OnePlus was born in 2014 selling the promise that you didn’t have to pay more to have the best, and that promise ended up costing it its own identity: the brand was absorbed by Oppo in 2021which pushed its co-founder Carl Pei to leave to found Nothing. Since then, OnePlus has been losing room for maneuver within the group until it has become, by all indications, more of a label than a company with its own criteria. Its disappearance in the West closes the cycle of an idea (that of the premium mobile without a premium) that the market itself has been eroding as the differences between ranges have become smaller and Chinese brands have preferred to compete by volume rather than by differentiation. And now what. He OnePlus 15 It remains as the brand’s probable last major launch in Western markets. In parallel, similar rumors are circulating about other second-rate Chinese brands, but this week we could have the official announcement of the OnePlus outcome. In Xataka | Nothing is the most fascinating mobile phone brand in years for a very simple reason: it doesn’t sell mobile phones Featured image | Xataka

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