Mobile Tech & Gadgets

In 2011 Japan closed the largest nuclear power plant on the planet. Now he has decided to reopen it in the midst of the energy debate

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The nuclear debate, which Japan thought closed, returns to the scene. The authorization of the governor of Niigata to reactivate Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the largest atomic plant in the world, has set off alarms: citizen distrust, the shadow of Fukushima and doubts about whether TEPCO is the right company to lead the country’s new energy stage are emerging. A new nuclear revival? The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, managed by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), has not produced a single kilowatt since 2012. The closure was a direct consequence of the 2011 tsunami and the three meltdowns from Fukushima Daiichia blow that left reactors with similar designs under suspicion. That technical coincidence was enough to keep its seven reactors on hold for more than ten years, despite the fact that the plant was essential for the electricity supply of northeastern Japan. According to Japan TimesHideyo Hanazumi has authorized a step-by-step reactivation that will start with reactor 6—one of the most recent and powerful—and that, later, will also include reactor 7. Altogether, the complex exceeds 8,000 MW of capacity, a figure that not only imposes: it maintains it as the largest nuclear facility on the planet. A significant change for the Japanese country. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa has gone from a technical project to a strategic move. As reported by the Financial TimesTokyo trusts that its reactivation will contribute to lowering the electricity bill and ensuring energy sources with fewer emissions, at a time complicated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the fall of the yen, which makes fossil fuel imports more expensive. Japan, which before Fukushima generated almost 30% of its electricity with atomic plants, fell to practically zero after the disaster. Since then 14 reactors have reopened and others await local or regulatory approvals. The government aims for nuclear energy to once again represent 20% of the mix in 2040. In addition, TEPCO would improve its annual accounts by around 100 billion yen thanks to the restart, according to Japan Forwardat a time when it continues to face enormous costs for the dismantling of Fukushima Daiichi. The reactivation process. The restart will begin with unit 6, which already has fuel loaded and will begin commercial operations before March of next year. To move forward, TEPCO must respond to the Government’s demands, which include updating all security systems and improving emergency evacuation plans. The process has not been easy. As detailed by Japan Timesthe plant passed safety reviews in 2017, but then suffered a veto from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority due to deficiencies in anti-terrorist measures, lifted in 2023. In addition, TEPCO had to incorporate biometric controls and correct security flaws after new internal incidents. Is there controversy? Yes, and a lot. According to a survey cited by the BBC50% of Niigata residents support the revival, while 47% oppose it. However, almost 70% express their concern because the person operating the plant is the same company that caused the accident. From Japan Times He adds that the rejection intensifies in some of the towns located within 30 kilometers of the plant, where the majority fear a new disaster or distrust the company. Another source of discomfort, also pointed out by this medium, is that the electricity generated is not used in Niigata, but in the Tokyo region. The political dimension is equally tense. Hanazumi, aware of the sensitivity of her decision, has announced that he will submit his continuity as governor to the vote of the prefectural assembly, the only body that can remove him. But there is something else at play. The reopening of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is seen as a pillar to ensure the country’s energy security and avoid possible power outages in Tokyo. It would also allow reducing electricity rates that have increased notably since 2011. At the same time, Japan is not only restarting reactors: it is also is planning the construction of new plants with fourth generation reactors, which would mark a new chapter in the country’s energy policy. More than a return to the atom. The country that one day vowed not to depend on atomic energy again has ended up returning to it, driven by necessity, geopolitics and the urgency to decarbonize. It remains to be seen if this decision will also ignite the confidence of a citizenry that still carries the memory of Fukushima or if, on the contrary, the return to the atom will deepen a division that has been open for more than a decade. Although the governor’s approval is the decisive step, there are still procedures: the prefectural assembly must debate and vote on the decision in December, and the Japanese nuclear regulator must complete the formal procedures for reactivation. Image | IAEA Imagebank Xataka | In 2011, Japan promised itself not to bet on nuclear energy again. Until he met reality

Europe had been asking for a big hit on the table for some time. Revolut just gave it a huge valuation

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Revolut was born in London as a fintech focused on digital payments and today it has become one of the most watched companies on the European financial landscape. It has already exceeded 65 million customers worldwide and its ambition is to reach 100 million, with its sights set on becoming the first global bank born from technology. Not only does it add users, it also builds physical structures: Spain was the country chosen to install its first ATMs with own brand. Now, he has added one more element to his story: a valuation of $75 billion. The operation validated by some of the largest funds in the world. The sale of Revolut shares was not carried out by traditional banks, but by some of the most influential investment funds in the technology sector, such as Coatue, Greenoaks, Dragoneer and Fidelity Management & Research Company. They were joined by names linked to large companies such as NVentures, NVIDIA’s investment fund, as well as Andreessen Horowitz, Franklin Templeton and T. Rowe Price. According to Bloombergthis operation has placed Revolut as the most valuable startup in Europe. It also allowed employees to sell shares, something Revolut has already offered on five occasions. A valuation that does not leave the stock market. Revolut remains a private company, so its shares are not available on public markets and its valuation is not set on the stock market. It is estimated from the price that investors accept when they buy a package of shares in operations like this: that price is taken as a reference to calculate how much 100% of the company would be worth. On this occasion, Revolut has made it easier for employees and existing shareholders to sell part of their stakes, while incorporating new investors into the capital. The result is a valuation that, as we say, sets the bar at 75 billion dollars. Revolut remains a private company, so its shares are not available on public markets and its valuation is not set on the stock market. Although it is still private, Revolut does publish figures that explain part of the investment enthusiasm. In 2024 it recorded $4 billion in revenue, with a growth of 72%, and $1.4 billion in profit before taxes, an increase of 149%. In 2025, the pace continues thanks to the performance of its business division, which already moves 1 billion annually. In addition, the company has made relevant regulatory progress: it has the final banking authorization for its next launch in Mexico, it has a banking incorporation license in Colombia and is preparing its arrival in India. Spain as a pilot bank. The Spanish market has become one of Revolut’s strategic laboratories. Here it inaugurated its first ATM network in Europe, with 50 machines installed and plans to expand to 200 next year. At the same time, it is exploring its entry into private banking by hiring specialized profiles. According to Expansionthe project is in the initial phase, but marks a symbolic step: it no longer competes only in mobile, but also in segments reserved for traditional banking. Europe gains visibility, but the United States sets the pace. That Revolut is the most valuable startup in Europe, as Bloomberg points out, demonstrates the moment that the technology sector is experiencing on the continent. Even so, the comparison with the United States remains significant: Reuters puts OpenAI at $500 billionabout 6.67 times above Revolut. There, the most notable startups come not only from fintech, but also from aerospace, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, design or productivity. Europe, on the other hand, has concentrated its progress mainly on fintech, quantum computing and corporate software. The $75 billion valuation does not automatically make Revolut a global bank, but it does send a clear message: large international funds are willing to back a model that mixes technology, financial services and international ambition. The next step will be to sustain that growth while obtaining key licenses, such as the one it is seeking in the United Kingdom. What is happening with Revolut shows that Europe can generate relevant players, although it remains to be seen how far they can go in a field historically dominated by American banking and technology. Images | Revolut In Xataka | A few weeks ago Amancio Ortega collected 1,552 million from Inditex: he just invested them in the second largest purchase in its history

Spain has to get serious about dental anesthesia

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Going to the dentist is a visit that may not be very pleasant and that can cause great fear in some patients due to the pain or discomfort that may arise from undergoing a treatment such as treating a cavity. This has made it popular in recent years to sedate patients who are more afraid or who are going to undergo long treatmentsbut this has left very bad news in the last week. The case. The focus on sedation procedures has been placed in the focus of public opinion after learning the death of a six-year-old girl after dental treatment with intravenous sedation in a clinic in Alzira (Valencia), and the admission to the ICU of another one who was treated at the same dental center. These two tragic events, which are currently being investigated, have raised many doubts about this procedure, how common it is and, above all, how it is regulated in our country. Because logically it is something really shocking to go get a tooth filled or have a root canal and not survive the procedure, when a priori it seems like something completely safe. Although there is one detail that sometimes we completely miss: anesthesia (even if it is sedation) is not nonsense and has very important risks that not everyone can control. Sedation in dentistry. To understand this situation, you must know that in dentistry there are different levels of anesthesia depending on the procedure to be used. The most common is undoubtedly the one in which an anesthetic medication is pricked into the gum itself (something that hurts quite a bit) to be able to do a filling or an extraction. A local anesthesia that disappears after two hours and does not last longer and that the dentist himself can apply after interviewing the patient and asking about his or her allergies. But beyond this ‘normality’ we have other treatments for patients who fear being in that situation or who are going to undergo annoying and long procedures. Here you bet on a ‘conscious sedation‘. In this case the patient maintains protective reflexes and the ability to respond to commands such as opening your mouthbut remains completely relaxed The problem is that the border between “conscious” sedation and deep sedation (where this type of reflex is lost) is quite blurred, especially when powerful intravenous drugs are used in the pediatric population. Precisely for this reason scientific societies They have been demanding for years that these techniques be regulated and are executed only with specifically trained personnel and in environments prepared to respond to an emergency in seconds. Because in part, the safety of anesthesia It is thanks to the professionals who administer it daily, controlling all the patient’s parameters and having a lot of experience behind them with these drugs. Because a drug of this style seems harmless, but the reality is that there are many emergencies that can arise from the use of anesthetics, such as the great feared malignant hyperthermia. The regulations. Procedures of this style They have regulation which right now is fragmented. That is, there is no state standard that applies to all clinics in the country, but rather it depends on each autonomous community through its authorization decrees. Even so, different common elements are repeated in the regulations that are: Specific authorization to administer intravenous sedation or advanced anesthesia techniques. In the case of Alzira, that authorization did not exist. Something that also raises questions about how he could access these drugs without authorization to do so. Existence of a doctor responsible for sedation who may be an anesthetist or a dentist specialized in these techniques. But the important thing is that it is a different person than the one doing the treatment so that they can monitor the patient. Specific training in sedation, airway management and also accreditation in cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques. Patient monitoring: the clinic box must have at least monitoring of constants such as blood pressure, heart rate or oxygen saturation. But you must also have the appropriate equipment to deal with an emergency in the middle of the intervention. ​ In Catalonia, for example, the Official Col·legi d’Odontòlegs i Stomatòlegs maintains a specific registry for clinics authorized to perform sedation, with personnel, equipment and audit requirements. Other communities, such as Madrid or the Valencian Community, include the demands in orders of technical-sanitary requirements for health centers and in their catalog of authorizable activities. ​What a mistake. The information that has emerged from Alzira’s case illustrates well the clash between real practice and what the regulations require. The Ministry’s reports now indicate that the dental clinic was authorized as a dental center, but not to perform sedation on patientsdespite the fact that he administered drugs this way to a six-year-old girl at the hands of an anesthetist who also is being investigated. Now it is something that is in the hands of justice that also contemplates the possibility of poor condition of the medication used to sedate patients. After the death of the minor, doubts have arisen from associations of anesthetists warning of the “serious risk” of perform sedation outside the hospital setting or without specifically trained personnel, and remembering that even “conscious” sedation can quickly evolve into life-threatening respiratory depression. The combination of younger age, intravenous route and an environment possibly not prepared to the level required by best practices constitutes a high-risk scenario that the regulatory framework precisely aims to avoid. A regulation with obstacles. Although many communities have been fine-tuning their regulations, several legal and technical reviews highlight that the regulation of sedation in dentistry in Spain remains scatteredunequal between territories and, in some cases, ambiguous regarding who can do what and under what conditions. In some autonomies, complex sedation and general anesthesia are regulated in detail, but “conscious” sedation in consultation, especially when they switch to intravenous medications and benzodiazepines, remains in an area where interpretation weighs more than a unified framework. What should we look at? With this unfortunate case, … Read more

This is Kaspersky’s Black Friday

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If the security of our information, passwords and Internet traffic is important on a personal level, it is undeniable that it is even more relevant on a business level. That’s where not only ours come into play, but also that of all our staff and clients. The best thing we can do is invest in a good tool that helps us with all this and Black Friday is the perfect time for it. Among all the options we have available, one of the most interesting is offered by Kaspersky with its Small Office Security package. Right now, their full-year plan is available with a 15% direct discount: it costs 193.35 euros, although we can get it for 174.02 euros with code AFBIZ. And be careful: because it comes with several very interesting additions, such as a 50 euro card to spend on Amazon. Kaspersky Small Office Security – 1 year The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Password manager, antivirus, VPN and much more Before talking in more depth about the offer that Kaspersky has for this plan on Black Friday, let’s see a little about what this Small Office Security solution consists of. As we have said above, it is a package of several tools that, together, They will help us protect our company. There is no need to be unambiguous, since here it is more than just an antivirus. With Kaspersky Small Office Security (or KSOS), we will be able to protect all of our company’s devices. That not only includes computers (regardless of whether they use Windows or MacOS), but also Android or iOS mobilesas well as file servers. In addition, it includes a password manager, something very useful if we take into account the importance they have. Along with the above, it should be noted that it also includes software to protect us against malware and ransomware, one that is in fact very easy to install and makes it unnecessary to go to experts. Also includes a fast and very secure VPNwhich will help us protect our Internet traffic and the security of the transactions we make. And be careful, because we can have these tools in several computers at the same time (the price above corresponds to the package for 5 of them). Now, let’s talk about this Black Friday offer. The entire KSOS package costs right now 174.02 euros with the code AFBIZ in its modality for one year. On this occasion, in addition to the discount, we will also take a 50 euro gift card to spend on Amazon and buy what we want. Not only that, but the package also includes the WebSite X5 EVO website builder, ideal for creating a professional site in less than an hour very easily (and with 100 GB of hosting). A very complete and perfect package for our company, although we only have a few days to get it at these prices and get the two additions that we mentioned a little above. Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Image | Kaspersky In Xataka | Best antivirus for computer: the best paid alternatives to protect your PC In Xataka | Best VPNs: guide with the 17 best services to protect your online privacy

Germany has spent three nights copying Taiwan. If Russia decides to invade it, it has had an idea: surprise them underground

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Last July, the Taiwan subway experienced an unusual day: Instead of passengers loaded with purses and suitcases, soldiers, soldiers and more soldiers armed with anti-tank missiles began to arrive at Taipei stations. The reason was twofold: to send a message inside and outside (China) of the country. That idea seduced Germany, and now that it has begun its rearmament it has launched in Berlin. A disturbing return. The exercise Bollwerk Bärlin III Last week, he returned to the German capital a scene that seemed banished to the memories of the 20th century: soldiers descending U-Bahn stairsjumping onto the tracks and advancing through smoke, simulated gunshots and cars taken over by “saboteurs.” For three nights, between 1 and 4 in the morning, about 250 members of the Wachbataillon (a unit known for its ceremonial role but with infantry functions) transformed stations like Jungfernheide into a real underground battlefield to practice assaults, close combat, evacuation of civilians and protection of critical infrastructure in a realistic environment in which nothing is altered or mocked up: the narrowness of the tunnels, limited visibility and changes in light are the same as they would find in a real war scenario. In the background: Russia. They remembered the TWZ analysts that this return to urban warfare in tunnels and stations, without embellishments or theatrical simulations, symbolizes a profound change in Germany’s strategic priorities and revealed the extent to which the shadow of a possible conflict with Russia has penetrated into the very heart of Germany. his military planning. The metamorphosis. The battalion in charge of displaying honors on state visits had been conceived for decades as a symbol of institutional stability, not as a combat force. However, its real operational mission (protecting the federal government and its facilities in the event of a crisis) today takes on an urgency that has not been seen for a long time. Hence the direct tone of his commanderlieutenant colonel Maik Teichgräber: Berlin is your area of ​​operations and they must prepare for “the worst case scenario,” which means training where you would really fight. The use of stations closed to the public allows practice quick entriesassaults on trains, neutralization of enemies and immediate removal of wounded, integrating snipers, perimeter security and coordination between units in a densely urbanized environment. The presence of additional scenarios (such as the former Rüdersdorf chemical plant or the Ruhleben police complex) underlines the desire to turn the capital’s defense into a multidimensional exercisecapable of absorbing everything from internal sabotage to coordinated incursions that seek to paralyze the political center of Germany. Global dimension of the trend. Which happens in Berlin It is also reflected in other regions of the world. How we countTaiwan uses its subway as a defensive artery during the Han Kuang exercises, aware that, in the event of a Chinese invasion, underground infrastructure they would be vital to move troops and supplies while the surface becomes a continuous target. In parallel, the United States has raised the underground war a priority for its special forces, responding to the proliferation of fortified tunnels, dense urban areas and the expansion of drone swarms that force troops to seek refuge underground. The growing autonomy of unmanned systems, already present in Ukraine, accelerates this trend: in a future where aerial surveillance will be almost constant, defending in depth will mean dominating not only streets and buildings, but subways, tunnels, pipelines and interconnected bunkers. The war of the future, according to these emerging doctrines, will be fought both upwards (against drones, sensors and loitering munitions) and downwards, in an underground network that takes on strategic value. Echoes of the Cold War. He training on the U-Bahn inevitably refers to a divided Berlinwhen the city was a western enclave surrounded by Warsaw Pact forces. At that time, the United States, the United Kingdom and France were rehearsing urban operations aimed at slowing down an invasion to gain political time, aware that holding the city indefinitely was unrealistic. Units like the (secret) Detachment A They practiced sabotage and unconventional warfare techniques from the shadows. Even stations, such as Pankstraße or Siemensdamm, were designed like nuclear shelters for more than 3,000 people for weeks, with armored doors and air filtering. The reunified Germany had left behind that architecture of fear, and today, faced with a panorama of uncertainty, it returns to study how to reactivate these civil protection capabilities. The contrast is evident: what in 1994 seemed unnecessary is once again considered a strategic necessity. Historical rearmament. we have been counting. The exercise is also part of a context transformation unprecedented german military apparatus. By 2029, Berlin plans spend 153,000 million euros per year in defense (around 3.5% of GDP), an enormous jump from the levels that for decades were a source of friction with Washington. It is a rearmament designed not only for modernize capabilitiesbut to adapt the country to threats that They are no longer theoretical: What happens 900 kilometers away, in Ukraine, conditions the entire strategy. This budget increase has led NATO to consider a symbolic turn that would have been unthinkable during the Cold War: that Germany would command the allied forces in Europe. Although that moment has not arrivedthe expectation underscores the pressure on Berlin to demonstrate that it can take on top responsibilities and is willing to prepare its military for complex scenariosfrom urban sabotage to large-scale conventional warfare. Strategic warning. Teichgräber put it clearly: Nobody can guarantee that the war that is currently devastating Ukraine will not one day reach German territory. That phrase sums up the background of Bollwerk Bärlin III. The Bundeswehr trains in the subway tunnels because it understands that contemporary conflicts do not respect borders or capitals. The hybrid warcoordinated attacks on critical infrastructure and the massive use of drones They make the interior of cities as vulnerable as their borders. If you like, what is at stake is not only the defense of Berlin, but Germany’s capacity to react facing a moment in which the strategic … Read more

has just invested them in the second largest purchase in its history

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Pontegadea was born as an investment instrument for Amancio Ortega to channel the billionaire dividends that the millionaire obtained for your Inditex shares. These successful investments have turned Pontegadea into the second empire billionaire fashion mogul (and now also from brick). In this dynamic, Ortega has just received the second distribution of Inditex dividends in 2025, for a total amount of 1,552 million euros. This payment has served to cover the second largest purchase in the history of Pontegadea: “The Post” in Vancouver (Canada). Again, homemade from Amazon. Amancio Ortega’s last big purchase has been an enclave in the center of Vancouver. According to published Bloomberg, it is a complete block of offices in which the city’s old post office is joined with two imposing glass and steel buildings of 22 and 19 floors respectively. The name of the complex arises precisely from this historical origin of the Canada Post post office: The Post. The complex is made up of two office towers occupied by Amazon. In this way, once again, Amancio Ortega becomes Jeff Bezos’ landlord by purchasing another office building from which the ecommerce giant operates. In addition to Amazon, Ortega will be the homemade from other multinationals such as Starbucks, Oakberry or Loblaws City Market. 680 million dollars. The purchase of The Post is one of the greater investments of Pontegadea in its history, only surpassed by the purchase of the Royal Bank Plaza office complex (in Toronto), in which the Ortega real estate investor was left about 800 million euros in 2022. According to advanced Green Street Newsthe purchase of The Post has been closed for 1.1 billion Canadian dollars, which in exchange is equivalent to about 680 million euros. Its previous owner had remodeled the property into about 102,193 square meters of offices and about 17,200 square meters of commercial space. 2,000 million invested in one year. So far this year, Pontegadea and its subsidiaries They have completed 13 purchase operations and investmentwith just over a month left until the end of the year. According what was published by The Newspaperin the 13 operations that Pontegadea has closed in 2025, the real estate company has invested a total of 2,119 million euros. This amount makes 2025 the third year with the highest investment in the company’s history, only behind 2022 (with an investment of 2,783 million euros) and 2019, with 2,320 million euros. There are plenty of dividends. Amancio Ortega, as majority shareholder, controls 1,848 million Inditex shares or, which is the same, 59.294% of the company, through his companies Pontegadea Inversiones and Partler 2006. For this participation, Ortega has received around 3,104 million euros in two payments in 2025. The last of them, of around 1,552 million euros, was received just before this latest purchase became official. That means that although 2025 could be considered one of the busiest years Pontegadea investorwould still have a surplus of 985 million in its cash. He still has a month left and Black Friday in between. In Xataka | How much money Amancio Ortega has: how the fortune of the richest man in Spain is distributed Image | The Post, GTRES

5,300 layoffs in its four subsidiaries

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Although there was already announced his plans Last week, Telefónica waited until today to put on the table an Employment Regulation File that could affect some 5,300 employees of the Telefónica de España workforce and its three subsidiaries (Telefónica España, Móviles y Soluciones), as well as the Movistar+ platform. The announcement was no surprise since the ERE, of which more details are now known, is part of the strategic plan Transform & Grow 2030which seeks to reorganize the company and a reduction of 1,510 million in operating costs A blow to the Telefónica workforce Telefónica has presented its plan to the unions with the greatest representation in its workforce (UGT, CCOO and Sumados-Fetico) to carry out a collective dismissal justified by “organizational, technical and production causes”, which will affect a total of 5,319 jobs distributed among Telefónica de España, Telefónica Móviles, Telefónica Soluciones and Movistar+. In the case of Telefónica de España, the proposed cut affects 3,649 people out of a total of 8,892 employees that currently make up its workforce. This means that 41.04% of the operator’s workers would be affected by the ERE. In its subsidiary Telefónica Móviles, the adjustment would affect 1,124 workers out of a workforce of 3,587 employees (31.34% of employees), while in Telefónica Soluciones 267 people would be dispensed with out of a total of 1,118 employees (23.89%). Similarly, the negotiation table has been established for the ERE of Movistar+, the operator’s pay television platform, which would dispense with 279 employees of the 860 workers that make up its workforce (32.45% of the total). Despite several thousand employees already affected by this ERE, Telefónica has not yet completed the total estimate of layoffs since until tomorrow the impact that the employment regulation file will have on its three remaining divisions will not be known: Telefónica’s parent company, Telefónica Global Solutions, Telefónica Digital Innovation, etc. as I pointed out The Country. Altogether, the ERE is expected to affect between 6,000 and 7,000 employees of the different subsidiaries. Unions opt for voluntary departures The company and the unions have set up specific negotiating tables for each affected company, with a period of approximately one month to close the agreements, which places the signing of the possible agreements around the end of the year or the beginning of the next. The layoff figures that have been put on the table are an estimate and the final figure will be known after negotiation with union representatives. In the previous ERE presented by the company, the initial estimate It was about 5,124 layoffs, of which 3,421 were finally carried out after the negotiation. The company’s intention is that the cost of the ERE can be recorded in the accounts for the year 2025 and that the conditions adjust to the new strategic plansomething that union organizations want to link to an extension of collective agreements and guarantees of job stability until 2030. The unions with the greatest representation in Telefónica have demanded that any departure be articulated voluntarily and that the bulk of the adjustment be based on early retirements and voluntary departures, following the model of the previous ERE of the company. According what was published by The Worldamong the conditions that union representatives are considering is staggering the impact of the different ERE on workers born between 1969 and 1971, who will turn 55 in 2026, thus consolidating their path towards early retirement. This measure continues the policy agreed upon in the previous negotiation, which set its final limit on employees born before 1968. In Xataka | Telefónica proposes the end of its era as a “cash cow”: it considers sacrificing the historic dividend to create a European champion Image | Telephone

Spain has never been a land of skyscrapers. Now someone wants to build one for luxury tourists in Malaga

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Malaga is known for the Alcazaba, Gibralfaro or its Cathedral. If Hesperia and the Qatari fund Al Alfia manage to move forward with their plans, in not too long it will also be for another building, one that will also mark their skyline: the Port Tower. The project is not new (it has years on the table) and has generated considerable controversy in the city, but its promoters have just made it clear that they are not giving up: after receiving green light of the Port, the companies that are trying to move it forward have organized an event to share dates, data and investments. Their objective is to demonstrate that they are still committed to building a 144-meter tower in a country, Spain, that stands out for its little hobby by the skyscrapers. What is the Port Tower? A megaproject which has been in the offices of administrations for almost a decade and (above all) generating debate in Malaga. And the “mega” thing is more than justified in this case. At least if we pay attention to the latest data broken down by their promoters. The idea is to build a skyscraper 144 meters high, 59 meters wide and 19 meters wide at the end of the Levante dock, in the middle of the port, near the maritime station where the cruise ships dock. The tower will act as a huge hotel 382 roomsbut its promoters they insist in which it will arrive accompanied by a much more ambitious and useful infrastructure for the city that will cover, in total, 54,000 square meters. “The hotel will be located in a currently depressed area, where there is nothing, and we are going to recover that environment for the city and the citizens,” slide from Hesperia, a fundamental piece in its promotion together with the Qatari fund Al Alfia. Is more information known? Yes. Both about the hotel itself and the urban development that will accompany it. The icing on the cake will be the skyscraper: 144 meters high whose centerpiece will be accommodation focused on the high-net-worth clientele that comes to Malaga. The objective, in fact, is for it to operate as a five-star Grand Luxury hotel and be managed by an international chain (there are already interested parties). Beyond the hotel, the complex will include a 2,500 m2 auditorium, underground parking, a restaurant, a plaza and a 1.3 km boulevard with viewpoints, a bike path, green areas… The development companies in fact calculate that the complex will cover around 54,000 m2. “It is not a speculative project, it will have a return for the developer, but above all for the city because it creates many public spaces,” investors claim in The Opinion of Malaga. How much will it cost? There is talk of an investment of about 200 million eurosalthough initially the figure was quite inferior. This high amount (along with the special status of the land) explains why the promoters insist on the “transformative” and social dimension of the project and the return it will have for Malaga. The reason? To begin with because the promoters they do not rule out qualify for European funds and have support from the administrations. Before even thinking about financing, the project must nevertheless get its future cleared by the Council of Ministers, for which it is key that its public utility be demonstrated. Why is it news? The initiative is by no means new. A quick search in the newspaper archive arrives to verify that he has been chaining procedures for years, a complex path during which he even changed his star architect: the Valencian José Seguí He moved not long ago to the Londoner David Chipperfielwinner of the Pritzker Prize (the Nobel Prize for architects) in 2023. In recent weeks, however, the tower has been in the news again for two reasons. The first came in October, when the Port Authority gave the green light to the complex and allowed him to move on to the next stop in his processing: the State Ports table. There they must study it in depth before it reaches the Council of Ministers, which must rule on whether the hotel complex fits into the Levante dike. That is, whether or not it authorizes the hotel use of that space. The second reason why the tower is being talked about these days is because its promoters, Hesperia and Al Alfia, have organized an act to emphasize that they are not giving up. In fact, the quote served to explain details of the Chipperfield project and outline the schedule managed by the companies: their objective is to resolve the pending issues “in the medium term” to start the works as early as 2026. According to their estimates, the work will last about three years. Will that be possible? First, the project must overcome certain obstacles. And not all of them have to do with financing. The project needs the green light from the Council of Ministers and Óscar Puente, Minister of Transportation, since has warned that the Executive will not move until it knows the judicial resolution to the appeals presented by the Defendamos Nuestro Horizonte platform and the Academy of Fine Arts of San Telmo, critical of some aspects of the project. They are not the only ones. ICOMOS, linked to UNESCO, has warned also the landscape impact of the tower. Spain, country of skyscrapers? Although in Spain there are skyscrapers like the Crystal Towerin Madrid, of 249 m, and in Andalusia itself we find the Seville Tower (180.5 m), the truth is that our country does not exactly stand out for its large buildings. Some time ago Skyscrapercenter made a ranking with the nations with the highest number of towers that exceed 150 meters and Spain occupies 32nd place, behind other European countries, such as Germany, France or the United Kingdom. The Malaga tower is a reminder of one of the controversies generated by this type of structures: its impact on the landscape … Read more

we are saying goodbye to the black monolith

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If anyone wants to know what the future of our SmartTVs is, they would do well to look into the Xataka NordVPN Awards 2025. Our big annual technology party named its winner this year in the super high-end television category, the LG OLED Signature AI T4, and with it and its podium companions it became clear where the shots can go in a market that is constantly evolving. The super high range as a crazy testing laboratory. Super high-end TVs are certainly a niche market, but one that has become a fantastic way for manufacturers to experiment without fear of commercial failure. It’s a bit like Formula 1 with respect to street cars, a crazy testing laboratory where cost doesn’t matter, what matters is innovation. Fighting the black rectangle. Both LG and its competitors seek to solve the biggest television design problem of the 21st century: what do we do with the screen when it is off? The award that this manufacturer won is not only for a beautiful or innovative TV, but also validation that the future of the television may be to stop looking like a television. Or at least, pretend that it is. When your TV doesn’t look like a TV. Samsung knows a lot about trying to make your TV not look like a TV. Frame Art Galleries They already surprised us in 2017and shortly after They introduced their Ambient Mode for camouflage even more that black rectangle. This and other manufacturers have turned these devices into ways of representing family photos and artworkbut it is no longer enough to use special frames or image modes: they now want to transform the design of the televisions themselves, and LG has experimented a lot in this regard, very crazy. Rollable? Transparent? Ask for that little mouth. The evolution proposed by LG is much more physical than digital. He demonstrated it with his LG Signature Ra roll-up television that allowed the screen to be physically hidden, although the solution was mechanically complex and very expensive. The present is transparency. The TV becomes a kind of fish tank or glass that integrates with the wallpaper with that shelf in the back of your house. This transparency is a contrast filter that adjusts to our taste and according to the content, and represents one more way to propose the end of that black monolith that is usually our TV. Look mom, a wireless TV. We are used to the back of our televisions contributing to the tangle of cables to which consoles, sound equipment, connectivity and more are added. Manufacturers want to avoid this problem or mitigate it, and have begun to propose external connection boxes. LG’s Zero Connect Box is a good example: it is not streaming that compresses, it is lossless wireless transmission of audio and video with proprietary wireless technology. Samsung does the same in its 8K ranges (like the QN900D with the Slim One Connect). These boxes do not avoid cables, but they allow them to be moved to another area of ​​the living room or room where we have the TV. Again the objective is the same: to make the TV look a little less like a TV with so much cable. LG’s Zero Connect Box allows you to move connections elsewhere and stream lossless content wirelessly. (Almost) wireless TV is possible. The image laboratory. And of course we have innovation in imaging technology and a constant search to have the image and the “perfect light.” Samsung democratized color with QLED and that converged with OLED to create QD-OLED, the best of both worlds. The current leap of Tandem OLED It allows two layers of OLED to be stacked to maintain a very high brightness delivery while consuming less energy. There are other equally interesting alternatives such as RGB MiniLED or the promising MicroLED invisible audio. Given a possible future with transparent TVs, where do you put the speakers? That’s where both LG and Sony are managing to use the screen itself as a speaker (Cinematic Sound OLED, Acoustic Surface). Actuators behind the panel vibrate the glass/plastic to generate sound, and again contribute to that idea of ​​minimalism, also eliminating the physical sound bar or combining it in different and striking ways. Samsung has its Q-Symphony and LG also enhances that facet with WOW Orchestra. Processors with AI. Televisions like the award-winning LG T4 have that last name “AI” in the name for a reason: for the transparent TV to look good, the processor must separate by layers what is “background” from what is “main object” in real time to apply depth effects. Not only that: we are getting closer and closer to that moment in which controlling the TV with the remote may no longer make much sense if AI assistants – like Gemini, which Google is already beginning to “infiltrate” in this segment—allow us to “chat” with our television. Everything is very expensive now, but it won’t always be. All these new technologies are reserved for exclusive models that have exorbitant prices, but it is normal. Not all of those crazy ideas end up reaching the mass market, but those that do precisely allow us to access all those functions in an increasingly accessible way. Innovation ends up becoming democratized, and that will also happen with the television segment. In Xataka | I have thoroughly tested Samsung’s most advanced QD-OLED TV and one thing is clear: it has the best OLED panel out there

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