Mobile Tech & Gadgets

the price of a hectare of olive grove falls in Jaén while the rest of the land soars

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Something is happening in Jaén. The price of a hectare of olive grove has fallen: it went from 17,682 euros in 2023 to 17,499 euros in 2024; the last year of which we have consolidated data. And it may seem like an anecdote (after all, it is a decrease of 1.03%), but it is not. Because while the olive grove loses value, the rest of the agricultural land increases: the orchard increases by 13%, dry fruits by 19.7%, arable land by 18.3% and subtropical crops by 26.1%. What is happening to the olive grove? A complicated question. We could talk about many factors (the collapse in the price of oil at source, the increase in production costs or a 2025-26 campaign that was expected to be bad before it started), but we would be focusing on the situation and not on the underlying trend. The central issue hidden in the data is that Jaén is the “canary in the mine” of the Spanish olive grove. After all, Jaén is especially sensitive to changes in the profitability of the olive grove: on the one hand, the monoculture concentration of the olive grove in the province has caused many parallel dry lands to be in slope areas that are difficult to mechanize and almost impossible to convert into intensive ones no matter how much water is available. And let us not forget to remember that the olive grove does not stop growing. With the only exception of the small decline in 2022 (0.08% already recovered in 2023), the hectares of olive groves They have grown year after year. Does demand grow and price fall? With the provisional data of the Survey on Crop Areas and Yields (ESYRCE) 2025 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) in hand, the olive grove area in Spain reached 2,873,396 hectares. This is 1.63% more than in 2024 and 5% more than in 2015. And yet the price falls. The key is that does it unevenly: Irrigation gains ground over dry land, super-intensive olive trees in hedges spread over land previously dedicated to cereal or cotton, and investment funds concentrate their enormous resources in areas with more water. The great transformation of the Spanish olive grove. We said it years ago, Spain faces an enormous agrarian challenge, an unprecedented industrial reconversion: convert 1,901,529 hectares of olive groves into irrigation before it’s too late. And that “afternoon” is closer than ever because the Junta de Andalucía The cut in aid amounts to up to 22% to the Jaén olive grove that would derive from the proposal for the new CAP. Here is the key, here is the factor that will change the field in the coming years. Image | Txemari. (Navarre) In Xataka | Spain faces its greatest agricultural challenge of the century: converting 1,901,529 hectares of olive groves into irrigation before it is too late

a mining camp and an enigmatic trail of green rocks

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The high mountains have always been seen as an almost natural limit for survival due to the extreme conditions that have to be experienced, and that is why archaeologists assumed that this location was too hostile an environment for our ancestors. However, a new and surprising discovery At more than 2,200 meters of altitude, he has just blown up that idea by pointing out that not only did they go up there, but they spent many years working to search for minerals. What has been seen? A recent study Published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archeology, it points to the first evidence we have that there was a prehistoric human presence in the Pyrenees. Here the setting is none other than Cova 338, a rock shelter located at 2,235 meters of altitude where it has been seen that our ancestors had their work activity. Some green stones. What archaeologists have found in Cova 338 is not a simple shelter to shelter from a storm. Here it has been seen that the site houses multiple combustion structuressuch as homes or areas where fires were made to cook or simply keep warm, which indicate that the place was inhabited in a continuous and planned manner. And we know that they were from prehistory because of the carbon-14,14 that leaves no room for doubt. But the discovery that has drawn the most attention to experts are some fragments of green rock, which are said to be malachite, which is a mineral rich in copper. Because? The fact of having malachite here has made researchers think that we are facing a camp oriented towards mining prospecting and early metallurgical work. In this way, our prehistoric ancestors were combing the Pyrenean peaks in search of the necessary resources to make the first metal tools and jewelry. A child in the heights. The Cave 338 It also hides a human and deeply moving component, since among the remains of extinct fires and fragments of malachite, the research team has found human remains belonging to a child. Right now, the exact reasons why it is there or why it ended up dying are a great mystery, so it adds a layer of social complexity to the site. This shows us that expeditions to the high mountains were not exclusively composed of isolated groups of adult hunters or miners, but rather involved family dynamics or broader demographic groups. European archaeology. To date, the traditional archaeological narrative considered areas above 2,000 meters as “marginal spaces” during prehistory. Literally, true technological and social innovation was thought to occur in the lower valleys and plains where weather conditions were much more favorable. But this new study forces us to rewrite the Alpine and Pyrenean history books, since Cova 338 demonstrates that prehistoric humans had great knowledge of high mountain geology and the logistical capacity to establish stable camps, light fires at extreme temperatures and process minerals in harsh conditions. Images | UAB In Xataka | “In 200 years, archaeologists will search through our trash and find a terrible image of ourselves”: the dirty reality of what we throw away

Chrome has always liked to gobble up RAM. Now download a multi-gigabyte AI model without warning

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Chrome is part of the digital routine of millions of people to the point that we often stop wondering what exactly it does while we browse. We use it for almost everything, we trust it with sessions, extensions, passwords, searches and a good part of our life on the Internet. That is why it is so surprising to find a folder larger than 4 GB associated with an AI model downloaded by the browser itself. We are not talking about a minor update or a residual file, but rather a large component that many users probably did not expect to see there. The conversation began to take shape from a publication by Alexander Hanff in That Privacy Guy. Their finding, in essence, was simple to understand: according to its logs, Chrome had left a multi-gigabyte AI model on his computer without giving him a clear warning during the process. From that clue I did the checking on my own computer, used from Spain, and found the same folder that Hanff refers to: OptGuideOnDeviceModel, within Chrome’s internal files. In my case, macOS shows that folder as 4.27 GB in size, even though features like the Gemini sidebar are not yet available in this market. Gemini Nano downloaded to my computer Gemini Nano It does not work like a traditional download that we search for, accept and install manually. In the Chrome developer documentationthe company explains that the integrated AI capabilities are intended to be fluid and that model management is done automatically in the background. It also notes that the initial download can be triggered when an AI feature built into the browser needs to use the Gemini Nano for the first time. In other words: the model can reach the computer as part of Chrome’s internal workings, not necessarily through a clear and recognizable action for the user. An AI model that goes beyond an integrated chatbot The model is not limited to promoting a browser with a chatbot integrated within Chrome. Google has already described uses Gemini Nano on the device itself to detect technical support scams, a type of threat that often lasts a very short time online and can escape traditional tracking systems. In that scenario, Chrome can provide the model with content from the page the user is visiting to extract risk cues. AI, therefore, can also be part of the browser’s security layer. Gemini Nano also boosts security features in Chrome That’s where a good part of the discomfort lies. AI in the browser can have reasonable uses, from helping detect fraud to powering writing, translation or summarization functions, but the problem arises when the user does not fully understand what has been downloaded, why it is there and how they can manage it. Hanff sums it up with a very direct criticism: “Chrome didn’t ask. Chrome does not show it to the user. If the user deletes it, Chrome downloads it again.” There are also voices that reduce the seriousness of the case. On Reddit, a user defended that the model is only downloaded when someone tries to use an AI function that needs it and that it can also be disabled from the Chrome options. Hanff responded that his logs showed otherwise: the browser opened on schedule, stayed on a page for a few minutes without interaction, and still left a trace of the download. Beyond that specific discussion, Google’s own documentation points to a middle ground: the download can be triggered by built-in functions and continue in the background even if the tab that started it is closed. Chrome does offer controls to reduce the presence of some AI features, but it doesn’t concentrate everything in a single, easy-to-understand panel. From settings can be disabled or hide certain visible pieces, such as Gemini in the markets where it is available, typing assistance, search history or AI-powered search. To go deeper, however, We must enter more technical terrain, such as experimental options from chrome://flags. This jump changes the experience quite a bit: we are no longer talking about turning off a clear function, but rather touching internal parts that may also be linked to features that the user may want to keep. Firefox offers an easy way to disable AI features Firefox offers an interesting counterpoint because Mozilla has grouped its AI controls in its own section within the settings. Since Firefox 148, that section is now available as “AI controls” and allows you to block current and future improvements from a visible place, without having to chase options spread throughout the browser. It also separates specific sections, such as on-device AI, translations and chatbot providers in the sidebar. It is a more direct approach: the user not only sees that these functions exist, they also better understand what they can activate, block or leave available. The arrival of Gemini Nano to Chrome is part of a broader movement: browsers want to become more than just a window to the Internet and start executing AI tasks within the computer itself. That direction can have real advantages, especially if it serves to strengthen security or make some functions more agile. But the case also leaves a visible panorama. Some users won’t mind at all that Chrome downloads local models automatically; others, instead, they will want to knowunderstand what it is for and have room to decide. Images | Xataka with Grok | Screenshot In Xataka | It doesn’t speak, it doesn’t climb stairs and it doesn’t even always obey: this is the robot that the creator of the Roomba has been wanting to develop for 30 years

The countdown begins for companies to cut their working hours

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May 1 was celebrated as Labor Day, but Mexico did much more than that on that day full of symbolism: it began its path towards reduction of working hours of 40 hours with the entry into force of the law regulating the length of the day labor. The change promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party does not represent a sudden change, but with the entry into force of the reform secondary working day opens an adaptation process for companies to modify the organization of their working hours to the new regulations. From 48 to 40 hours in four steps. Mexico part of one of the work days longest in the world according to dOECD data. The current legal limit is 48 hours per week, a ceiling that has not moved since 1917. However, the reform seeks to lower it in stages until it reaches 40 hours per week: on January 1, 2027 the maximum limit will be 46 hours; It will drop to 44 hours a week in 2028, to 42 in 2029 and, finally, it will be set at 40 hours a week by 2030. Every year, two hours less. The first step expires on January 1, 2027, which leaves companies room until that date to reorganize shifts, contracts and processes. All this without the workers see their salaries or benefits reduced current, something that itself Federal Labor Law expressly prohibits. The duties that the reform brings. The publication of the labor reform Mexican not only activated the calendar. The new legislation establishes as an employer’s obligation to keep an electronic record of the working day, which in Mexico is popularly known as a time clock. That obligation comes into force on January 1, 2027 and It is not a simple procedure. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security (STPS) will have access to this data to verify that the working hours are truly respected. Penalties for not having the registration in order they are already set and range between 29,327 and 586,550 pesos (between 1,431 euros and 28,624 euros at the exchange rate), equivalent to between 250 and 5,000 times the Unit of Measurement and Update. In addition, the STPS must develop mechanisms to collect and evaluate data on how the reduction in working hours is applied. Most companies have not yet moved. The diagnosis of the real state of preparation of companies is not encouraging. The data from a study from EY published by Yucatan Diary with 165 companies in Mexico reveals that 72.7% are in what the analysts themselves call “tactical paralysis”: they know the details of the change of day, they have followed it closely, but they have not yet taken any concrete steps towards its application. Only 18% of companies consider that they are really prepared to apply the new labor regulations. As explained Yeshua Gómez, associate partner of People Advisory Services at EY México to Expansion“companies are not waiting because they do not understand the reform. They are waiting because they do not know how much it will cost them to implement it.” 85% identify cost as the main obstacle to starting to take action, while 71% recognize that they regularly depend on overtime to sustain their daily operations. For these companies, the challenge is not to spend 48 to 46 hours on paper, but to do it from real days that already frequently exceed the 48-hour limit. More limited working hours, but with more overtime. The reform has also modified the definition of the working day, establishing the daytime workday at a maximum of eight hours, the nighttime workday at seven hours, and the mixed workday could reach seven and a half hours. The only (and important) exception to this rule is that the day could be extended due to extraordinary circumstances. This overtime, on the other hand, is also gradually extended: up to 9 hours during 2026 and 2027, 10 hours in 2028, 11 hours for 2029 and a maximum of 12 hours for 2030. The objective is that the transition to the change in working hours does not suddenly hit the sectors most dependent on extra work, and to offer them tools to optimize the working day of their employees, even if it is at the cost of pay up to three times more expensive every extra hour. In Xataka | Mexico has an ambitious plan to be the tenth economy in the world and that involves technology: semiconductors Image | Unsplash (Jesus Herrera, Kaden Taylor)

your CEO just clarified who should have the best

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The race for artificial intelligence is usually told through models, applications and the latest promises of automation. But beneath all that there is a less attractive layer and much more difficult to replace: the hardware. Without advanced chips, training massive models, deploying them at scale, and competing on the front lines becomes much more difficult. That is why NVIDIA continues to occupy such an important place for the United States and China. The question is no longer just who develops AI better, but who can access the most powerful chips first. Huang’s message. That debate landed this week in Los Angeles, during the Milken Institute Global Conferencea forum that brought together bankers, investors, policymakers and executives in Beverly Hills. Over there, according to Nikkei AsiaJensen Huang was asked directly about a particularly sensitive question: whether China should have access to NVIDIA’s “latest and greatest” chips. His response was as brief as it was forceful: “No.” The CEO later added that the company supports the United States having “the first, most and best” chips, a phrase that pretty much sums up the balance it is trying to defend. Sell ​​yes, but not the last. Huang’s position is not about removing China from the trade equation, at least not according to what he proposed in that same forum. The CEO defended that American semiconductor companies continue to compete in global markets, including China, because that also strengthens the North American country. Huang said that increasing exports helps raise tax revenue, improve economic security and contribute to national security. The message, therefore, has two layers: technological leadership first, and commercial presence under control later. The border is in the generation. Not all NVIDIA chips occupy the same place in this discussion. The H200, remember, is a high-end AI processor and places it above of the H20the chip the company designed for China after US export restrictions. But the agreement announced by Donald Trump in December did not include neither Blackwell nor the next-generation Rubin products, two families that represent a more advanced layer of NVIDIA’s roadmap. The regulatory framework still has several moving parts. Donald Trump said in December that he would allow NVIDIA’s H200s to be sold to “approved” customers in China, as long as the US Government received 25% of those income. The company obtained official export authorization this year, and Huang said in March that NVIDIA had already received orders from “many Chinese customers.” But that does not mean that everything is resolved: the final shipment will also depend on whether Beijing allows such sales and in what quantities. The bottleneck is not just political.Tom’s Hardware suggests that there may also be an industrial explanation behind the absence of recent shipments. According to the media, Hopper and Blackwell are manufactured in the same factories and production lines compatible with TSMC’s N4/N5, a capacity that is not infinite. If that reading is correct, NVIDIA would have reason to reserve more production for Blackwell, a more advanced and expensive family, especially for US customers, instead of using part of that capacity in H200 for China with a 25% commission to the US Government. According to that reading, Rubin’s arrival at N3 could free up margin later. A pending trip. Trump said he will visit Beijing this month and that trade issues could be on the table in his meeting with Xi Jinping. In that context, Huang’s words do not sound like a simple corporate reflection, but rather a way of marking a position in a debate that goes far beyond NVIDIA. The dispute not only revolves around which chip is more powerful, but also about who accesses it first, under what conditions and with what margin so as not to be left behind. Images | NVIDIA In Xataka | It doesn’t speak, it doesn’t climb stairs and it doesn’t even always obey: this is the robot that the creator of the Roomba has been wanting to develop for 30 years

the new front of the technological cold war

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The great Achilles heel of the energy transition in Europe is not in sight. It’s not the photovoltaic panels or the windmills, but the hidden chips and processors that make them work. Aware of this risk, the European Union has decided to shield its electrical network with a drastic measure. Companies that want to set up renewable projects with community money will have to look for alternatives: Chinese technology is, for the moment, out of the game. The veto, in detail. Brussels has made public his plan to veto European financing for renewable energy projects that use key equipment manufactured in countries considered “high risk”: China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The target of this prohibition has a very specific name: investors (or converters). Simply put, these are critical electronic devices that act as processors for photovoltaic plants. Its function is to transform the direct current generated by solar panels into the alternating current that finally reaches our homes and businesses. The measure, de facto, is already underway. financial institutions They have until May 15, 2026 to notify the Commission of the projects they have in their portfolio. As of November 1, the veto will be total for any new facility that aspires to receive community funds, especially those coming from the European Investment Bank (EIB). And why now? As pointed out Expansionthe Community Executive has framed this decision under the umbrella of “economic security” and protection against strategic dependence, distancing itself from those who see it as a mere protectionist industrial policy. The scope of this guideline is capital. As detailed pv magazineis not only limited to traditional solar parks, but extends to vital Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). This is a blow to the Asian giants, which usually sell integrated solutions that combine batteries and power electronics. To this fence must be added a strict “anti-cheat law”: the regulation does not contemplate significant exceptions and will affect even those inverters that are physically manufactured in Europe, as long as the parent company is controlled by entities from these risk countries. The ghost of the national blackout. The forcefulness of the EU responds to a tangible fear. The Commission bases its veto on intelligence reports and classified information provided by several Member States that warn of a very serious threat: cyberattack and “remote shutdown.” Since the investors are connected to the internet and manage critical operational data of the electrical grid, a foreign actor could use them as a Trojan horse. Siobhan McGarry, Commission spokesperson, has been blunt: “In practice, this could involve a remote shutdown of Member States’ networks, causing national blackouts.” This is not science fiction. The great blackout that Spain and Portugal suffered on April 28, 2025 empirically demonstrated the vulnerability of the network. Although acts of deliberate sabotage were ruled out at the time, the official report from the European grid (ENTSO-E) concluded that the collapse was directly linked to a large voltage swing caused by the unexpected disconnection of photovoltaic inverters. This precedent has revived in Brussels the ghosts of 5G and the decision to corner firms like Huawei and ZTE in the telecommunications sector. A shot in the foot for Spain? Brussels’ theory is firm, but it collides with an uncomfortable reality: the overwhelming dependence on the Asian giant. According to data provided by SCMPChina currently controls 80% of the global inverter market, with brands such as Huawei and Sungrow leading the world ranking. In Spain, the scenario is even more monopolistic. As revealed by the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC)that close to 70% of the inverters installed in our country are of Chinese origin. Huawei alone accounted for 36.5% of installations in 2023, followed by Sungrow (29.7%) and GoodWe (14.5%). Despite warnings from Brussels, the Spanish Government maintains a divergent position and continues to certify dozens of Huawei devices for use in sensitive networks, assuring its allies that they do not pose a risk. However, the shock wave of the European veto is already breaking projects at the national level. As we explain in Xatakathe Generalitat of Catalonia has recently had to backtrack on the award of its public network macro project (XCAT) to the alliance formed by Sirt and Huawei. The fear of having to dismantle the infrastructure in less than a year to comply with new European regulations has left a 127 million euro contract up in the air. Unfounded fear of costs? There are many open questions. Will this veto paralyze renewable deployment in Europe due to lack of supply or cost overruns? The European industry assures that there is no reason for panic. According to the ESMCthe current production capacity in the EU exceeds 100 GW annually (compared to a demand of about 65 GW). Furthermore, the Commission points to Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and the United States as reliable alternative suppliers. Regarding the economic impact, the data dismantles the myth of a drastic increase in prices. As stated Euronewsthe cost of inverters barely represents 5% of the total budget of a solar park. An analysis by Wood Mackenzie It is estimated that replacing Chinese components Western technology will only increase the total cost of large-scale projects by 2%. A “minimal extra cost”, according to Brussels, in exchange for shielding the network. The “boomerang effect.” This strategy of Western isolation has a silent but gigantic parallel consequence. By expelling China from European energy and telecommunications networks, Beijing is being forced to create a 100% autonomous technological ecosystem. Chinese entities, such as Tsinghua University or Huawei itself, are registering an unusually high volume of patents in photolithography to be able to manufacture its own cutting-edge chips without depending on the European ASML. In parallel, they are building solid alternatives to Western Artificial Intelligence standards (like NVIDIA’s CUDA monopoly). By closing the door, Europe and the United States could be incubating a totally uncontrollable and independent global technological competitor. Outrage in Beijing. As expected, China’s reaction has been immediate. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the EU (CCCEU) has … Read more

This is how James Webb uses eclipses to “read” the soil of other planets

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Most telescopes specialized in the analysis of exoplanets are capable of study its atmosphere. However, James Webb has just gone further, directly analyzing the heat emitted by the surface of a planet located outside the solar system. This is very informative data, which until now had never been detected and marks a new study method for the future. LHS 3844b. The exoplanet that has analyzed the James Webb is LHS 3844b. Its size is 30% larger than that of our planet and it is located at a distance of 50 light years. According to the analysis of this space telescope, it is a dark, hot, arid rocky world without an atmosphere, quite similar to Mercury. Ideal for James Webb. This exoplanet is also characterized by being tidally locked. That is to say, It takes exactly the same time to orbit its star as it does to rotate around itself.. As a consequence, he always shows the same side to his star. Like the Moon to the Earth. Planets that always have the same side facing their star have one side where it is always day and another where it is always night. The first, in addition, usually has very high temperatures. But the best thing is that They are cannon fodder for MIRIone of James Webb’s star instruments. This has a great capacity to detect infrared emissions, such as those emitted by a hot object. In other words, the analysis of a body’s infrared emissions can give us an idea of ​​the heat it emits. eclipse chasers. On planets like this, with one side always exposed to its star, there is a problem. When analyzing the heat emitted by its surface, it can be confused with that of its star. Therefore, eclipses are ideal for MIRI to do its work. When this happens, the planet hides behind the starso the only light that reaches the Space Telescope is from this one. Thus, the data is obtained that must then be subtracted from the set that is normally measured to know exactly what the infrared contribution generated by the planet alone is. Geology enters the chat. In reality, the radiation measured by MIRI does not only provide us with information about heat. The different elements that can be present on a planet have a different emission spectrum. They reflect more or less radiation. Therefore, it is possible to know approximately what the composition of the atmosphere and surface of the planet is. This exoplanet does not have an atmosphere, so we can basically know data about its surface and even its geology. The infrared spectrum of the hot dayside of LHS 3844 b is derived from the brightness contrast with its host star in ppm (parts per million = 0.0001%) at different wavelengths. Observational data obtained from the James Webb and Spitzer space telescopes (circles and squares) are consistent with mantle (solid orange line) or volcanic rock (dashed blue line), while ruling out an Earth-like crust (green dashed dotted line). Credit: Sebastian Zieba et al./MPIA two eclipses. In 2023 and 2024, two eclipses were detected on this exoplanet that allowed James Webb to analyze its infrared emissions. The signal obtained was compared with that of planets and well-known objects, such as Earth, Mars and the Moon. It had nothing to do with Earth, so it is assumed that the surface of both planets must be very different. Possibly with very little water in the case of the exoplanet. On the other hand, there were quite a few similarities with the Moon. That would lead one to think that the planet could be covered in basalt, a very common volcanic rock on our satellite. Something doesn’t add up. The initial hypothesis Given these signs, the planet could be young and covered in fresh lava. However, with this volcanic activity, gases such as carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide are released, which were not detected by the James Webb. That’s why, another hypothesis has been raised. The planet is likely covered in a thick layer of dark, fine-grained material formed over long periods by radiation and meteorite impacts. It is something similar to what happens on Mercury or the Moon. Planets without an atmosphere are especially susceptible to this phenomenon, known as space weathering, so it would be plausible. We will have to check it. It is hoped that James Webb will be able to obtain even more data to confirm whether this last hypothesis is correct. Be that as it may, only with what he has already been able to measure he has overcome many barriers. The achievements of this telescope seem to have no end. Images | NASA | Sebastian Zieba et al./MPIA In Xataka | The James Webb has broken another historical record: a supermassive black hole older than expected

The list of the richest in Spain has taken an unexpected turn but there is something that has not changed at all: Amancio Ortega

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The great fortunes in Spain have been booming for five years in a row. As the global economy grapples with wars, inflation and political uncertainty, the heritage of the richest in Spain It hasn’t stopped growing. The last year was especially striking because the group of the hundred largest assets in the country increased their fortune by 14.3%, reaching an unprecedented figure: 373,450 million euros. What makes the 2026 edition of the annual list especially interesting that elaborates The Worldis that the distribution of that wealth presents notable surprises: there are names whose assets have grown stratospherically, new faces who enter the billionaires’ club for the first time, and one that has been around for decades at the top without anyone being able to displace him. Record in joint assets. The sum of the hundred largest fortunes in the country reached the impressive sum of 373,450 million euros in 2026, compared to the 326,720 million attributed to them in 2025. This implies that the group of the richest people in Spain has increased their assets by 14.3% in just 12 months. The main reason for this growth is due to the behavior of the Spanish stock market: the Ibex 35 appreciated by 50% in a single year, boosting the value of the shares of those who have its listed companies. However, the stock market boom does not fully explain this phenomenon. The companies of some of the people who appear at the top of this list are not listed, such as Mercadona or Mango, but they also had record years. Few movements at the top. The list of millionaires in Spain in 2026 does not present significant changes in the names that make it up, especially in the top positions, where Amancio Ortega, Rafael del Pino and Juan Roig lead the list easily. However, there have been some changes that do not imply a loss of assets as such, but rather respond to the fact that some fortunes have had explosive growth, while in others it has been more progressive.The most relevant movements of the year have the Puig and Daurella families as protagonists. The Puig family, driven by the listing of the cosmetic group that bears their last name and the possible integration with Estée Lauderrises to fifth place, overtaking to Sol Daurellaheir to the empire of the world’s leading Coca-Cola bottler, which is relegated to sixth place. For its part, the Entrecanales family rises from tenth to eighth place, increasing its assets by 66.93% from 5,035 million to 8,405 million euros in 2026, while the brothers Francisco and Jon Riberas Mera lose one step and remain ninth with 6,845 million, despite managing the largest industrial conglomerate with Spanish capital and have increased your assets by 1,040 million euros in the last year. More millionaires and with more millions. Within this general upward trend, the list prepared by The World It highlights that 66 of the 100 fortunes grew at a double-digit rate during the last year. The result of this acceleration is that the number of billionaires in Spain It has gone from 59 to 76 families in a single year, almost double that of a decade ago. In the same way that the volume of each of the fortunes grows, the bar for entry to the list has also become more expensive, and for enter that Top 100 millionaires In Spain, the minimum assets rise to 765 million euros, compared to the 420 million that were needed ten years ago to belong to this select group. In fact, the segment that is growing the most is precisely that of fortunes between 2,000 and 5,000 million euros, followed by the range between 1,000 and 2,000 million. That is, the second and third tranches have pulled the rest upwards, while in the tranches between 750 and 1,000 million and less than 750 million, there are now fewer millionaires than in 2024. Amancio Ortega remains immovable on the throne. Having just turned 90, Amancio Ortega continues to be the undisputed number one on the list, and with a wide distance from the second largest fortune in the country. The assets of the founder of Inditex grew by 4.9% during the last year, a rate clearly lower than that of the rest of the list, which grew by an average of 20%, accumulating some 40,000 million more euros in a single year. However, this lower percentage growth does not imply that its financial movements have been wrongit has just had more financial movement than usual. The founder of Inditex has had a very active year in the real estate field and between 2025 and 2026 he has changed the entire structure of Pontegadea, placing Luxembourg as a base of operations from which it controls all its assets in Europe, the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Half or more of its real estate portfolio already passes through the Grand Duchy, where it shares a fiscal neighborhood with the Del Pino family, the Álvarez Santaló, Víctor Madera or Sol Daurella, with whom it also shares a presence on the list of the greatest fortunes in Spain. The most spectacular climbs and the newcomers. Among the most striking promotions of the year, Florentino Pérez stands out, whose fortune grew by 156% thanks to ACS’s stock market peak in recent months and the company’s awards in data center construction projects. In four years, the president of Real Madrid has multiplied his assets by four and is closer than ever to the top 10 on the list. Another meteoric rise has been that of Madrid-born David Ruiz de Andrés, whose fortune increased by 214% thanks to Grenergy, a company that is leading the construction of an 11,000 MW gigabattery. in the Atacama desert. The businessman in the energy sector went from having a net worth of 580 million euros in 2025, to adding more than 1,825 million, which represents a net worth increase of 214.66% in just 12 months. The Spain of the clans. … Read more

the bureaucratic absurdity behind mercury pollution

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When environmental prosecutor Carlos Chirre and his team arrived at the port after destroying 15 illegal dredges in the Colorado River (Madre de Dios), they did not find justice, but a mob. About 80 people armed with sticks cornered them, burned their boats and threatened to kill them. “This is how the people interdict,” one of the women leading the riot shouted. This scene, documented in an extensive report by Mongabay Latamillustrates a harsh reality: the Peruvian State has lost control of the territory. The gold rush doesn’t stop. As they warn in AP Newsillegal mining is spilling over into new areas of the Peruvian jungle, such as the province of Tambopata and virgin corners of Madre de Dios, leaving in its wake devastated jungles and rivers converted into toxic mudflats. Nobody is safe. The historic Panguana scientific station—with more than 60 years operating in Huánuco— has been surrounded by backhoes that operate day and night. Death threats against scientific personnel forced the area to be evacuated. Researcher Eric Cosio warns about the magnitude of this enemy: the degree of logistical sophistication of these miners far exceeds that of drug trafficking. They operate in broad daylight, extracting gold on a medium scale and in full view of everyone. The great legal trap. The tributaries are public and intangible goods, but the State itself is the one that has facilitated their invasion. According to the researchthere are at least 215 current mining concessions that cross five of the main basins in the region. The legal trick is perverse: although the concession title does not authorize the extraction of the mineral without having previously obtained environmental permits, in practice it is enough to have that paper in hand to install dredgers and deceive the indigenous communities, stating that the State has granted them that right. But the definitive shield of impunity has a name: the Comprehensive Registry of Mining Formalization (Reinfo). As detailed Wiredthis temporary registration (whose validity Congress has extended until 2026) grants criminal immunity to registered miners. As long as they appear “in the process of formalization,” they can be removing the river bed and using mercury—acts prohibited by law—without being able to be prosecuted as illegal miners. Political complicity. Here comes the factor that clearly explains the situation: Luis Otsuka, current regional governor of Madre de Dios and former mining leader, owns a concession called K-1 that overlaps the Tres Islas native community. Although the Judiciary ordered the annulment of these concessions to protect the indigenous territory, it was the Otsuka regional government itself that, years later, reactivated them. The imminent future. In the Loreto region, where mining is just beginning to emerge strongly, the health tragedy is already underway. According to research by the Amazon Scientific Innovation Center (Cincia), 79% of the residents evaluated in the Nanay River basin already have mercury levels in their bodies higher than the limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Claudia Vega, Cincia researcher, issues a terrifying warning: Because communities in Loreto eat fish daily, an expansion of mining would bring them closer to suffering levels of mass poisoning comparable to the historic Minamata disaster in Japan. At a global level, the crisis also takes its toll on the climate. The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru emphasizes that the paralysis of the measurement tower in Panguana directly commits to the international AndesFlux project. Without this key station in central Peru, the world loses vital long-term data to understand how rainfall forms and how the carbon cycle works across South America. From the river to the blood. According to Deutsche Wellepollution punishes indigenous peoples with greater cruelty. Julio Cusurichi, leader of the indigenous organization AIDESEP, denounces that studies in Madre de Dios already show mercury levels well above what is allowed in pregnant women, causing children to be born with severe neurological problems and malformations. This bioaccumulation is lethal. As Claudia Vega (Cincia) explainsmercury thrown into the waters is transformed into methylmercury and enters the food chain through carnivorous fish. But not only that: the burning of gold amalgam releases vapors that travel for kilometers, poisoning the air of urban areas and forests that do not even have direct mining activity. Behind this ecocide there is a thirsty international market. The German media points out that there is a multimillion-dollar traffic of mercury from Mexico to the Amazon. Furthermore, it exposes a global vacuum: the Minamata Convention—designed to stop this toxic substance—does not completely prohibit its trade, allowing it under certain exceptions for artisanal mining, a loophole that is ruthlessly exploited by mafias. Behind this ecocide there is a thirsty international market. The German media points out that there is a multimillion-dollar traffic of mercury from Mexico to the Amazon. Furthermore, it exposes a global vacuum: the Minamata Convention—designed to stop this toxic substance—does not completely prohibit its trade, allowing it under certain exceptions for artisanal mining, a loophole that is ruthlessly exploited by mafias. A perpetual damage. Mercury is not a problem that time can erase. “Mercury, since it is an element, we do not destroy it,” remember Claudia Vega. It doesn’t go away; it simply travels, filters down, and is passed down to the next generations. The gold that today leaves the Peruvian Amazon for global markets is stained by something denser than mud and mercury: it is stained by deliberate legal loopholes. The State has created a bureaucratic monster where being registered in a registry or having a concession on paper is worth more than the health of a native community or the natural channel of a river. As long as the laws continue to protect the destroyer rather than the destroyed, the Amazon will continue to lose the battle. Image | Marco Milon Xataka | There are two global superpowers fighting to gain a foothold on the coast of Peru: the United States and China.

The low cost companies of the United States are already suffering from the new oil crisis

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2.5 billion dollars. That is the figure that low-cost airlines demand from the United States Government in order to continue operating in the country. The rise in fuel prices has reached such a point that a handful of companies are beginning to see the wolf’s ears. And that wolf is called: bankruptcy. 2.5 billion dollars. The Association of Value Airlines, made up of Allegiant Air, Avelo Air, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Sun Country (all low-cost airlines operating in the United States), have asked the United States Government to create a liquidity fund of $2.5 billion to pay for the fuel they need to offer their services. At the meeting, they assure from Reutersairline executives, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Head of the Federal Aviation Administration Bryan Bedford met. 111 dollars. It is the average ticket price offered by the low-cost airlines that attended the meeting. A figure that, they say, is impossible to maintain if the price of fuel continues to increase. And, according to his calculations, those 2.5 billion dollars It will be the increase in prices at the end of the year that they will have to assume if the market continues to be as volatile as it has been until now. According to their calculations, the rise in the price of oil has been such that it is forcing them to pay for fuel at twice the price they normally did. This puts their operations at risk to the point that, they say, the profit margin is so narrow that it puts the viability of the companies at risk. Ravine. Neither the White House nor federal aviation officials responded to questions from Reuters but by then it was already known that talks had been initiated to provide $500 million to Spirit Airlines. The airline, however, ended up bankrupt this weekend. The company, they explain in BBChad operated in the country for more than 30 years but since the hardest years of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was going through severe financial difficulties. The rise in fuel prices has been the last straw that has ended up leaving passengers on the ground. The Secretary of Transportation of the United States, Sean Duffy, has assured that the company already had serious problems before the country launched its first attacks against Iran. Now, 17,000 workers have lost their jobs overnight. It’s not the only one. Although the Spirit case has been the most striking (its business became such that in 2014 Morgan Stanley pointed it out as the airline with the greatest potential for its investors). but he withdrew his support in 2023), this airline has not been the only one in which bankruptcy due to the enormous cost of fuel has weighed on the heads of hundreds or thousands of workers. Latvia has had to rescue Air Baltic with a loan of 30 million euros and airlines such as Lufthansa or SAS have had to cancel thousands of flights to try to contain the hemorrhage. In the case of Lufthansathe company has focused on short-haul flights where profit margins are narrower, canceling more than 20,000 of them before the end of the year. For its part, SAS canceled more than 1,000 flights only last April. A warning (with buts). Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, has also not missed the opportunity to attack his rivals. In The Spanish They report that O’Leary predicts the bankruptcy of two or three European companies before the end of the year if the oil crisis continues. For the manager, WizzAir and Air Baltic would be the main candidates. However, some analysts have pointed out that they consider that the risk of reaching this point is lower among European companies. They point out that in the United States the strength of long-haul airlines is still very high and that, unlike in Europe, low-cost airlines have much less business. What they do not rule out, of course, is that flights will continue to be canceled en masse. less margin. The airline problem low cost It is similar to that of the gas stations serving cheap fuel. In both cases, very narrow profit margins are played in exchange for adding a large number of operations. However, the increase in the cost of fuel kills its business because it places its rates at the prices of its rivals. premium. In the case of airlines, as in the case of gas stations low costhave the added problem that fuel stock is usually small. Furthermore, in the case of aviation, variations in its price tend to be more damaging because its refinement and storage is so expensive and complicated that stocks are usually very small. Photo | Forsaken Films In Xataka | Ryanair asks to suspend the new EU border control system: many are missing flights due to the queues it generates

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