Mobile Tech & Gadgets

One piece of information perfectly summarizes the book bubble in Spain: 95% of those published do not recover costs

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The Spanish publishing sector closed 2025 with historic figures: 76 million printed books sold and a turnover that was close to 1,250 million euros. A record. The cold water came a few weeks later, at the annual booksellers’ conference, where it was certified that almost half of the titles available on the shelves had sold absolutely nothing. Who says so. The data was presented by CEGAL, the Spanish Confederation of Guilds and Associations of Booksellers, in theXXVII Congress of Bookstores held in Valencia in February 2026and has been extracted from LibriRed, the confederation’s own tool, which monitors in real time the final sales in more than 1,000 independent bookstores and chains throughout the country. The figure includes novels, essays and comics, both new releases and catalog contents, but (importantly, we are talking about physical bookstores) Amazon and school textbooks are excluded. The specific data. They are that revealing: 13.2% of the titles sell a copy throughout the year. 19.4% do not exceed ten. Only 4.5% of the books that reach bookstores reach 100 copies sold, a threshold that often does not even cover the costs of a launch. In other words, 95.5% of the books available in Spanish bookstores do not have the slightest economic impact on the publishing industry, not to mention that they are directly deficient. In Xataka If you hate justified text, we have good news: you’re most likely right You bill more, you sell the same. This is the paradox that the CgK consultancy put on the table with its Book Market Data 2025 report: The sector reached close to €1,250 million in turnover in 2025, 4% more than the previous year, which represents a historical record. However, total units sold rose just 0.2%, and novelty units sold on average 2% less per title than in 2024. Further analysis of the report They spoke of a statistical illusion typical of inflationary markets, because what has actually grown is the average price of the book. And this benefits the large groups, with catalogs in high rotation. Why is this happening? In its analysis of the Cedal report, El País collected statements from editors such as Enrique Redel, from Impedimenta, who affirms that there are titles that are not published to sell, but to take up space on the shelves, especially by large groups. The strategy is to publish many titles assuming that most will fail, hoping that one or two best sellers compensate for the losses of the rest. More than 90,000 books are published each year in Spain, about 240 newspapers, and theReturn rates range between 30% and 40%. It is a feverish cycle of full-speed rotation, paradoxically inconsistent with the calmest of cultural activities. {“videoId”:”x7zmsee”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”11 WEBSITES to DOWNLOAD FREE EBOOKS for your KINDLE Xataka TV”, “tag”:”Kindle”, “duration”:”321″} Who can afford it. The two large publishing groups, Penguin Random House and Planeta, in whose shadow it has been for decades the Spanish industry, and which account for more than 40% of the copies sold in bookstores. Fleeing this suffocating single direction are independent bookstores, which offer more than twice the variety of titles than the large chains: more than 525,000 titles compared to 229,633. In this way, visibility is concentrated in a few titles that rotate for a longer period of time, while the rest are buried in excessive catalogs. Some reasons. When looking for factors that exacerbate this situation (the two large groups can suffocate the market with their continuous rotation, but there must be more compelling reasons for so few sales of so many titles), CEGAL points to self-publishing: publishing has been democratized, but the reader’s attention has not. A book without a publisher behind it, without distribution, without promotion and without prior prescription is born practically invisible to the market, and it is normal that many of these launches do not sell anything. ¿AI provides tools to multiply these throws effortlessly? The percentages skyrocket exponentially. In Xataka They are not your imagination: the best-selling books are increasingly simpler and contain less elaborate sentences The difference with other cultural media is in the abundance of second chances. A film that does not perform in theaters can recover the investment in streaming, where consumption already rivals that of theaters. The book that does not sell in its first weeks on the shelf returns to the publisher, returns to bookstores in negligible quantities and is often physically destroyed after months languishing in warehouses. Perhaps finding new ways of dissemination and renewed lives for books would be the solution to this veritable overdose of books without readers. Header | Photo ofBree AnneinUnsplash (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news One piece of information perfectly summarizes the book bubble in Spain: 95% of those published do not recover costs was originally published in Xataka by John Tones .

Ukraine has turned Russia into a fearsome air force

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In 1991, during the Gulf War, the United States discovered something uncomfortable: despite its total air superiority, it could not prevent Iraq from continuing to launch scud missiles from mobile platforms that appeared and disappeared in the desert. That frustration left a clear lesson For military strategists: in modern warfare, it is not enough to dominate the air, you must constantly adapt to an enemy that also learns. From questioned strength to real threat. During the first stages of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian aviation was perceived like a disappointment unable to achieve air superiority, which led many Western analysts to perhaps hastily underestimate it. However, with the passage of time, that vision has started to change disturbingly, especially in Europe, where aviation security experts have focused on something that is no longer an intuition: that the conflict has not weakened Russia, but rather the has forced to learn. Accumulated experience, system improvements and tactical adaptation have transformed a force that seemed limited into a much more dangerous and credible actor than it was before 2022. War as a laboratory. They remembered on Insider that, far from collapsing, Russian aviation has used Ukraine as a real training environment where pilots and crews have gained experience in high-intensity combat. Although it has lost aircraft, it has retained a large part of its qualified personnel and has compensated for those losses with sustained production of new aircraft, which has allowed it to maintain and even expand its fleet. This process has corrected one of its greatest historical weaknesses, the lack of flight hours, turning its pilots into more prepared fighters for complex scenarios. More reach, less risk. One of the most significant changes has been the evolution of his attack capacitywhich now increasingly relies on long-range weapons and systems that allow you to hit without directly exposing yourself. We are talking about advanced missiles, gliding bombs and remote attacks that have reduced the need to penetrate defended airspace, greatly complicating the enemy response. This way of fighting has not only proven to be effective in Ukraine, but also poses a worrying scenario. for future conflictswhere control of the air no longer depends solely on physically dominating it. Constant pressure from the air. They counted on ukrainian media that, in parallel, Russia has intensified its air campaign with massive and increasingly sophisticated use of drones and missiles, launching thousands of devices and perfecting saturation tactics to overwhelm defenses. Coordinated attacks, changes in flight patterns and the combination of different types of weapons have made it possible to maintain continuous pressure on infrastructure and the civilian population, generating not only material but also psychological wear. This strategy turns air into space permanent threatwhere the defense can never relax. A more complex threat. If you will, the result is a Russian air force that, although it still has structural limitations and does not match NATO in a direct confrontation, has become much scariest and most difficult to counteract. The combination of strengthened air defense, better coordination between systems and a more adaptive doctrine presents a scenario for its enemies in which achieving air superiority will be much more expensive and risky. In other words, a paradox has developed and is beginning to take hold, one where Ukraine has not only resisted Russian aviation, but, by forcing it to evolve, has contributed to turning it into a more sophisticated and persistent threat to the European military balance. Image | Alan Wilsonparfaits In Xataka | If fog was deadly in Ukraine’s winter, spring is offering Russia a key advantage: greenery In Xataka | Ukraine is close to what no one has achieved in a war: shooting down missiles for less than a million dollars

Ford has been slow to adapt to the electric car, so it is going to start manufacturing batteries for… data centers

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Ford has decided to convert its electric vehicle battery manufacturing capacity into a large-scale energy storage business. The move has its own name: Ford Energy, a new division with $2 billion in investment planned for the next two years and the stated objective of supplying batteries to data centers, electricity companies and large industrial consumers. Because now. The starting point is not exactly ideal for the company. Ford’s electric division accumulated net losses of 11.1 billion dollars only in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Reuters. For this year, the company expects to continue losing between 4,000 and 4,500 million additional dollars in its electrical and software division. “I think the customer has already spoken,” Ford CEO Jim Farley told investors. With battery factories operating at low capacity and the electric vehicle market in the United States in free fall, especially after the elimination of the $7,500 aid last September, Ford has chosen not to dismantle that infrastructure, but to redirect it. What is Ford Energy and how it will work. The bet is articulated around the Glendale, Kentucky, plant, which will be converted to manufacture energy storage systems at network scale. According to counted Ford late last year, the facility will produce LFP (lithium ferrophosphate) cells and storage modules. The cell technology used is licensed by the Chinese firm CATL, with whom Ford already had agreements on its line of electric vehicles. The plan, according to the company itself, is to have initial operational capacity within 18 months and reach at least 20 GWh of annual production by the end of 2027. In parallel, the BlueOval Battery Park Michigan plant, in Marshall, will continue with its production of LFP cells for Ford’s upcoming midsize electric truck, but will also make lower amperage cells aimed at residential storage. Lisa Drake, the board of directors who heads Ford Energy, explained that the “predominant” business opportunity will be in commercial electric grid customers, with data centers as the second priority and the residential segment as the third leg. Drake also noted that when going out to market to explore demand, it became clear that the technology preferred by customers was precisely the containerized prismatic LFP system, something that Ford could easily manufacture thanks to its licenses. For his part, John Lawler, vice president of Ford, counted In the statement, Ford Energy’s core purpose is to “capture the growing demand for reliable energy storage that reinforces the stability and resilience of the electric grid for utilities and large consumers.” The market you want to conquer. The explosion of artificial intelligence electricity consumption in data centers is skyrocketing on a global scale. The International Energy Agency places the demand for these centers around 945 TWh by 2030approximately 3% of global electricity consumption, with a projected growth of 15% annually. In the United States alone, according to the Battery Council International, this consumption could double to between 400 and 600 TWh on the same date. In that scenario, large-scale energy storage becomes critical infrastructure and Ford, like many other converted manufacturersthey see a great business opportunity. Ford is late, but he is not alone. The problem is that Tesla has a decade of advantage. Its energy storage business deployed 46.7 GWh in 2025 alone, 48% more than the previous year according to TechCrunchand was also more profitable than its own electric car division, with gross margins close to 30% compared to 15% for the automobile. General Motors has also made a move: its joint venture with LG Energy Solution has just invested $70 million to convert its Tennessee plant, south of Nashville, into the production of batteries for storage. The transition, however, is neither easy nor cheap. Switching a factory from nickel chemistry, common in electric car batteries, to LFP can take up to 18 months and cost several hundred million dollars, according to share from Reuters. Added to this is technological dependence on China, which dominates the LFP supply chain, and 35% US tariffs on cathode and anode materials of Chinese origin. What this means in the long term. Just like they count From the middle, although the demand for energy storage in North America is expected to almost double in five years, going from 76 to 125 GWh, that is not enough to absorb the more than 275 GWh of productive capacity that the automobile industry has installed with electric in mind. Storage alleviates the problem, but does not completely solve it. Even so, this same reorientation is what many other car manufacturers have opted for in order to take advantage of their infrastructure and contain losses due to their electric cars, especially in the United States, which is where things are much weaker. Cover image | Hans and ford In Xataka | Australia has a straight highway of 150 kilometers. And to prevent you from falling asleep he has put hobbies on the posters

the plan to send infinite energy to Earth

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In the global energy transition there are countries and countries. There are some that are more advanced and others that are not so advanced. And although the ease of access to classic fossil fuels works as an anchor to resist change, the fact that you have not been dealt the best cards in terms of natural resources does not help either. Japan is one of those countries where change is almost a matter of survival: little land available, it matters about 90% of its primary energy and if we talk about resources, is testing the wavesbut the wave drive It’s a tough nut to crack. So Japan has decided to look at the energy transition from a spatial perspective, that is, capturing radiation outside of Earth, where it is more constant and powerful. We already saw it with his Ohisama satellite and now with his Moon Ring for, like says Beyonceput a ring on the moon in the shape of a solar plant. The idea. The proposal consists of installing a continuous belt of photovoltaic cells along the equator of the Moon covering a circumference of 11,000 kilometers, thus ensuring that a part of the structure is always exposed to direct sunlight, that is, 24/7 energy generation. From there, the electricity is converted into microwaves and high-density laser beams to be sent directly to receiving stations on Earth. What you propose Shimizu Corporation It is not so much a closed project with a specific date, but a long-term engineering vision to guide its line of research in space energy and this private company is not alone: ​​it has institutional support in the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, which He’s been researching it for decades.. Shimizu Corporation Operating Diagram Why is it important. Because global energy demand continues to grow and terrestrial solar energy has important limitations in the form of the day and night cycle, clouds or the atmosphere itself, which reduce its performance. A plant at the equator of the moon would solve all three in one fell swoop: continuous solar energy, without the atmospheric filter or the risk of a cloudy sky. This is simply impossible on Earth. The European Space Agency has already recognized the strategic potential of space solar energy in your Solaris program. The eventual materialization of this project represents another step in the “Hydrogen society“, the vision of an economic ecosystem where hydrogen replaces fossil fuels as the main energy vector, arising from Japan’s need to overcome its extreme dependence on energy imports. In context. The idea is not new by any means: back in 1968 it already occurred to the American aerospace engineer Peter Glaser, who published an article on the subject in Science magazine. Much has happened since then and numerous governments and space agencies have also studied its feasibility: NASA did it in ’79, the British government has been exploring the idea since 2021 and China plans a demonstration in low orbit in 2028 followed by a test in geostationary orbit by 2030. Shimizu takes it a step further: he has moved it from Earth orbit to the moon, which brings certain geometric advantages, but also increases logistical complexity. In detail. Bring materials from Earth to space It’s not exactly easy or cheap.so their idea is to build the solar panels mainly with resources extracted from the lunar soil itself, using autonomous robots operated remotely. The solar ring would cover the lunar equator with a width of up to four hundred kilometers. The energy would be transmitted to Earth via a microwave antenna twenty kilometers in diameter, guided by a ground beacon for precise pointing. The concept of wireless power transmission is not science fiction: California Institute of Technology performed in 2023 a demonstration in orbit. Yes, but. We are facing an engineering project on a scale unprecedented in the history of humanity and the cost of launching cargo into space is the least of the problems (it is being reduced thanks to operators like SpaceX): so would building an infrastructure of these characteristics in situ. And even if it could be done, cosmic radiation and micrometeorite bombardment on the lunar surface would constitute a serious risk to the integrity of the panels, which implies a challenge in terms of useful life and maintenance. NASA itself points out these barriers in evaluating the space solar energy concept. In Xataka | Japan has lost a five-ton satellite in the most unusual way imaginable: “it fell” during launch In Xataka | Japan has just made a monumental bet on perovskite solar panels: they are its best chance against China Cover | Shimizu Corporation

We had always believed that evolution had been arrested for thousands of years. The redheads were telling us the opposite

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Evolution has been one of the great allies that has made us get to where we are right now, but there is also an idea that haunts the minds of some people when they point out that comforts, agriculture or the best technologies have made this natural selection stagnates in humans. But… Is this true? A myth. The answer is no. And to demonstrate it, a group of researchers has recently published a new article in the magazine Nature, breaking this myth, pointing out that evolution has not only stopped, but that the invention of agriculture made it step on the accelerator. Here the research team has achieved what until recently seemed impossible, namely tracing the footprint of natural selection over the millennia. How it has been done. It’s not easy to look back into such a long past, but here researchers have used a new method baptized as AGESwhere they have ‘only’ had to process 16,000 ancient genomes from Western Eurasia. In this way, the results have shown that there are 479 genetic variants that have experienced great selective pressure, which is why our biological adaptation has accelerated following the advances that have made humanity as it is now. Some examples. That there have been changes in our genetics is phenomenal, but sometimes we want clear examples of why this is the case. One of these points out that when the populations of Eurasia abandoned nomadism to settle, cultivate the land and domesticate animals, their diets, exposure to sunlight and social dynamics changed radically. This translated, for example, into an increase in genetic variants associated with light skin or red hair, the latter being something linked to mutations in the MC1R gene. And its meaning lies in the need to adapt the body to absorb enough vitamin D in climates with little sunlight, although it is also suggested that these genes could share different very relevant adaptation functions. And also aesthetic. Far from how functional it may be to have a greater absorption of vitamin D, the studies also provide curious data about our evolutionary aesthetics by pointing out that natural selection favored the reduction of baldness in these populations. Here the discussion is served, since it can be thought that it is related to sexual selection or even that it is the consequence of other changes in genetics that opened the door to fewer cases of baldness and also rheumatoid arthritis. Images | Johannes Plenio Gabriel Silverio In Xataka | We have just discovered that 20% of our DNA comes from an unknown hominid population: Population B

China has understood better than anyone where the space launch bottleneck is. Your solution: the sea

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On April 18, China will launch a space rocket from open waters for the first time. The Dong Fang Hang Tian Gang vessel has been modified to function as a launch platform, minimizing many of the problems that terrestrial platforms currently represent. The facts. This aquatic launch platform is a vessel that measures 162 meters long and 40 meters wide. The Jielong-3 rocket will be on board31 meters, designed by the Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology for commercial flights. It will be launched from the South China Sea, marking the first time a launch has been carried out from open waters. If all goes well, China’s goal is to make it far from the last time. A huge waiting list. China has decided to launch rockets from the sea to address various problems. The first, without a doubt, is the saturation to which conventional launch platforms are currently exposed. The rise of the satellite industry, both for telecommunications as with other crazier purposeshas led to more and more launches scheduled on all launch platforms around the world. As a result, each new release must go onto a long waiting list, which can get complicated when you consider that there is usually only a few days’ release window available. It’s cheaper. Another advantage of aquatic launch pads is that they are very easy to build. To build one on dry land it is necessary to acquire a large amount of land and install all the necessary infrastructure. The result is not only complex. It is also very expensive. In the sea, on the other hand, a platform adapted to the immensity of the ocean is enough. Also safer. On the other hand, these types of offshore launch platforms are much safer than land-based ones for several reasons. To begin with, methane is increasingly being used as fuel. It is very powerful, but also very explosive. Therefore, large safety zones must be established around the launch pad. This is vital in case of an accidental explosion. In the ocean, however, it is not necessary. On the other hand, space launches cause great noise pollution for surrounding populations. If we add to all this that they could suffer the risk of falling parts, the truth is that living near a launch pad is not almost anyone’s dream. All of them are problems that are solved by launching rockets in the middle of the ocean. If there are accidents, the pieces must be removed to avoid contamination, but at least there are no populated areas that are at risk. The rocket to be launched will be a Jielong 3 Proximity to the equator. As a bonus, the ability to move barges wherever needed makes it easier for the Chinese Academy of Sciences to take its launches closer to the equator than land enclaves allow. This is very advantageous, since at this point the benefit of the Earth’s rotation can be maximized, giving greater momentum during launch. It’s not the first time, but there is a nuance. Actually, China has already launched rockets from water platforms in the past. A good example of this is Ceres-1S, which even used the same boat. Gravity-1 was also launched from a cliff. However, there is a difference. While Jielong-3 will be launched from open waters, Ceres-1 and Gravity-1 were launched near the coast, with logistics controlled from land and some of the same drawbacks that a land launch would have. A launch from open water, far from the coast, is another step forward. China continues to advance. In recent years, China has been positioning itself as a major space power. Just look at the progress it has made in lunar exploration. His plan to take humans to the Moon advanceswhile that of NASA does not stop finding impediments. Furthermore, its space station, Tiangong, continues receiving astronauts at a good pace, robotic exploration of Mars It is quite advanced and even They have found in Europe a great partner to explore solar inclemencies. Having an aquatic platform that gives agility to your throws can be another big step forward. Images | Freepik | China News Service In Xataka | China has the Moon between its eyebrows: it has now created the first chemical map of the hidden face

Drink water right before going to sleep? Science has finally clarified whether it is a good idea or a terrible enemy of sleep

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Before going to sleep, some people may have an almost standardized ritual in which they should drink one or two glasses of water, and also have a backup on the bedside table in case they get thirsty in the middle of the night. But there are also many questions about whether it is positive to drink water before sleeping for eight hours or if it is counterproductive by forcing us to get up in the middle of the night. And here science has something to say. It has benefits. What is clearly known is that during the night our body does not go into a total pause, but rather continues with an active metabolism even though it is attenuated. That is why we lose approximately half a liter of water simply due to evaporation when breathing and sweating, and to compensate for this, hydration can be the best ally. It is investigated. A Japanese studio published this same year analyzed a group of middle-aged men to conclude that drinking 280 ml of water just before going to bed significantly reduces morning depressive mood and improves well-being upon waking up. But it is not the only one, because a 2025 crossover trial with 15 healthy adults found a relationship between drinking fluids before sleeping and the duration and quality of sleep. REM phasewhich is what makes us truly rest. And it makes sense, because adequate hydration favors the release of vasopressin, a key hormone for regulating the biological clock and preventing tissue dehydration during deep sleep. And it is essential, because it can translate into less fatigue and headaches in the morning. He has problems. It will not always be beneficial to have this habit, since the main enemy of drinking water at night is nocturiawhich is the need to wake up to urinate during the night. And although the total time we spend awake is not drastically altered, because it is only a few minutes, there is an interruption in sleep. It depends on the quantity. Logically, drinking a glass of water is not the same as drinking a whole bottle before going to sleep. That is why when you go over half a liter of water there is a possibility that some pre-existing problems such as chronic insomnia will worsen or even increase the risk of falls when getting up in the dark. How to do it. There are a series of tips that we can follow to stay hydrated during sleep and they are summarized in the following points: You should limit yourself to drinking around a quarter of a liter of water in the final part of the day to avoid overfilling your bladder. The last glass of water should be drunk two hours before going to sleep. Maintain good hydration throughout the day to avoid reaching the end of the day with a major hydration problem. Images | krakenimages.com on Freepik In Xataka | There are people obsessed with magnesium as a supplement when the best way is to put it directly into your diet

Now a Chinese giant wants to turn it into the storage capital

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Navarra is a consolidated world leader in renewable energy, especially a leader in wind energy: back in 1994, it built its first park and since then it has not only dressed some of its most iconic mountains with wind turbines, but has also created a powerful business ecosystem around them that has earned it the nickname of being the Silicon Valley of wind turbines. The starting point. This industrial and technological tradition has laid the necessary foundations to be a pioneer in the next step of the energy transition. After almost three years of contacts and visits, Navarra has closed the agreement to install a Hithium Energy Storage battery gigafactory. As summarized the president of the Foral Community: “We know that China has decided to go out and invest in Europe and these are opportunities that Navarra cannot miss.” The project. The Government of Navarra together with Hithium Energy Storage will form a joint venture through the public company SODENA for the construction of a plant that will manufacture lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cells and assemble complete stationary storage system batteries (BESS batteries). The agreement signed in China contemplates an investment of 450 million euros, according to Qui Tangdirector of Strategy at Hithium, and the creation of around 700 jobs, with the possibility of a second phase that would add about 300 more, as collects News from Navarra. Still with some to be closed, the start of production has been set for 2027 and the location with the most votes for its installation is the old BSH plant in Esquíroz/Ezkirotz, just five kilometers south of the Navarrese capital. Why is it important. The great pending issue for the European energy transition involves stationary batteries: without the capacity to store electricity generated by the sun and wind, the electrical system cannot absorb more renewables without compromising the stability of the network. Europe has a lot of installed generation and little of its own storage industry and that gap is precisely what Hithium comes to solve. On the other hand, manufacturing within the EU allows it to avoid tariffs and other bureaucracy that Brussels applies to Chinese energy products. For Navarra the impact has several levels. Beyond the obvious economic investment and employment, it represents a logical evolution: from becoming a benchmark in clean energy generation to becoming the manufacturing hub for the storage systems that will allow it to be managed. But Hithium will also be the second battery factory in Navarra: Hyundai Mobis already has its own in Noainalthough oriented towards electric vehicles. With this arrival, Navarra consolidates an industrial ecosystem around energy storage at the level of few European regions. Context. The movement comes at a time of reconfiguration of European industrial sovereignty against third parties through the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA). That Hithium chooses Navarra makes it possible for its production to carry the “Made in EU” label, thus complying with the sustainability and regulatory standards of the old continent. Navarra already had installed power and leading engineering companies, but it lacked the capacity to store energy. In the midst of the global energy crisis, demand for large-scale storage solutions has skyrocketed and Hithium was looking for a strategic port to supply the European market. The Foral Community has forged this agreement slowly, as the counselor explains of Industry, Ecological and Business Digital Transition of the Government of Navarra Mikel Irujo, after three years of negotiations and seven visits. In fact, Navarra has carried out a strategic project that was initially aimed at Euskadi, as ElDiario.es points out. Who is Hithium?. It may not be as well-known as CATL, BYD or Huawei, but Hithium Energy Storage Technology is a giant in its segment and is also a real teenager. Founded in 2019 in Xiamen (Fujian Province) by Wu Zuyu, engineer specialized in batteries and ex-CATLthe world’s largest manufacturer in the sector. Of course, unlike CATL, whose main business is batteries for electric vehicles, Hithium focuses exclusively in stationary storage for the electrical grid. Less media coverage than electric cars but essential for the energy transition. In record time she has gone from being unknown to becoming one of the leading manufacturers global stationary storage battery companies with a presence in more than 20 countries and more than 1,200 engineering professionals in a workforce of 8,000 people. The one in Navarra will be Hithium’s second factory outside of China (the other is in Dallas, Texas) and will be the company’s reference base for all of Europe. Yes, but. Although the agreement has been signed, Chivite itself has warned that there are still administrative steps pending and the location is still unclear. On the other hand, the joint venture with the participation of SODENA implies that the risk does not fall solely on Hithium: if the project is delayed or does not reach the objectives, the Navarrese citizens assume part of the consequences. The commitment to local employment is explicit and the Provincial government has promised to monitor itbut there are already precedents that invite caution. Leaving aside this specific case, there is a technological question that remains unanswered: Europe has foreign dependence on rare earths or semiconductors and this risk also affects batteries. It is true that a Chinese gigafactory on European soil generates local employment and produces within the EU, but the technology, intellectual property and strategic decisions continue to be made in China. In Xataka | The solar miracle that went wrong: Spain produces more electricity than it can manage In Xataka | We have a problem with heat in buildings. A Navarrese investigation knows how to cool them without air conditioning Cover | Hornsdale Power Reserve and Pamplona City Council

a superb 250 meter tower with the seal of Córdoba

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Skyscrapers are not built just to house offices or apartments. They are above all a declaration of intentions: a city that raises a tower is announcing to the world that it exists, that it grows, that it competes. Morocco knows this and has just presented inaugurated in Rabat the Mohammed VI Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the country and the third on the entire African continent (the throne goes to the Iconic Tower of the new capital of Egypt). The impressive tower stands out both at the mouth of the Bouregreg River and on the skyline of traditional and historic Rabat. Its futuristic design is signed by the Moroccan architect Hakim Benjelloun and the Rafael de La Hoz studio, one of the Spanish studios with the longest international track record in high-rise architecture and whose curriculum includes being one of the precursors of the modernization of Spanish architecture and such iconic projects such as the corporate headquarters of Endesa, Repsol or Telefónica. The skyscraper. According to the statement From the office of Rafael de La-Hoz, the Mohammed VI Tower rises 55 floors on a four-level podium on the banks of the Bouregreg, in a total constructed area of ​​102,800 square meters. His style is “afrofuturist”, in the words of the Cordoban architect himself. The interior design of the building is carried out by the Belgian interior design firm Flamant. There it will house a luxury Waldorf Astoria hotel, offices, high-end apartments, a panoramic observation platform of Rabat and Salé, shops and restaurants. To go up to all these premises there are a total of 36 elevators distributed between the tower (21) and the podium (15). Why is it important. As explained Rafael de la Hoz in a talk he gave about the project at the Cervantes Institute in Rabat in 2019, his style can be understood as the metaphor of a shared movement among African societies to appear on the map of contemporaneity. Be on the map. And boy is it: the silhouette of the Tower is visible from more than 50 kilometers away, redefining the urban landscape of Rabat and Salé. The Mohammed VI Tower wants to be an anchor of metropolitan identity, establishing itself as a new architectural icon that reinforces the international projection of Morocco, within a strategy that combines tradition and modernity under the umbrella of sustainability. Context. The inauguration of the Mohammed VI Tower represents another step in Morocco’s strategy to position itself as a growing country open to innovation, with the development of the Bouregreg valley as one of its most ambitious initiatives. In recent years the area has undergone a major facelift with the construction of a marina, a residential area, a theater and the Rabat-Salé metropolitan tram. In fact, it is integrated into the plan of “Rabat City of Lights, Moroccan capital of Culture“, a roadmap that combines the rehabilitation of historical heritage with the creation of new contemporary spaces and the promotion of cultural activities with a clear objective: to convert the Moroccan capital into a cultural pole that combines tradition and modernity under sustainable criteria. In detail. According to EFEthe building has 60-meter anti-seismic and anti-flood foundations, a harmonic shock absorber that is wind and vibration proof, its facades have dynamic lighting and photovoltaic panels and it has energy and rainwater recovery systems. Of the Sickle counted that the tower has “a surface area of ​​4,700 m2 of solar panels that represents a revolution in the concept of high-rise buildings”, in addition to international sustainability and environmental efficiency certifications such as the American one LEED Gold wave HQE French. Yes, but. UNESCO showed his rejection to the project as it is located in the estuary of the Bouregreg River, where there had never been buildings of more than three heights and it is not a small thing: in a city like Rabat, which was declared UNESCO World Heritage In 2012, precisely because of the visual integrity of its historic landscape, a 250-meter tower in the middle of the estuary irreversibly alters the landscape. Furthermore, and although it is evident that the tower is a notable technical achievement and a construction that puts Rabat and Morocco on the architectural map, the concentration of premium uses in a single complex can trigger gentrification processes around the Buregreg, displacing activities and those who already lived there. It is the least visible face of the so-called “Bilbao effect“, widely analyzed in the academic literature on urban regeneration. In Xataka | Spain has been dreaming of a megatunnel with Morocco for decades. To no one’s surprise, he will not be there for the 2030 World Cup In Xataka | Satellite images leave no room for doubt: it has rained so much that Morocco has not looked so green for a decade Cover | De La Hoz Architects

China was the power that launched drones. Now he has realized his danger with a decision: close the sky to them

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Exactly 10 years ago an unprecedented event occurred. A small drone landed without authorization in the White House garden after its operator loses control. It didn’t have explosives or sophisticated cameras, but it was enough to activate a complete security protocol and put the authorities on alert for hours. That apparently trivial incident was an announcement to sailors. The drone empire closes its sky. It remains a paradox that China, the great dominatrix of the global drone market with millions of devices in circulation and leading companies like DJI, be the same power that has started to drastically restrict its use within its borders. Yes, I counted a few days ago the new york times that the new rules require register each device with real identity, link it to personal data and transmit real-time flight information to the government. Flying without authorization can lead to fines, confiscations and even prison sentences, and in cities like Beijing the ban is almost total, to the point of preventing the sale or entry of drones into the capital. Total control of airspace. Thus, the regulatory tightening It has turned what was once a recreational or professional activity into a terrain full of obstacles. In practice, much of the urban space is left out of use, with permits having to be requested in advance and rarely granted. In fact, users throughout the country have denounced interrogations, sanctions and confiscations even on flights that they consider legal, while some claim to receive calls from the police as soon as they turn on their devices. The result is a paralyzing effect: the sky is still full of drones in theory, but in practice fewer and fewer take off. Security, fear and Ukraine and Iran. Behind this shift is an easy-to-understand key factor: modern warfare. has shown that drones are no longer toys, but combat actors of first order. Recent conflicts have made it clear that even cheap models can monitor, attack or alter critical infrastructuresomething that especially worries Beijing in terms of internal security. The possibility of these devices being used against sensitive infrastructure or even political leaders has accelerated a response that seeks to eliminate any margin for improvisation in the air. The economics of low altitude. Paradoxically, the Times said that the tightening comes just when China wants to expand the commercial use of drones in what it calls “low altitude economy”. The objective is to turn them into key tools for logistics, agriculture, industrial inspection or light transportation. But to achieve this, the government considers it essential to first impose absolute control of airspace, like someone reorganizing a city before opening it to mass traffic. The problem: that this previous order is suffocating the ecosystem that it aims to promote. The final dilemma. If you like, the result is a contradiction that is difficult to resolve in Beijing: the nation that raised and built the global drone industry is limiting its use by the danger they perceive to the point of stopping innovation, business and adoption. Companies see sales fall, the second-hand market grows and entrepreneurs abandon projects due to the impossibility of operating. Meanwhile, some experts warn of another unexpected consequence: restricting access too much may prevent training future operators, just when the world is heading towards wars and economies where knowing how to handle a drone will be a strategic skill. Image | Infinity 0 In Xataka | China just showed the world what comes after the combat drone: 96 drones with a science fiction launch In Xataka | 200 drones in the hands of a single soldier: China is advancing very quickly in a type of war that seemed like science fiction

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