Particle accelerators to make chips

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The photolithography equipment that designs and produces The Dutch Company ASML They are extraordinarily complex. These integrated circuit manufacturing machines have many sophisticated components, but one of the most advanced is, without a doubt, The ultraviolet light source. Its purpose is to generate extreme ultraviolet radiation (UVE) necessary to transport the geometric pattern that contains the design of the chips to the silicon wafer. Very broadly, this light source generates UVE radiation using high power lasers capable of instantly heating tens of thousands of tiny tin drops in a single second until they reach a temperature of half a million Celsius degrees. This interaction produces an extremely hot plasma that emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm. It looks like a relatively simple strategy, But it is not at all. In fact, the UVE source is one of ASML’s disruptive components. Pat Gelsinger has joined the Xlight team Interestingly, to manufacture avant -garde semiconductors using integration technology less than 7 Nm it is not essential to use an ultraviolet light source like the one I just described. You can also opt for other approaches. The UVE lithography machine prototype that, according to leaks, He is testing Huawei In its Dongguan Laboratory (China), it uses an LDP type ultraviolet light source (laser induced discharge), and not LPP class (plasma generated by laser) like the one used by ASML. Another option requires using a syncrotron -type particle accelerator to generate ultraviolet radiation. This is the path that is following the Chinese Academy of Sciences in The installation that is putting up in Beijing (China). Your heps (High Energy Photon Source or source of high -energy photons) has been designed for Deliver High Power UVE Light simultaneously to several integrated circuit manufacturing plants. However, this is not all. There is at least another option that is also being explored to generate the UVE light. Your plan consists in replacing the ultraviolet light source that ASML uses with a free electrons laser It is precisely the strategy for which the American company Xlight, to which Pat Gelsinger has just addedthe former director general of Intel, as executive president and the Organization for high energy physics with accelerators of Tsukuba (Japan). Of course, each of these organizations works on their own. Whatever your plan consists of replacing the ultraviolet light source that uses ASML with a free or fel electron laser for its English denomination (Free-electron laser) as those used in particle accelerators. In fact, in their tests they are using a fel laser generated by a linear accelerator of energy recovery. In theory the radiation delivered by a Fel laser allows to manufacture integrated circuits with a resolution comparable to that of an ultraviolet light source. A priori sounds good, but it seems reasonable to accept that a fel laser linked to a particle accelerator is not exactly cheap. The reason why some technicians prefer this option to which ASML uses is that a single linear accelerator of energy recovery is able to simultaneously feed several lithography machines. In addition, according to Xlight its Fel laser is designed to feed the next generation of ASML photolithography equipment. In fact, in theory it is four times more powerful than the light source used by this Dutch company in its most advanced machines. According to Gelsinger Xlight technology allows the price to be reduced by wafer by 50% and will achieve a higher wafer performance than current solutions. It sounds good, but we will have to wait until 2028 to know if this proposal is really up to expectations. That year Xlight and ASML hope to try their first Fel laser prototype with a lithography team. Image | Xight More information | Xight In Xataka | TSMC acknowledges that it has been considered taking its factories out of Taiwan. It is impossible for a good reason

Boeing, trapped in the commercial war. China paralyzes the deliveries of its airplanes and Airbus gains ground, according to Bloomberg

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Commercial tension between United States and China It does not give signs of decreasing. And everything indicates that commercial aviation will be one of the great victims. According to Bloombergthe Chinese government has ordered its airlines to stop the reception of aircraft manufactured by Boeing. The measure also includes the suspension of purchase of aeronautical equipment and components from US companies. This new blow is part of a tariff offensive that has reached unpublished levels. After declaring a commercial emergency, Washington raised up to 145% Tariffs in response to what he considers a threat to their economic and national security. China soon react, raising their own levies above 100% to US imports and making it clear that the climb was far from finishing. China’s latest reprisals hit Boeing Although the details of the last retaliation of the Asian giant are unknown, the suspension affects the Boeing 737 Maxone of the best -selling unique corridor aircraft in the world, of which the American firm has delivered 13 units in China, along with Tres Boeing 787 double corridor. In their hangars they still expect 28 Max and a 787 destined for the Chinese market. It is not just a political dispute: economic implications are huge. China is one of the main strategic markets for Boeing. According to their latest 20 -year forecast reportthe country would demand 8,830 new aircraft until 2043. 60% to accompany the growth of air traffic, and the remaining 40% to renew fleets with more efficient models. The country’s commercial fleet would go from 4,345 to 9,740 aircraft in that period, with an annual expansion of 4.1%. However, part of these forecasts are now questioned by the commercial war. The measure not only puts the commercial balance between the two countries. It also threatens to alter the internal functioning of Chinese airlines, which depend largely on fleets already delivered. Thousands of airplanes of the American company They currently operate in the country, and their maintenance requires foreign technical pieces and support. Boeing has been doing business in China for decades, but those doors begin to close. Boeing has been doing business in China for decades, but those doors begin to close. With Boeing temporarily out of the scene, two alternatives arise: The Airbus A320 family and the Comac C919. Airbus starts with advantage, since, although some of its components come from the United States or use Chinese raw materials, it can continue to operate normally in the country. The problem is capacity: the European manufacturer would have to increase its production rate to take advantage, and that is not immediate. The other great bet is local. Comac C919, designed and assembled in China, is designed to compete directly with the Boeing 737 Max and the Airbus A320. It offers capacity for between 158 and 192 passengers and a maximum autonomy of 4,075 to 5,555 km. Today, its deployment is limited, but the current context could accelerate its adoption on regional routes. The uncertainty reigns on both sides of the Pacific. From the United States, Trump has affirmed that “China wants to reach an agreement. The problem is that they are not clear how to do it.” From Beijing, on the other hand, they show no intention of backing. They claim to raise tariffs beyond 125% would be “a joke”implying that greater punishment would not be an additional damage. As we have seen, the conflict continues to climb, and the aeronautical industry is trapped in the crossfire of two powers that more and more use their supply chains as a negotiation weapon. Although the long -term effects are about to be seen, the immediate impact begins to feel. Touch to wait to know if we will witness some kind of agreement capable of relieving, or at least reduce, these new international barriers. Images | Andrew Dawes | Kua Yue | David Syphers In Xataka | Boeing, in the line of fire of the tariff war: Airbus is emerging as the winner of the pulse between China and the USA In Xataka | While the US is obsessed with tariffs, China has a weapon that is going unnoticed: the bureaucracy

The images of AI already flood the Internet. Google and see 2 will serve to start filling it with videos generated by AI

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The Images that mimic the Ghibli style They are very good, but be careful, because we can soon make small animation shorts that imitate that or any other style. The models of the generative video are closer more than ever to the general public by Google, which now offers its spectacular model I see 2 as part of the subscription to Gemini Advanced. Hello, Gemini Advanced. When it appeared on the scene I see 2 could only be used through the VERTEX AI and Videofx platforms, but the scope of both proposals was limited and was intended for a more expert audience. Now this model reaches Gemini Advanced, which allows you to transform our text prompts into dynamic videos. Interestingly, the option that now comes to Gemini Advanced It is available for weeks on the Spanish Freepik platformwhich was the first to offer that generation of ia videos using this same model. Eight seconds of artificial creativity. The model, created by DEEPMIND, is available as one more of the options of the GEMINI models drop -down menu. If we use it, we can generate an eight -second video clip with 720p resolution, MP4 format and 16: 9 appearance ratio. In Google they point out that there is a monthly limit for the number of videos that each Gemini Advanced user can create, but do not indicate which, only that we will receive a warning when we approach that limit. A text prompt is enough. To create videos with Gemini we will only have to describe the scene – as always, the details will help create it with greater loyalty – and Gemini will be responsible for materializing that idea and turning it into a video generated by AI. To conquer the Internet. In Google they also wanted to convert these videos into content that can be shared easy and quickly. Thus, it is enough to choose any of the videos that we have generated and then select the option “Share” and be able to upload it to platforms such as Tiktok or YouTube Shorts. Flood of videos from AI in view. We could already live how the phenomenon of the Image ghiblation He won the Internet, and AI models have shown that this type of uses are those that attract the general public at least temporarily. The images generated by AI are already everywhere and are flooding the Internet, but now we face that with the video generated by AI. That Google bets on this type of content and invites you to share it without tapujos is a declaration of forceful intent. The video generated by AI remains for those who pay. The AI ​​models to generate images have long offered their options to users even in free services —Chatgpt and Gemini do it – although with limitations. With the video at the moment that does not happen, and so much Sora as Runway Or now I see 2 are oriented to users who pay for this intensive use of resources to generate these videos. Already available, Spain included. The new option for generating videos in Gemini through View 2 begins to gradually deploy from today for Gemini Advanced subscribers worldwide, including Spain. We can write our Prompts in Spanish as well, which makes Gemini more and more versatile to be able to generate both text and images and video (for Gemini Advanced subscribers, we insist). Water brand in each frame. To avoid bad uses of this tool, Gemini can refuse to create some videos that are contrary to Google’s use policies. In addition, all the videos generated with I see 2 include a digital water mark embedded in each frame Thanks to Synthid technology. Whisk, the other option. I see 2 too will be available through whiskan experimental platform of AI that is not available in Spain. With it the advantage is that not only prompts of text are accepted, but also starting images that then serve as base frames for the rest of the animation. Thus, choosing a Studio Ghibli style frame makes us obtain an eight -second miniClip that also mimics that style, as Google shows in its promotional videos. The Whisk Animate function based on VI 2 is available from today for the subscribers of the Google One Premium Plan in various countries of the world, although for the moment not in Spain. Image | Google In Xataka | The Spanish Startup Freepik is already one of the most important ‘success’ in the history of Spain after being bought by the EQT fund

In 2025 the plug -in hybrids will contaminate three times more. It is not magic, it is the change of homologation that attacks manufacturers

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How much does a plug -in hybrid consume? It is almost impossible to be clear. It is a technology that depends so much on the use that is given to make any type of estimate involves falling into an error. So far we have seen plug -in hybrids that approve consumption between one and two liters per 100 kilometers. How realistic is this? It depends, as we said, How we use the car. If you are one of those who get the most out of this data on the car computer. The problem is that, according to the data they handle in the European Union, few drivers do this Ideal use of a hybrid car. This causes the estimated real consumption of these cars to be much higher than reflected in the technical chips. To solve it, the European Union completely changes the homologation cycle, which raises the consumption and has a direct impact on the broadcast portfolio that each company will have to present in 2027. The headache of plug -in hybrids As we said, the European Union is not believed by the homologations that have been made so far with plug -in hybrids. Not because they considered that they did not reflect a realistic figure, rather the problem is that they did not reflect the real use that has been extended. If you are a user who makes Between 50 and 100 kilometers a day For an urban environment and/or its vicinity, a plug -in hybrid can be a perfect car if you have to load it every night. With a consumption of 20 kWh/100 kilometers in electric mode, we can expect a cost of two euros or less daily. Prioritizing battery use most of the time, gasoline spending should be ridiculous. However, the European Commission believes that these types of cars are not always used in the most efficient way. In a report published in 2024 They collected that the realistic mean of consumption of a plug -in hybrid in Europe is 5.94 l/100 km of fuel (5.97 l/100 km between the plug -in hybrids of gasoline, the most common) for the type of driving that is made. And they highlighted another very important point. CO2 emissions are 139.4 gr/km of CO2, instead of 39.6 gr/km of CO2 approved on average. Therefore, as of this year other cycles are beginning to make during the homologation of new cars. Until nowa plug -in hybrid was subjected to constant cycles in which the speed was increasing to exhaust its battery. After its electric warehouse, one last cycle was made only with the Combustion engine. It was a way to simulate the most efficient conditions of use of a PHEV: throw to the extent of the possible electric motor until the battery is exhausted. But since January 1, 2025 it is applied EURO 6E BIS. This new way of measuring plug -in hybrids is mandatory for all homologated cars until December 31, 2026. From there, all cars sold by manufacturers as new will have to undergo this new test. With this new protocol, the conditions are harder. The test will be extended up to 2,200 kilometers and the test will run over time with the empty battery. Temperature conditions will be more extreme. And when EURO 6E BIS-FCM enters into force, cars will face worse circumstances with tests that will extend up to 4,260 kilometers. What happens is that in many countries Aids have been delivered to purchase of a plug -in hybrid, thinking that their owners would make a more efficient use of them. However, In Switzerland they already took their aid In 2022 because they considered that with the use that they were giving them contaminated as much as a diesel and They were taking advantage of advantages of cleaner vehicles. All this has direct consequences for the coming years on emissions. The maximum allowed limit for each brand is 93.6 gr/km of CO2 on average in 2027. For the calculation the Weight of the emissions registered in 2025, 2026 and 2027. The brand that exceeds will have to pay 95 euros for each gram overcome and car sold. That is, if you have sold one million cars and record 94.6 gr/km of CO2 on average, the fine will be 95 million euros. Having until the end of 2026 with plug -in hybrids that barely approve just over 30 gr/km of CO2 is an advantage for manufacturers that can prioritize their sales if their electric cars are not working quite well. Keep in mind that these data allow up to three plug -in hybrid cars by a gasoline without exceeding the maximum allowed barrier. The problem will come with the new models that are coming to the market and, above all, from 2027 that manufacturers must withdraw these markets from the market or assume that the same vehicle will now reflect a volume of emissions that can be between three and four times higher. That is, they will be able to use the “trick” of the plug -in hybrid but will not add so favorably as until now. Photo | Byd In Xataka | Catl wants to convert plug -in hybrids into true electric cars with its last battery: 400 kilometers of autonomy

AI is also a tool to get a job: “No one will notice”

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The curriculum is the only cartridge of the candidates To highlight at the beginning of the selection processes. Therefore, it must be optimized enough for ATS automated selection systems (Applicant Tracking System), but also Offer clear and concise information In case you check them a human recruiter. The use of AI in the elaboration of curriculums is not only an increasingly common trend, but already It is a common practice among those who seek employment efficiently. He 2025 market trends report From the Career Group Companies personnel selection platform, it points out that almost 65% of employment applicants already use AI in some phase of their application process. This figure shows how AI is not only transforming the labor marketbut also the Personnel selection stages. Far from be a “trap” In the process, the correct use of AI It can make the difference between unnoticed or capture the attention of recruiters. It is not enough to be good at your job, too You should know how to tell. It’s okay to use in your curriculum Kathleen Nolan, a senior recruiter at the Growthloop technology company, has reviewed hundreds of curriculums and stated in statements to CNBC that has no problem that candidates use AI to write their credentials. “Nobody cares if you use AI. If you use it well, nobody will notice,” said Nolan, who has been in the sector for seven years and personally reviews each curriculum he receives. Nolan stressed that LMost people already use AI for tasks like this and that the important thing is to know how to use it correctly. In fact, the recruitment expert recommends that candidates Use tools like chatgpt To generate a first draft for the presentation letter or for the curriculum, and then customize the result before sending it. For the recruiter, use AI to customize the curriculum is to take advantage of a tool available to everyone. No one would be surprised in the 21st century someone use a computer and a word processor to write your curriculum or your presentation letter. “It seems very hypocritical when I see the recruiters talk about that, because, come on, if I were in the labor market, I would also be doing it,” says Nolan to CNBC. The AI ​​is nothing more than a tool that facilitates and speeds up the adaptation of the curriculum to each offer, incorporating keywords and highlighting specific skills that appear in the description of the position. “I don’t know why it has become such a controversial issue. While it is used as intended, no one can know, and anyway should not matter,” says Nolan. This increases the chances of curriculum passes automatic filters and arrive at the hands of a human recruiter. After passing that first filter, the document must be clear enough to Show the information clearly and consistent so that the recruiter can get a clear idea of ​​your skills with a simple look. It should be taken into account that these people check hundreds or thousands of curriculums, so, in many cases, they can only dedicate them more than a few seconds. AI can help you identify the most relevant terms and to rewrite your achievements to give priority to the most prominent for the position to which I postulate. For example, you can ask you to summarize your qualification and experience using action verbs or that stands out Quantifiable results in previous jobs. Thus, your curriculum will be more attractive and will be better aligned with what companies are looking for, without losing authenticity or precision. The importance of reviewing the AI ​​text Although AI can save you a lot of time and improve the quality of the curriculum, it is always necessary to check the final text and give your personal touch. IA tools are trained with large volumes of data and, sometimes, They can hallucinate and include incorrect information. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly review the result and correct possible errors to ensure that everything that the document appears is true and consistent with your experience. “I would not expect someone to write a personalized presentation letter for every opportunity, because that would consume a lot of time,” said Nolan. However, the recruiter remembered that, if it is going to be sent to one, it must ensure that it is well written and that it reflects the candidate’s enthusiasm for vacancy. Reading a “type” letter can generate the opposite effect on the recruiter. In Xataka | If your chair holds in a job interview, it is no accident: they are evaluating more than your curriculum In Xataka | Someone used AI to overcome an interview on Amazon. His success has made Google see his candidates face to face Image | Pexels (Edmond Dantès, Beyzaa Yurtkuran)

No one is safe from tariffs. Not even one of the most powerful and necessary companies for the US: ASML

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ASML occupies a privileged position. This company of the Netherlands is the only company on the planet capable of producing equipment of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) that are necessary to manufacture avant -garde chips. In fact, these are the machines that use TSMC, Intel, Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron Technology to create Your most advanced integrated circuits. It is currently not exaggerated to affirm that a very important part of the semiconductor industry is supported About Asml’s shoulders. And, despite its indisputable relevance, it is not immune to tariffs. Or, at least, to the uncertainty that has triggered the government’s tariff strategy led by Donald Trump. In fact, According to Reutersthe investors of this Dutch company are very concerned about the impact that US taxes will have on the company’s economic performance. The next tariffs on chips have plunged Asml in uncertainty The US administration has excluded manufacturers of lithography equipment from the base tariff of 10% announced just a few days ago. However, ASML, Tokyo Electron, Canon and other companies that produce these machines have reason to be expectant. And worried. A little over 24 hours ago Donald Trump confirmed that during the next few days will announce the tariff rate with which it will finally tax the imported integrated circuits. He also anticipated that some companies in the semiconductor industry will have some flexibility, although he did not specify either what will be those organizations or to what extent they can continue to import integrated circuits avoiding tariffs. The problem is that with these statements has plunged the entire semiconductor industry in uncertainty. This is the problem facing ASML and the other machine manufacturers to produce integrated circuits. If the US government finally decides to impose tariffs on the importation of lithography equipment manufactured abroad, the semiconductor sector will suffer If the US government finally decides to impose tariffs on the importation of lithography equipment manufactured abroad, the semiconductor sector will suffer. ASML is in a more comfortable position than other chips processing equipment manufacturers because, as I mentioned in the first lines of this article, it is the only company that produces UVE lithography machines. And not having competition in this segment helps. In addition, Intel and TSMC are equipping, or, at least, they plan to do it in the short or medium term, Its new plants of manufacture of semiconductors in the US. And it is impossible to start them Without ASML machines. However, the panorama is gloomy even if the US administration decided to exclude tariffs definitively to the manufacturers of lithography equipment, which is something that can happen. If this last scenario was given, but the US government decides to impose tariffs on imported chips, which right now seems most likely, the business of some of the best ASML customers, such as TSMC, Samsung or SK Hynix, presumably will resent to a greater or lesser extent. And, consequently, it is reasonable to assume that ASML’s economic performance will degrade. This is what worries your investors. TSMC and Samsung They already have factories in the USand SK Hynix is ​​building a plant in West Lafayette (Indiana), but in the short term they will hardly be able to meet the needs of the US market Only with your US plants. We will see what happens finally, but whatever happens is evident that uncertainty is already hurting even an industry as robust as that of integrated circuits. Image | ASML More information | Reuters In Xataka | Nvidia will continue to sell its H20 GPU in China. It has cost a dinner of 1 million dollars per diner

Google is winning the AI ​​race. OpenAi has something better: users

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OpenAI, who just launched GPT-4.1he is losing technological ground against Gemini 2.5 Pro, but paradoxically his domain in users is strengthened thanks to the viral phenomenon of the generation of images in Chatgpt. The panoramic. The launch of GPT-4.1 reveals an awkward truth: OpenAI no longer technically leads. Not as before, at least. Your new model is behind Gemini 2.5 Pro Google in programming tasks, precisely where he tried to highlight. Meanwhile, Chatgpt has become The most downloaded application in the world Thanks to the virality of their abilities to generate Ghibli style illustrations either Action dolls. Why is it important. The situation confirms that there is no Moat (The technological concept that refers to a “defensive pit”). Advances are equalized in months. However, Openai has built something more valuable: a platform with mass traction and network effects than Google, despite its technical superiority and huge ecosystem, has not managed to replicate. Between the lines. This contrast defines well the complex dynamic of the AI ​​market: you can have the best technology (Google, In a way Anthropic) and yet lose the battle for users. Or you can be losing the technological avant -garde (Openai) while dominating mass adoption. It is a paradox that can only face itself, but not refuse. The turn. Sam Altman’s strategy seems to be pivoting. Recently said That “the models come and go, but we want to be the best platform.” A phrase that makes sense watching this trajectory: OpenAi prepares for a future where the value is on the platform, not necessarily having the best model. It is something similar to What we commented after trying Grok 3: Their abilities as a model are up to what others offer for most uses. Even above. But it does not have the product that others do have: GPTS, projects, Canvasintegrations, etc. In summary. We are seeing two parallel races in AI: The technological (which Google is winning for now). And that of mass adoption (dominated by Openai). This duality anticipates a future that will not necessarily belong to those who develop the best technology, but to whom it best integrates it into experiences that convince millions of users. And that is a lesson that should worry Google, whose technical leadership with Gemini 2.5 Pro does not translate into market domain, despite having a huge ecosystem where Android, Chrome, Gmail, the search engine, YouTube, Maps, Docs … In Xataka | The AI ​​always wanted us to pay to access their advanced versions. Your plan now is that we pay … for using it a lot Outstanding image | Solen Feyissa in Unspash

Barcelona erased a Google bus line so that tourists do not satura. Tourists have told him “good attempt”

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Barcelona’s metropolitan transport service has discovered something that The real estate market of the city knows from A long time ago: Tourist pressure is not always easy to combine with residents day to day. In a desperate attempt to end the saturation of bus 116, a route used by neighbors, but also by thousands of tourists who used it to visit Park Güell, a year ago the City Council got that the line disappeared from the recommended itineraries of Google Maps. And it worked. Without visibility in networks, demand seemed to relax. The problem is that at least part of the tourists who previously crowded bus 116 It seems to have an impact on other routes with which they can also reach Park Güell. Neighbors who use them to go to work or school are already warning that saturation affects their day to day. Delete a map bus. Sounds drastic, but that’s what he did last year The Barcelona City Council: it made bus 116 disappear from the map for the millions of tourists that visit the city every year. Or what is the same, that it ceases to appear in the recommended itineraries of Google Maps. The reason: although 116 is a small neighborhood bus, with capacity for about 20 people, its route passes very close to Park Güellan icon from Barcelona that receives per year More than four million of visitors. The combination of scarce capacity and high demand caused 116 to be often saturated to the astonishment of tourists and anger of residents, who need the bus to go to work, university or make the purchase. The City Council proved to increase the frequencies and reinforce the number of buses that covered the route, but it served. In the end he opted for another trick: “Invisible it” in Google Maps. And did it serve? More or less. The influx of tourists fell clearly. So much, that I recognized it The bus driver itself: “It has been to disappear from Google and change radically.” Even the neighbors, skeptics at the beginning with that strategy, verified the change. The problem is that the tourist pressure on the urban transport service does not seem to have been solved. Rather, it has been redistributed towards other alternative lines. Or that is at least what is pretending The data who has just published eldiario.es. Pending of 24 and V19. His information, based on the passenger balances of Transports Metropolitans of Barcelona (TMB), shows that while the influx of travelers fell on bus 116 was increased on other routes that can also be used to reach Park Güell, as 24 and V19. The percentages are of course eloquent. While between 2023 and 2024 the title “Hello Barcelona” (the payment for visitors) scored A 86% drop In bus 116, on line 24 the validations of that ticket increased by 32%. With regard to V19, in 2024 it transported more than six million people, 10% more than in 2023, with more than 19,000 validations on working days. Precisely to avoid saturation and improve the TMB service reinforced several sections on weekends. Has the problem moved? TMB Discard That there has been a passenger transfer, although there are neighbors who complain about that: that the pressure that was previously suffocated by bus 116 has moved to lines like 24. “Many times I have not been able to climb because when there are so many tourists they don’t even open the doors,” he acknowledged A few days ago To Eldiario.es a Barcelona student who takes the bus daily to go to college. “In the morning it is already full. Sometimes I arrive late because, with so many people, I can not get on the bus,” says another neighbor of La Salut on the itinerary 24. There are those who clarify that the problem actually comes from behind. A complex equation. Beyond the possible transfer of tourists who until last year resorted to 116 to visit Park Güell, at play other factors enter, such as the increase in the general demand for urban transport or tourism. Atm data show that in 2024 the use of public transport in the Metropolitan Area of ​​Barcelona grew by 7%. The year was also good for tourism, with 15.5 million of visitors. The data is practically identical to that of 2023 (he scored a very slight fall of 0.7%), but came accompanied by a remarkable rebound of 8.7% in spending per person. The great threat. The saturation on his day of bus 116 and the pressure in other lines used by tourists to visit Park Güell, such as 24 or V19, is a double departure. First for the impact on the service and for the residents of the city. Second, because that pressure has an impact on the attractiveness of Barcelona as a destination. Eldiario.es spoke A few days ago With a family of Bulgarian travelers who recognized their surprise after getting on 24 in Plaza de Catalunya: “It is very filled, what a burden.” If in spite they resorted to the service, they explained, it was for their “comfort” to get to Park Güell. The massification of points such as Mallorca, the Canary Islands or Barcelona itself has led to the popular Fodor´s travel guide To quote them In its “no list 2025”, a kind of OLD in which his experts cite destinations that risk dying of success. Images | Stay Grouted (Flickr) and M.peinado (Flickr) In Xataka | If the question is whether tourist floors take the price of rentals, we already have the answer: more than 30%

Apple has been obsessed with the Iphone Premium for years. All I needed was a good and cheap

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Apple has managed to fulfill a historic yearning. For the first time in its history it has become Global Sales Leader in the first quarter of the course. In a context of growth content of the territory of the smartphones, and with downward forecasts for the following quarters for the context of tariff war, the American company rises to the podium thanks to a model with name and surnames: the iPhone 16E. Apple as the first manufacturer. Apple leads global sales of smartphones in the first quarter of the year, in a market that grows a 3% content thanks to the impulse of China and emerging countries. The company enjoys a 19% market share, 1% more than the rival to which it has exceeded: Samsung. Apple grows 4% year -on -year, Samsung continues to chain falls, in this case 5%. The key markets. Apple has been looking for a way to lead the global market. Counterpoint’s report shows that one of the keys to achieve it was to stop focusing on the United States, Europe and China, to focus both in Japan and emerging countries and India and part of Southeast Asia. While the sales trend has been flat in the first three countries mentioned, growth has risen to the double digit in Africa, the Middle East, Japan, India and a good part of Asia. Being Premium is fine, lowering the price is better. Apple has been growing the aspirational brand image, one that only sells premium product. But the key lies right there: the Premium product does not have to be linked to an exorbitant price, and the 16E iPhone is the test. Your star product, the iPhone, It has been playing sales for yearsand bet on the same strategy does not work. The company has been centered on the high ticket iPhone for years, although year the market reports sign up for a clear trend: The standard iPhone (no pro) sells, much. Further reducing the toll of entry to the Apple universe with a 599 dollars product has been the only thing I need to lead for the first time in a first quarter. The brand image. Apple needed to say goodbye to the iPhone SE, an obsolete telephone in design and specifications, to hug the iPhone 16E. An entrance model to the iPhone family, with much inherited from previous models, but with a more current line, a first -line processor and compatibility with Apple Intelligence. In other words, an iPhone that continued to protect brand exclusivity, despite giving up a high ticket. The marketing of this model is simple. Despite its hardware differences, it has a surname that sells: it is still an iPhone of the 16 family, but much more affordable. Already in March the trend was seen, this phone was selling 60% more than the iPhone se de 2022according to IDC data. A new growth lever. Just five years ago, countries like India were just a market for Apple. In 2023 the company opened its first two Apple Store In the country, and is beginning to become one of its main levers to boost iPhone sales. The key to winning in emerging markets is mainstream. For the most Techies The 16E iPhone is a mediocre product. For the global market, the iPhone they had been asking for years. Image | Xataka In Xataka | I have tried the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro. I have very clear which one would buy me

Europe is caught in gas contracts with Russia. Now look for a way to break them without paying the price

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This winter has ended with an alarming fact for gas in Europe: German reserves are practically empty, 7% of their capacity. Energy expert Javier Blas He explained That the winter of 2024-25 has left the very low gas inventories, and the cost to fill the natural reservoir of Rehden amounts to almost 2,000 million euros. In addition, the continent has entered the discount timesince the European Union has demanded that the deposits be filled at 90% before November 1. However, the European Union has made a decision to close the door forever to the dependence of Russian gas. Close the tap to Russia. From Brussels different legal routes are being explored so that European companies can terminate long -term Russian gas contracts without paying large fines to Moscow. According to Financial Timesthe European Commission has been studying the possibility of declaring force majeure to terminate contractual obligations and not have to pay additional rates. The Russian supply. After three years of war that still persists, this situation has caused a great energy crisis in Europe, reducing its dependence on Russian gas. Currently, the Kremlin supply represents 11% of the block compared to almost two fifths at the beginning of the conflict, such as They have detailed in the British environment. From a more economical vision, the EU paid 21.9 billion euros Russia for oil and gas between February 2024 and February 2025, According to the Clean Energy and Air Research Center. And they continue to depend. Russian liquefied natural gas volumes (LNG) They have increased significantly In the last three years. In addition, Russia has continued to export gas disguised under azeri flag or through relations with two member countries, Hungary and Slovakiawhich has generated tensions within the EU. As He has pointed out The Financial Times, there are important ports such as those of France, Spain and Belgium that continue to receive loads of Russian LNG, showing the complexity of cutting energy ties immediately. Until two years. The European Commission has promised a final roadmap to completely cut energy ties with Russia before 2027. Although its publication has already been delayed twice, the document is expected for May 6, According to Reuters. This delay responds to the conversations reactivated by the United States about the future of the Nordstream gas pipeline, which connects Germany and Russia. The project has gained importance amid the efforts of the Trump administration, since they want look for an approach that implies them in gas transmission. Exploring alternatives … The commission, that He has denied To comment to the Financial Times, you are looking for new supplies. United States, which It takes time exporting LNG to Europehas been profiled as the largest supplier and is seen as a viable replacement. However, with the tariff war in dispute Everything will be to see. But there is an unexpected exit. Continuing with the tariffs, which have been intensified in A bilateral war Between China and the United States. The Asian giant He has found A strategic opportunity: take advantage of contracts signed with American gas to resell it to Europe. This phenomenon has exposed how the global mechanisms of energy trade do not respond to political strategies, but to market logics. An uncertain future. Although the date is marked in 2027, the road map has already suffered several delays and remains surrounded by political and commercial unknowns. In addition, the growing tension with the United States and The lack of a really solid energy plan they leave a European Union corrula, reacting too late before the agency with Russia. Image | Brian Cantoni Xataka | The price of gas has already reached 2022 levels. Now the European industry depends on one thing: that the cold does not return

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