Mobile Tech & Gadgets

Starting Monday, everything is going to change

by

As I write these lines, there is more than 13,500 homes without electricity in the Île-de-France and the culprit is only one: Goretti. A storm that, As Samuel Biener pointed outhas intensified very rapidly in the Atlantic and has hit Great Britain, France and the north of the Peninsula. It is the first named storm of the year and, in Spain, we have been somewhat lucky (because its trajectory has gone north), but it is a very clear reminder of the devastating effects of explosive cyclogenesis. Then, simply, there will come a thermal shift “from the bowels of the Atlantic.” Goretti and Spain. As I say, we will not bear the worst of the impact of the storm. But that doesn’t mean anything: Removing wind and swell in the Cantabrian Sea and the western Pyreneesthe greatest effect that our country will suffer is the mass of polar maritime air that will leave us with cool and humid weather in the coming days. That will bring widespread rain and snow, AEMET has made it clear that has been put on alert to 14 communities and the autonomous city of Melilla. However, we are talking about orange notices and, if we compare with what we have experienced in recent days, it will seem ‘almost’ little to us. Therefore, we have to be careful, yes; but above all, we have to look at next week. Script change. As explained meteorologist Víctor González“all the predicted scenarios indicate that a deep trough will be established to the west of the peninsula starting next Sunday and especially during Monday, January 12.” The specific consequences of this are not yet clear (there is some uncertainty), but the general scheme is: a south and southwest advection that will bring us “air of tropical maritime origin.” What can we expect? In two words: rain on the Atlantic coast, widespread thaw and much higher temperatures than we have been suffering. At least, for a while. Because, finally, southern advection will warm Spainbut (when it retreats and leaves us in an anticyclonic situation) the low insolation will activate what in other years we have called the ‘iberian freezer‘: the air mass stabilized over the peninsula will progressively cool until some low pressure system alters it. In short, let’s fasten our seatbelts because curves are coming. Image | ECMWF In Xataka | While the snow devours half of Europe, there is a place where it is 27ºC and on the beach in the middle of January: Greece

The US has taken over Venezuela’s oil. The problem is that the package includes a gigantic debt with China

by

The map of world power has been redrawn in just one week. The capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces is not just a regime change; is the birth of the “Donroe Doctrine”, a movement with which Washington seeks to consolidate an energy empire “from Alaska to Patagonia” to control 40% of world production. However, after the military euphoria in the White House, a dilemma of trillion-dollar proportions looms: the oil has been taken, but it is mortgaged, and China demands its bills. The collector at the door. Control of the largest reserves on the planet has put the US face to face with the great creditor of the Caribbean. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP)the current exposure in a state of “limbo” is estimated at $10 billion, although other estimates by think tanks collected by the same medium raise the historical debt to more than 60,000 million, much of it structured under the “oil for loans” model. But how was this sum arrived at? China needed energy for its industrial rise and Venezuela needed cash. Under this premise, Beijing financed railways, power plants and more than 600 bilateral agreements. Now, the great fear of the Asian giant is that the new government in Caracas —protected by the Trump administration— invoke the doctrine of “hateful debt”. As Cui Shoujun explains in SCMPthis legal remedy would allow the loans to be repudiated, alleging that China’s money did not benefit the people, but rather financed the survival of the regime. It would be the perfect “legal pretext” to clean up the balance sheets before the American oil companies take the reins. The agony of the Chinese state companies and the shield of the “Teapots”. The anxiety in Beijing is not just political, it is corporate. As revealed by Bloomberggiants such as China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) are carrying out damage assessments amid fears that decades of investments will evaporate. Nevertheless, according to information from Reutersthese companies still operate in the country through joint ventures such as Sinovensa, and control rights to reserves amounting to billions of barrels. However, China has an “ace up its sleeve.” A couple of months ago, they were absorbing 90% of measurable crude oil storage. Besides, as detailed by the Financial Timesmuch of the flow of Venezuelan crude oil arrived in China through the “teapots” (independent refineries), which bought the oil at steep discounts to avoid previous sanctions. By taking control of exports, the United States not only recovers crude oil, but also eliminates a key competitive advantage for the Chinese industry, raising its energy costs at a stroke. The technical paradox. Many wonder why Trump would risk so much for oil that seems “bad.” The answer is a necessary technical symbiosisAmerican and Spanish refineries (like Repsol’s) act as “stomachs” designed for heavy crude oil from Venezuela, which needs to be mixed with light oil from the fracking to produce diesel efficiently. However, the prize comes with a bill astronomical repair. The infrastructure is literally in ruins: loading an oil tanker today takes five days compared to the one day that was enough seven years ago, and the crude oil arrives “dirty” (with excess water and salt) due to lack of maintenance. Reconstructing the sector will require 10 billion dollars annually for a decade, to which is added the drama of natural gas: Venezuela today burns in “smoke” the equivalent of the consumption of all of Colombia due to pure technical negligence. The battle of the offices. Trump has taken control of the energy crown jewel, but has found himself with an astronomical repair bill and a Chinese creditor who won’t go away quietly. As the Financial Times warnsif the US decides to also suffocate supplies from Iran after this blow in Venezuela, China could see 20% of its cheap crude oil imports compromised, which would force Beijing into an unpredictable reaction. The real battle did not end with the capture of Maduro; It is just beginning in the offices of Washington and Beijing. Venezuela is the jackpot, but it is a prize that comes with fine print that could go bankrupt the financial balances of half the world. The oil era is not over, but the map of who controls it and who pays for it has been rewritten with blood and debt. Image | Luisovalles Xataka | The war in Ukraine has just met that of Venezuela: that means that its two invaders are facing each other

The judge has allowed it to eat up the inner courtyard of the block

by

The elevator is a necessary element in any building, but there was a time when it was not so common. Many old buildings face a problem: they want to install an elevator, but it doesn’t fit in the stairwell. It is not usually common, but there are cases in which installing the elevator involves “eating” part of the homes. The conflict. Our colleagues tell it Xataka Home. Given the lack of space in the common areas, a community of Madrid residents unanimously agreed to install the elevator, occupying part of the private patios of the ground floor homes. One of the two affected homeowners took the case to court, claiming that installation in the stairwell was possible. The judge agreed with him and the community’s decision was annulled, but it didn’t end there. The sentence. The community of neighbors appealed to the Provincial Court, which ended up agreeing with them. The problem with installing the elevator in the common areas is that it did not comply with the regulations, but it also meant causing great damage to the building because the staircase had to be demolished, in addition to blocking access to the homes for a long time. The criterion was based on the general interest of the community and the fact that the installation in the courtyard was much more reasonable from a technical point of view. The private use. In the case of this sentence, the space occupied by the elevator is the private use patio of the first floor. That is, the property belongs to the community, but its use is exclusive to one of the neighbors since access is through their home. As stated in Economist & Juristhe article 9 of the Horizontal Property Law It is clear: “a permanent easement can be built over a private space, without requiring the consent of the affected owner,” as long as it is justified and is of interest to the community. Mandatory installation. The LPH establishes that the elevator is mandatory if a resident requests the facility for accessibility reasons. The community will be obliged to install it and its cost must be borne by all owners. It can also be approved by a simple majority, which prevents the installation from being blocked if, for example, the neighbors on the ground floor or first floor refuse to do so. Sometimes they eat the kitchen. There are many buildings without elevators that do not have space in common areas and, in some cases, their installation requires invading part of the homes or a commercial premisesthat is, a private property. As stated in The Confidentialthe Supreme Court declared that it is “an easement of passage in favor of the community.” Of course, in these cases the owner has the right to compensation, which will be set based on the value of the square meter. Or the street. In Madrid it is quite common to see elevators attached to the façade of the building and that invade part of the sidewalk. This is an exceptional measure to guarantee accessibility to the building, provided there is no other remedy. According to the regulationsthe sidewalk must remain at least 1.8 meters wide, although in some specific cases it is allowed to narrow to 1.5 meters and even 1.20 meters if there are no other options. In this case, the project must be presented to the city council, which is the one who studies and approves whether to grant the planning permission for works. In other communities such as Cantabria, lThe regulations also contemplate this possibility. Image | Laura Sacristán, Xataka In Xataka | What changes does the new Spanish regulations ask to make in elevators before July 1?

what they are and how to use them to give ChatGPT more functions

by

Let’s explain to you What ChatGPT applications are and how to use thema functionality with which you can connect the artificial intelligence to third party services. This way, you can use features from Photoshop, Canva, TripAdvisor, Apple Music and many others right from the app. ChatGPT. We are going to start the article by explaining in a simple way what exactly these applications are and what you should know about their use. Then, we will tell you step by step how to use them. What are ChatGPT applications ChatGPT applications, also called GPT Apps or connectors, are extensions that allow AI to connect with external services to perform specific tasks. ChatGPT has several uses, but there are functions that it misses, ranging from precise edits to searching for your local or personal information. Therefore, where the limits of AI do not reach are those of the applications to which it connects. For example, you can connect with Google Drive, Outlook, Canva, TripAdvisor, TheFork, Apple Music, Photoshop, Teams, Dropbox, and many more. This will allow OpenAI’s artificial intelligence to gain other special powers, from search and reserve restaurants even checking documents in the cloud or your email. You will even be able to automate tasks and actions on other platforms. Here you should know that some of these interactions will require access to your accounts of these services, such as when you want to check your email or make a reservation. However, if you are only looking for general information it will not be necessary. If you need to link your personal account to this service, then you will be asked and given explicit permission, ChatGPT will not log into your account itself. When it accesses the data, it will do so with the permissions you give it, just like Google and so on. ChatGPT will not be able to see your passwords, but if it accesses your data, keep in mind that you will be sharing it with OpenAI, so be careful if you are concerned about your privacy on topics like emails, your Google Drive files, or social media data. How to use apps in ChatGPT There are two ways to use applications in ChatGPT. The first is click on the section Applications which you will find in the left panel, above the chat history. This will take you to a screen that is an index where you can browse all the available ones or use the search engine to find one. The second option is put an at sign @ and start typing your name in the chat where you write the prompts by ChatGPT. This will open a window where the names of the applications will appear as you type. When you tap on an app, you will go to the screen where you can connect it to ChatGPTchoosing whether you want it to use relevant memories and share its data with the application. If you don’t need to link your accountit will just be a switch. But some applications will ask you to link your account in them. In these cases, the screen will have a button linking to the service, for example Outlook, so you can log in and give access to ChatGPT. And now, all you have left is start using these apps. If you access them from the apps menu, you will have the option to start a chat with this service. If you access from the normal chat, just mention them with the at sign to write the prompt and ask them to do something. You can also attach elements or whatever is necessary for what you are going to ask them for. In Xataka Basics | 18 simple Christmas images that you can make with ChatGPT in a couple of clicks or a single prompt

The DGT does not have an “ITV for V-16 beacons”, but the fact that many people believe that it does reveals how confusing everything is being.

by

You will have read that the DGT has launched an MOT for the V-16 beacons. Well, there is no MOT for V-16 beacons. The DGT has not launched a new procedure. There are also no V-16 beacons that were approved and are no longer so. And although it is very likely that you have read the opposite, you can rest assured if you have purchased one of the beacons that the DGT has now supposedly suspended. Having said all this, it is normal that you are confused and that is why we are going to explain what happened. There is no MOT for beacons and you don’t have to do anything If you have read that the DGT has launched an ITV for beacons, we confirm that you have fallen into a clickbait. And to explain certain terms it is common to use a concept well known to everyone (in this case the ITV) to point out that the V-16 beacons will pass a exam every two years (as happens with cars). It is the same that occurs with the calls “continuous line radars”. They simply do not exist, it is a system that uses other technology but to popularize them among readers they talk about “radars” when in reality they work in another way. In this case something similar happens, with the aggravating factor that it is not entirely true that the V-16 beacons are passing an exam every two years. The latter is nothing more than the renewal of a license to be able to put approved V-16 beacons on the market. My partner Yúbal Fernández gives the answers to all the questions that may arise in this article. To understand the origin of the mess you have to go to the DGT website. There, where all the approved models are listed, another list appeared a few days ago called Brands and models with certificates with expired validity. It includes four models of beacons (three of them from the company Ledel Solutions and the other from the company Ditraimon). They are, in the literal words of the DGT, “brands and models with certificates of completed validity that covered their manufacture, being valid for use by drivers who have acquired them until the end of their useful life.” To clarify all doubts we have contacted the DGT who has explained to us that this is an administrative procedure and not a purely technical one. They have clarified to us that when you receive a certificate to put a V-16 beacon on the market, it is valid for a period of two years. When this ends, there are three possibilities: The manufacturer resubmits the same beacon to the corresponding laboratory. In that case, it is verified that all requirements are still met and the manufacturer can continue selling said beacon. The manufacturer presents the beacon but with a cut in its characteristics. In that case, if it does not meet the minimum requirements, the beacon cannot be sold and the manufacturer loses the certificate. At that moment he enters the new DGT list. The manufacturer has no intention of continuing to sell the beacon and does not appear for the certificate renewal. In that case, you lose the certificate immediately and cannot continue selling that same beacon. Therefore, the so-called “ITV for beacons” is nothing more than an administrative renewal in which it is confirmed that the manufacturer continues to comply with the requirements required to put the beacon on the market. But it only applies if he takes the said exam. That is to say, in that case it does work like the MOT of a car, which only receives approval if we take the “exam” and pass it. Or the renewal of the driving license, which we will lose after its validity if we do not undergo the relevant tests. What can lead a manufacturer to not renew its certificate? Simply put, a company can forget this procedure if it does not want to continue producing this beacon because it is not achieving the expected profitability or has a product that works better in the market. A good example is the company Ledel Solutions, which has not received the renewal of the certificate for three products. However, it has up to 32 different beacons with the approval of the laboratories. Some of these certifications were issued last November or December 2025. AND if you have bought any of these beacons, there is no problem either. The DGT has insisted that if the beacon is in the commercial area we go to, we can rest assured because it will have met the technical requirements if it has been approved by the DGT. That is why it is important to check before paying if the model in question is on the list of Certified brands and models. In any case, remember: we are talking about a purely bureaucratic process in which the driver is not affected in any way. If you bought a V-16 beacon that is part of the new DGT list, you have nothing to worry about and no need to buy a new one. Your connectivity is guaranteed for at least 12 years and no one is going to fine you for carrying a V-16 beacon if the product has the DGT certificate. Photo | Aeca-ITV and Geobeacon In Xataka | Fines for improper use of the V-16 beacon: when you can be fined for using it off the road and when you can’t

Russia has reminded the planet that the war in Ukraine is a ticking bomb. And for this he has pressed a nuclear button: Oreshnik

by

Over the past few months, the war in Ukraine has seemed advance by inertia: fronts that barely move, stalled negotiations and constant wear and tear that threatens with normalizing the conflict in Europe. But in recent weeks Moscow has remembered, without the need for major territorial conquests, that it continues to have the ability to alter the chessboard with a single gesture: the nuclear one. The button that is always there. In a stuck war In the mud of the front and industrial wear and tear, Russia has once again remembered that it is still sitting on a strategic bomb pressing a button that does not need to be pressed completely to take effect: that of Oreshnik missilean intermediate-range system with nuclear capacity whose use, even with inert or conventional charges, functions as a political message rather than as a tactical weapon. The launch detection from the Kapustin Yar strategic polygon and the subsequent explosions near Lviv, a few kilometers from the Polish border, do not seek so much to destroy decisive objectives as to point out that Moscow can escalate whenever it wants and from wherever it wants, even from facilities associated with its strategic nuclear forces, deliberately breaking the “conventional” routine of the conflict. Symbolic weapon, real threat. It we have counted before: the Oreshnik, derived from the RS-26 program and capable of carrying multiple warheads that separate in flight, it is not a missile designed to win battles in Ukraine, but to cross psychological red lines in Europe. Its hypersonic speed, its potential range of up to 5,500 kilometers and the fact that Ukraine lacks defenses capable of intercepting it turn each launch into a demonstration of the structural vulnerability of NATO’s eastern flank. When Russia first used it against Dnipro in 2024 with dummy heads, he made it clear that he was not testing marksmanship, but rather strategic credibility. Now, by bringing the impact closer to the NATO border and the European Union, the message is even more explicit. Controlled climbing. The reappearance of the Oreshnik is no coincidence. It occurs while Ukraine refuses to give up territory in the negotiations, while Moscow insists that any Western troops deployed on Ukrainian soil would be a legitimate objective and while Washington, under Trump, intensifies pressure on Russia’s allies like Venezuela. The Kremlin justifies the attacks as retaliation for alleged Ukrainian attempts to attack the residence of Vladimir Putinaccusations that even US intelligence services they doubtbut the real logic is different: to raise the psychological and political cost of Western support without formally crossing the nuclear threshold. Energy, winter and strategic terror. As in previous winters, Russian missiles and drones are once again baiting the Ukrainian energy infrastructureleaving entire neighborhoods in kyiv and other cities without electricity or heating amid sub-zero temperatures. The Oreshnik fits into this strategy of calculated terror: not only does it damage critical facilities, but it amplifies the feeling of helplessness by introducing a weapon that symbolizes the maximum possible escalation. Ukraine responds by hitting power grids in Russian regions such as Belgorod or Oryol, but the strategic asymmetry remains intact. Europe as a target audience. Furthermore, by hitting near Lviv and, by extension, Poland, Russia is not just talking to kyiv, but with Brussels, Berlin and Paris. The Oreshnik is a reminder that Ukrainian theater is inseparably linked to European security and that any expansion of military support has an immediate reflection on the deterrence ladder. It is no coincidence that Moscow recently showed the deployment of the system in Belarus, further extending the reach shadow over the continent. The temptation of blackmail. Thus, with minimal and extremely slow territorial advances, and a growing human and industrial cost, Russia uses the Oreshnik missile as a substitute for victories on the battlefield. It is not a weapon to conquer Ukraine, of course, but rather to remind the world that the conflict cannot be closed by ignoring the Russian nuclear dimension. From that prism, each launch is a warning: Moscow does not need to detonate a warhead to reactivate the founding fear of the Cold War. Just show the button, press it even half and make it clear that it is still there, waiting, like a time bomb that sets the pace of all future negotiations. Image | Ministry of Defense of Ukraine In Xataka | Ukraine has become an animal slaughterhouse: Russian soldiers appear with horses and drones blow them up In Xataka | First it was Finland, now the US has confirmed it: when the war in Ukraine ends, Russia has a plan for Europe

At the moment brands are selling us “AI assistants”

by

The automobile industry is undergoing a technological transformation. And in addition to a transition to electric that is having a difficult time convincing drivers, there are vehicles that are increasingly more capable and dependent on manufacturers’ software. In this aspect, the functions of autonomous drivingwhich have been showing more legs lately. However, the gap between promise and reality is still considerable. More importantly, the level of full autonomous driving in commercial vehicles is still in its infancy. Level 3 remains a pipe dream for most. Level 3 autonomous driving, which allows the driver to let go of the steering wheel and take their eyes off the road in certain conditions, has been heralded for years as the next big leap. ford just promised that its L3 system will arrive in 2028 as part of its new electric vehicle platform, according to Doug Field, the company’s software manager. Technology is advancing in the automotive industry, but there is still much to do and each manufacturer is taking its own time. Mercedes-Benz, for example, has an operational L3 system since 2023, but it only works on mapped highways and at limited speeds. On the other hand, China has recently authorized to manufacturers such as Changan and BAIC to produce L3 vehicles, although restrictions on use remain strict. The reality is that these systems still require very specific conditions to function. Meanwhile, AI comes to the dashboard. Those hoping for greater capabilities in autonomous driving seem like they’re going to have to wait a while longer, at least until AI assistants become normalized in vehicles. In this regard, Ford has promised launch this year an AI-powered voice assistant that will first be available in its mobile application and then in the vehicle. The idea is that the mobile phone also accompanies the experience. In the official blog of the announcement they mention the example of being able to photograph any object to ask the AI ​​if it fits in the trunk or cabin of the pickup, since in this case the model would have the exact dimensions of the vehicle. The idea is that the system is designed to be compatible with different language models, including Gemini from Google, according to Ford. They are not the only manufacturers to be integrating AI into their vehicles, since chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini are slowly reaching infotainment systems. Some examples of this are Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Volkswagen or Tesla, among others. Promises. Ford explains that it is developing many of these components internally to reduce costs and maintain control, although it is not creating its own language models or designing chips like Tesla or Rivian. The company assures having managed to reduce the costs of its hands-free driving systems by approximately 30% while increasing capabilities. The idea of ​​this approach is to launch more affordable electric vehicles after the lukewarm reception of some of its proposals such as the electric mustang and the pickup F-150 Lightning. Ford also acknowledges that it does not want to get into “a TOPS arms race,” the metric that measures the processing speed of AI chips, unlike Tesla which boasts about the raw power of its processors. China accelerates. The country represents a particular case. Daiwa Securities analysts cited by SCMP They estimate that almost 270,000 vehicles with L3 systems will be sold in 2026, approximately 1% of the total Chinese market. BYD and other local manufacturers They are doing massive testing in cities like Shenzhen, accumulating hundreds of thousands of kilometers of real data. On the other hand, a report from Southwest Securities points out that the legalization of L3 vehicles could generate demand for components and software valued at 1.2 trillion yuan by 2030. However, Chinese authorities have tightened supervision after fatal accidents related to driving assistance systems, such as the one that involved a Xiaomi SU7 in March 2024. There is still rope left for a while. While several brands are already announcing L3 systems for three or four years, what is coming now are incremental improvements, such as smarter voice assistants, improved hands-free on-road systems, or more polished user experiences. In this regard, Tesla continues to operate in China with its FSD (Full Self Driving) as a “hands on the wheel” technology, awaiting regulatory approval to operate hands-free. Most current systems are L2 or L2+, requiring constant driver attention. ford assures that his team, made up of former Argo AI engineers (its failed L4 autonomous driving project) and BlackBerry specialists, is prepared to deliver. Many manufacturers aim to have autonomous driving functions within a few years. We’ll see how things progress in the end. Cover image | Arcfox In Xataka | If it seems expensive to change the battery in an electric car, wait until you see what it costs in a Ferrari LaFerrari: more than 200,000 euros

A Google mobile with an irresistible price and another with a gift, a robot with an arm cheaper than ever and more. Hunting Bargains

by

Today is Bargain Hunting Friday, our particular weekly article in which we discuss which ones have been the best deals we have found in recent days. If you want to renew your mobile phone or are looking for a robot vacuum cleaner that will lighten your cleaning load at home, you may be interested in these offers. Google Pixel 9 by 499 eurosa very reasonable price for the previous generation Google mobile. LG OLED55C55LA by 899.10 euros upon registering in the store, a high-end television with an OLED screen. Xiaomi Poco F7 by 379.99 eurosa phone with a 6,500 mAh battery and 512 GB of storage. Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra by 649 eurosa robot vacuum cleaner that incorporates a very practical arm to clean corners. Google Pixel 9a by 549 eurosa smartphone that includes the brand’s headphones as a gift. Google Pixel 9 If you didn’t get to take advantage of the many offers we found during the Christmas season, we can still find very good prices on mobile phones like the Google Pixel 9whose price has fallen on MediaMarkt to 499 euros. It is ideal if you are looking for a small mobile phone (6.3 inches), but that will also be updated for many years—until 2031— and that incorporates a good photographic section. In addition, it is also very attractive both for its screen and its speakers. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG OLED55C55LA By taking advantage of MediaMarkt’s LG Days campaign and registering in the store, you can access double discounts on the LG OLED55C55LAa high-end television that remains 899.10 euros. Its screen is 55 inches and has OLED technology, reaches a refresh rate of 120 Hz, incorporates HDMI ports and is compatible with Dolby Vision and Atmos. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Poco F7 If you are not convinced by the Google mobile and are looking for a model that has a good battery and a lot of storage, the Little F7 of Xiaomi has dropped on Amazon to 379.99 euros. Comes with a 90W charger, includes a 6,500 mAh batteryhas 512 GB of storage, its screen offers a 1.5K resolution and is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra It won’t be especially cheap, but the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Right now it has the best price we have seen on Amazon so far. By 649 euros (before 1,099 euros), we are talking about a robot vacuum cleaner that stands out above all for its robotic arm that allows you to clean corners. It is also interesting to mention that its suction power is 10,000 Pa, it has a LiDAR navigation system and comes with a good 5,200 mAh battery. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 9a Maybe the Google Pixel 9a It is not on sale in the official store, but if you buy it right now you can get some headphones Google Pixel Buds 2a totally free. You can select the 128 GB configuration (549 euros) or the 256 GB (649 euros), and after doing so, the option to add headphones will appear. This mobile is also quite compact (6.3 inches), it will be updated for many years (2032) and its screen looks great outdoors. Google Pixel 9a (128GB) + Google Pixel Buds 2a The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Google, LG, Xiaomi, Roborock In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best robot vacuum cleaners in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and six recommended models

a “galaxy” that never lit up

by

If a galaxy is, above all, a collection of stars, what do we do when we find something that looks like a galaxy, but doesn’t have one? That’s the question it poses. Cloud-9an object detected in the nearby cosmic environment that defies common definitions. There are no explosions or flashes, just a silent cloud whose existence invites us to look at the first steps of galactic formation in a different way. What the researchers have identified is a type of object that had been in the realm of theory for years. Cloud-9 fits into the category of so-called RELHICa primitive cloud of neutral hydrogen associated with a halo of dark matter that never became a galaxy. According to NASAit would be a vestige of the first stages of galactic formation, preserved to this day in the local universe. Hubble as definitive proof. The key to the discovery was not to find something new, but to confirm an absence with an unprecedented level of precision. Where radio telescopes had detected hydrogen, Hubble found no trace of stars, not even the faintest ones. That combination of data ruled out the hypothesis of a dim dwarf galaxy and placed Cloud-9 in a different category. “Seeing that there are no stars is what shows that the theory is correct,” said Alejandro Benitez-Llambay, principal investigator of the program. “It tells us that we have found in the local universe a primordial block that never formed.” Cloud-9 is located about 14 million light years from Earth, in the vicinity of the spiral galaxy Messier 94, with which it appears to maintain a physical relationship. Its structure is compact and almost spherical, a rare feature among known hydrogen clouds in the nearby environment. The core is made up of neutral hydrogen and has a diameter of approximately 4,900 light years. Radio measurements indicate a mass of gas equivalent to around a million suns and, from that gas and assuming that the pressure of the material itself compensates for the gravity of the halo, the team estimates that the associated dark matter would be around 5 billion solar masses. When dark matter is not enough. Cloud-9 fits into a scenario long anticipated by theory, but difficult to verify: structures dominated by dark matter that manage to retain gas without transforming it into stars. For researchers, this type of object acts as a missing link between cosmological simulations and the observable universe. The cloud illustrates that not all dark matter halos evolve into luminous galaxies. Some are trapped in an intermediate state, offering a direct window into the processes that regulate when and how star formation is triggered. The object first appeared three years ago in a hydrogen gas survey by the Chinese FAST radio telescope, as a discrete signal on the fringes of Messier 94. Subsequent observations with the Green Bank Telescope and the Very Large Array reinforced the detection, but did not resolve its nature. Detecting these types of systems is especially complex because nearby, luminous objects tend to eclipse them, and because clouds can lose gas as they move through intergalactic space, further reducing their visibility. In addition, high-resolution radio data show slight distortions in the gas, compatible with some type of interaction with the nearby galaxy. Between being born or disappearing. The authors of the study suggest that the fate of Cloud-9 is not closed. A sufficient increase in mass would upset the current balance and push the gas toward star formation, something that has not happened so far. But there is also the possibility that the environment works against you. The proximity to Messier 94 could favor processes that remove part of the gas, further reducing its ability to evolve. In that case, Cloud-9 would end up dissipating without ever becoming a proper galaxy. The finding has also raised caution among researchers outside the study. Jacco van Loon, an astrophysicist at Keele University, has pointed out that other hydrogen clouds initially considered dark ended up showing unexpected stellar populations. In his opinion, proving that an object is really a relic of dark matter requires evidence that is difficult to obtain even with Hubble. This caution marks the next step of the work: expanding the search and using higher resolution observations to confirm whether Cloud-9 is an isolated case or part of a broader population. Images | POT | THAT In Xataka | If we want to colonize the Moon, we will most likely have to live in caves. And South Korea is already planning it

Yemen is one of the most dangerous places on the planet. And despite this there are Spanish tourists traveling to one of their islands

by

Socotra is a paradisiacal archipelago located in the Indian Ocean, near the Gulf of Aden, just over 300 kilometers from the southern coast of Yemen, the country to which it belongs. Its biodiversity and abundance of native species earned it becoming a World Heritage Site 18 years ago. However, despite its idyllic appearance, for a few days Socotra has been something more: a large mousetrap in which they have been trapped. 600 touristsincluding 20 Spaniards. The reason? Socotra is full of corners instagrammablebut it is also (like the rest of Yemen) a destination that Foreign advises against visiting. What has happened? What was promised as a dream vacation on an idyllic island in the Indian Ocean has ended up turning into a nightmare. And all by the work and grace of the complex situation politics that Yemen is going through, marked by tensions between the Government and a separatist faction that at the beginning of December took control from two important provinces in the south of the country. With this backdrop, on December 30, the Executive decided to apply a air embargosea and land of several days that fully affected flights with Socotra, the largest of the islands that make up the archipelago of the same name. The territory was left without one-way services. No return. And how do I get out of here? That is the question that more than one in the archipelago asked. About 60,000 islanders who depend on Yemen reside there, but also hundreds of tourists. In fact, at the time of the cancellation of the flights, it is estimated that there were close to 600 foreigners. Although not all of them have the same nationality, they do share the same problem: How to leave the island? With flights cancelled, they were stranded more than 300 km from the coast. The regional deputy governor for Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Yahya Saleh Afrar, was quick to clarify that the situation in Socotra is “good” and the archipelago “safe.” “Everything’s fine”, emphasized a few days ago after ensuring that tourists continued with “their activities thanks to the agreements of the tourism companies.” That does not mean, Afrar also acknowledged, that “a certain anxiety” about the situation spread among travelers. In fact, as soon as talk of evacuation began, the authorities they found each other with that “everyone wanted to travel, but they were afraid.” Does it affect Spain? Yes. Most of the 600 affected tourists are Russians and Polesbut the list includes travelers from many other countries: Brazil, Italy, Russia, Poland, the US and China… Also Spain. Local authorities have confirmed that there have been a variety of cases on the island “between 15 and 20” who suffer exactly the same fate as the rest of international travelers. Yesterday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured to the EFE agency that the group is fine, but is still on the island, with no choice but to extend their stay in Socotra. Everything indicates, however, that their ‘adventure’ will not last much longer. Why’s that? Because in recent days evacuation flights have begun to take off. The first one left on Wednesday with 179 people on board, another one followed yesterday with 145 foreign travelers and the idea, assures Swiss Infois that two more trips are scheduled today and tomorrow to get the rest of the tourists out of the archipelago. A priori and according to the data managed by EFEthe twenty Spaniards were still in Socotra yesterday, so they would fly today or tomorrow. Evacuations come after Russia and Poland They will confirm on Tuesday a new scheduled air route of the Yemeni national airline, Yemenia Airways, to Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia. As slide The New York TimesUntil now, tourists traveled to Socotra basically from Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) aboard the Air Arabia airline. The change is interesting because both countries, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, are indirect protagonists of the Yemen conflict. The first supports the recognized Yemeni Executive. The latter (UAE) support the separatist forces. Holidays in Socotra? Like many other tourist destinations, Socotra has “a side A and B” for island lovers: it is a paradisiacal enclave, but clouded by the political scene. UNESCO stands out that the archipelago has “global importance” for its biodiversity, flora and fauna, with a great abundance of native species that are only found on its islands. The images that are shared on networks also show endless sandy beaches bathed by turquoise water, dunes and unique vegetation. The “B side” (much less friendly) is marked by the conflict in Yemen. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is very clear. On your website make it clear which “advises against travel under any circumstances” to the country, including the island of Socotra, and invites any Spanish visitor to leave the territory “as soon as possible.” “Some agencies and tour operators organize trips to offshore islands, such as Socotra. This type of trip is discouraged due to the lack of safety guarantees and the possibility of problems returning.” Images | Valerian Guillot (Flickr) and Rod Waddington (Flickr) In Xataka | The Valencian Community has a single inhabited island. And when summer arrives, tourism is the least of their problems

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.