broken

The signs that the system is broken are increasingly evident

by

On October 17, 2023, Jesús Fernández-Villaverde (the professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania) gave an interview in El Mundo with a very simple headline “it shows: (in Spain) everything works badly.” Everyone thought it was exaggerated, sensationalist. But then it came the DANA (and its management), the April blackoutthe Redsys repeated crash and the payment system, fire chaos and, finally, the Andalusian mammography scandal. What began as an (apparently) isolated complaint has become a deep institutional crisis for Andalusian healthcare. But the problem goes much further, the request for data from the Ministry of Health to the rest of the communities has revealed that Spain has a huge problem with all this, that in fact in Spain more and more things are working poorly. The mammography crisis. Although the first complaints surfaced at the beginning of 2024 and the affected associations met with the Board during the summer, until the first cases reached the media, the Ministry of Health did not recognize that more than 2,000 women may not have been informed of a questionable lesion after screening. What came next was chaos: after limiting the problem to a single Hospital, they were forced to recognize a widespread problem and implement a “shock plan” that no one knows very well how it will be implemented. And, in the midst of this commotion, the Ministry of Health asked the communities for data to know how screening was working throughout the country. many of them they have refused (although not all). The prosecution has taken letters in the matter. The underlying problem. Because, honestly, we run the risk of thinking that all this is nothing more than another political battle: a partisan scuffle that, this time, has acquired the format of a health controversy. The clearest example is that the PP Health Ministers they just left en bloc the Interterritorial Health Council; while the Ministry accuses the communities of “hiding” the screening data because it is “bad” and shows their “incompetence.” But not. It is enough to analyze the data of any community to see that the underlying problem is that healthcare is increasingly having problems addressing the care burden it has on it. The case of Madrid is paradigmatic because, even though protocols are well designed On paper, “in most public centers the lists and the average waiting time grow” year after year. Similar problems we can see throughout the country. How deep is this crisis? That is surely the worst of all: that we still cannot know how deep the problem is because the opacity of the Spanish institutional framework is enormous. It is true that this is not exclusively a Spanish problem: we still remember thehe confidence with which public health systems Westerners that they would be able to detect COVID and block it before it arrived to their respective populations. Shortly after, Italy’s outbreak broke out. What we don’t know is costing us our health. Civio has been researching for years as primary care is drowninghow public psychological care is almost a chimera, how dozens of health services depend on where you live and how, little by little, health is falling into the hands of private interests. But even that doesn’t explain the problem we are in. Because the central issue is that we don’t even know how we are. We also don’t know where we are going. And that is the worst of all: it removes the very possibility of us taking the reins and coming up with solutions. Image | Junta of Andalusia | NCI In Xataka | Predicting breast cancer five years before it appears, possible thanks to artificial intelligence

The Chinese subsidiary of Nexperia has just broken ranks with its parent company in the Netherlands. And that takes the conflict to another level.

by

Nexperia has gone from being unknown to becoming the new focus of tension in the technological war between the West and China. The company, with Chinese capital but based in the Netherlands, has been intervened by the Dutch Governmentwhich alleges national security reasons. And its impact could soon be felt in sectors as sensitive as automobiles and consumer electronics. The movement is not minor: Nexperia controls an extensive network of factories and assembly centers in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Malaysia and China, all important for the global semiconductor chain. Since the Netherlands took over governance of the company at the beginning of the month, a key question has arisen: how far does its control over those international operations really extend? Different laws, one company: Nexperia, caught between Europe and China The answer, at least in part, we already have. Nexperia operations in China have recalled that They work “independently” from the Dutch headquarters. A gesture that not only challenges this European authority, but adds a new layer of uncertainty to an industry that continues to suffer the consequences of the chip crisis. The statement released by Nexperia China on October 17 through its official channel WeChat marks a turning point in the dispute. In the text, signed by all the group’s operating entities in the country, the company reaffirms its autonomy from the headquarters in the Netherlands and remembers that its activity is governed exclusively by Chinese legislation. The document clearly establishes that the legal representative has exclusive authority to make decisions and approve any instructions from abroad: “Nexperia companies in China are independent companies that operate in accordance with national laws. The legal representative has exclusive authority to make decisions and approve any external instructions. No employee is obliged to follow orders coming from outside without their express consent.” The Dutch headquarters, for its part, has denied that “independence” and has attributed it to unauthorized information and actions, which adds another chapter to the internal clash. A ban on exporting its products from China has put European manufacturers on alert, especially the automotive industry, which depends on Nexperia chips for the operation of numerous electronic components. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) warned last week that the situation could cause production stops if supply is not restored in the coming weeks. According to the organization, current stocks would barely cover a few assembly cycles and approving new suppliers would take months, a period incompatible with market demand. One of Nexperia’s facilities in Guangdong Nexperia’s weight in the semiconductor chain is best understood by looking at how its production is organized. Although the headquarters and operational management are located in the Netherlands, much of the group’s added value comes from Asia. Its assembly and test plants in China, the Philippines and Malaysia manage enormous production volumes that supply both the Asian market and Europe. The coming weeks will be marked by the search for a fragile balance between regulators and governments. Nexperia has confirmed that it is in talks with China’s Ministry of Commerce to reverse the export blockade, while the Netherlands retains control of its governance. The question is whether the company will be able to operate normally. without violating either of the two legal frameworks. For now, the signals are mixed: production continues, but under an environment of uncertainty that leaves manufacturers waiting for a quick outcome. Images | Nexperia In Xataka | The problem is not that Europe has “expropriated” Nexperia from a Chinese company: it is that it approved its sale just a year ago

The fortunes of its oligarchs are growing so much that they have broken a record

by

While the offensive of Russian bombings It is intensified and Russia crosses New red linesthe international community (including USA) threatens these days with increase sanctions and blocks to the Russian economy. However, far from accusing the slightest wear after three years of blockages, Russian Milmillonarios have not stopped increasing their personal fortunes. It has been so much that in 2025 they have broken a joint fortune record adding 625.5 billion dollars. Russian fortunes boom in the midst of sanctions. In the last year, the total wealth of Russian billionaires has increased more than eight percent, placing a record of 625.5 billion dollars, according to published data by Forbes. This growth in its assets occurred despite the severe economic sanctions imposed by Europe and the USA After the invasion of Ukraine. In fact, the list of Millionaires of Forbes not only reveals that the fortunes increased, but after three years of war conflict, Russia increased The number of Milmillonarios, ascending to 140 peoplecompared to The 125 millmillonarios that the publication registered in 2024. Who leads the ranking of fortunes. According to the Russian edition of Forbes, Vagit Alekperovformer president of the oil company Lukoil, occupies the first place among the rushest Russians, with a fortune valued at 28.7 billion dollars. Alekperov has maintained this position on the list for the second consecutive year, despite having left the company’s address after receiving sanctions from the United Kingdom in 2022. He follows closely Alexey Mordashoventrepreneur of the metallurgical and energy sector, which has promoted second place with 28.6 billion dollars, improving its position compared to the previous year. In the top three, also figure Leonid Míjelsonwith a fortune of 28.4 billion dollars, thanks to its participation in Novatek (main gasist in Russia) and Sibur (petrochemical industry). Other usual names on the list are Vladimir Lisin, Vladimir Potanin and Guennadi Tombko, all with assets exceeding 20 billion dollars, thus consolidating the Energy sector weight and natural resources in the ranking of Russian wealth. New faces and rising sectors. The list of Russian Millionaires of Forbes includes new incorporations, which reflects the revitalization of different industries, despite the war economy that, according to the Latest bank reportsHe is damaging his economy. OK To what is published by The Moscow TimesRussian millionaires earned $ 22.5 billion only in the first six months of 2025. Among the newcomers stands out Vikram Puniaowner of the Pharmasyntez pharmacist, who debuts with 2.1 billion dollars, becoming the richest of the new members. These new millionaires come from varied sectors, covering from the pharmaceutical industry and food to technology and The energy. According to The data of ForbesRussia is the fifth country to the generation of new millmillionaires, being the United States, Germany, China and India the countries that lead the list of new additions. The lucrative war industry. A good part of the “miracle” of enriching itself in an economy under international blockages is explained by the close relationship Of these great fortunes with sectors linked to the defense industry and key raw materials for the country’s military apparatus. Russian billionaires come from industries Like oilgas, metallurgy – specially steel, nickel, aluminum and titanium – as well as technological and pharmaceutical companies, where state demand has shot in the current war context. The official expenditure in Russian defense will be at about 119,000 million euros in 2025, mainly financed by the Export of fossil fuels. These oligarchs, Far from distancing yourself Del Kremlin, have strengthened their loyalty, adapting their companies to supply materials, technology and military industry, as it was broken down into the Published research by Proekt. Sanctions? What sanctions. As seen on several occasions When trying to seize yachts And properties, avoiding international sanctions has been another key to economic success for this elite. Such and As they pointed out from Fortuneoligarchs resort to sophisticated financial structures, using fiscal paradises and allied countries free of sanctions and the creation of alternative channels such as cryptocurrencies. This has generated A debate About the real efficacy of sanctions to hit the Russian economic elite and the limitations of international tools to stop the boom of these heritage. In Xataka | The mystery of Putin’s fortune: it is believed that it exceeds Bezos or Zuckerberg but nobody knows exactly how much it has Image | KremlinUnspash (Matthew Lancaster)

Polestar has broken a record of autonomy in electric cars circulating more than 900 kilometers. Obviously there is a trick

by

935.4 kilometers without recharging the battery. That is the record that has achieved a Polestar 3 conventional – in its version of a single engine – thus demonstrating that it is possible to make very long trips without going through a recharge point. The secret is from the record is obvious, yes. Superdespace. For achieve all those kilometers The technique was simple: go very slowly. In fact, the average speed was less than 40 km/h, and took no less than 22 hours and 57 minutes to complete the task. The publicized autonomy by Polestar for this model in its unique motor version is 706 km, so here they managed to lengthen it 32.5%. Three professional drivers. The tests were performed in the United Kingdom, where three drivers specialized in efficient driving were turned to achieve that milestone. The final consumption reached was 12.1 kWh per 100 km, which represents a saving of about 40% compared to conventional driving. Without tricks. This Polestar 3 achieved that autonomy without using special equipment: both the car and the wheels were the same as one obtains When you get the concessionaire car. However, it is possible to go further if some modifications are made. If you also have the car, you can go even further. A few days ago Chevrolet modified A WT Silverado truck and put a huge 205 kWh battery (the Polastar 3 is 111 kWh). They also placed old wheels with overpressure and 40 drivers turned to drive it around Detroit. They managed to travel 1,704 km with a single load, and as in the case of Polestar 3 the average speed did not exceed 40 km/h. The consumption on that journey was 12.7 kWh at 100 km, an equally remarkable figure in which yes, influenced that they had the air conditioning without working for almost the entire route. Baja is also worth it. In July a Lucid Air Grand Touring He got his particular Guinnes record When traveling 1,205 kilometers with a unique load. The car has a battery with the same capacity as that of the Polestar 3 (111 kWh), and toured the distance between St. Moritz and Munich. Although the car was a conventional model, the lucid benefited from both efficient driving and the energy regeneration system in braking and slopes: that route was full of them, but it was also descending mostly. The key is not the battery, they are the consumption. Although obviously the battery capacity influences the autonomy of electric cars, further influences the consumption of each model. The Mercedes Vision EQXX for example achieved a record prior to the Tour 1,010 km without recharging at 79.4 km/h on average… and another 392 kilometers had left in those conditions. The secret is that this approval model 7.4 kWh consumption at 100 km, while for example a tesla 3 rear -wheel drive homologous 13.2 kWh at 100 km. Aerodynamics helps, but if things are added to consumption as an efficient driving and low speed, those figures rise significantly. Absurd records. Although all these records are striking, they are also a marketing exercise for companies that logically try the same thing: that they talk (well) of them. Here we have messages that are also even absurd: going at 40 km/h for 23 hours has its reward in this case, but in real life it would be absolute torture. The practical uselessness of these records – not only that of Polestar – is the same as the one who tells us about how The Xiaomi Su7 beat all its competitors In Nürburgring last year: none of us are going to those speeds or drive in those circuits, but speed records are always striking. Putting these vehicles to the limit is fine, but it is important to contemplate these records with perspective. Image | Polestar In Xataka | In 2017 Norway, it was proposed that 100% of the cars sold in 2025 were electric. Is about to get it

China has broken the electric car deck with brutally fast recharges. So much that autonomy is already the least

by

When Jim Farley returned from China, several lessons were brought under his arm. Almost that it doesn’t matter when you read this because, with each visit to China of the Ford CEO, Farley always takes care of airing everything he has learned there. Among what has been learned, one day he questioned the real importance of the unacabable autonomies for an electric car. Taking into account that the battery size of an electric car remains a Too much spiny matter When lowering cars, Farley pointed out that his strategy for the future went through Manufacture small electric electric Because as soon as the price was put more battery. “If you have batteries like that, you can’t make money,” argued In reference to gigantic battery cars, the same ones that promise autonomies of many hundreds of kilometers and that, in the face of the future, promise to reach 1,000 kilometers between recharges. Farley has been a critical voice with those gigantic electric cars but is not the only one that has been expressed in those terms. Mazda, for example, made the same reflection Some time ago, focusing that large batteries raised the costs of the car … and its weight, a red line that the Japanese company has always tried to dodge. Although the approach was not exactly the same in the form (the Japanese study incorporating extended range versions With engines Combustion rotatingas they have done with the MX-30), in the background they did show that the bet should be another: contained autonomies but with systems that will stretch them in a simple way. Either with very fast recharges or, in the case of Mazda, with a small combustion engine that can save you at any time. In China they think something similar. While there are two clearly defined paths and one of them is committed to huge batteries, others are clear that they must get the fastest possible charges to offer an attractive electric car to the general public. Byd is one of them. But it is not the only one. More kilometers or faster When last week we attended the presentation of the Mazda 6eI felt that the press conference we attend with a bittersweet aftertaste and a more or less clear idea with everyone with whom I spoke. The completely electric Berlina, which Mazda has created with Changan, is sold with a 68.8 kWh battery or a second of 80 kWh. This last option seemed ideal for those who wanted Use your car to travel comfortably. If we suppose a consumption of 20 kWh/100 km, the first will not reach 350 kilometers between recharges and the second one would touch the 400 kilometers of a single sitting. However, the first battery can be loaded at a maximum of 165 kW of power, going from 10 to 80% in 24 minutes. The second, on the other hand, cannot do it at more than 90 kW, limiting that rapid recharge from 10 to 80% to 47 minutes. The general impression, so I talked to the fellow journalists, is that we would all sacrifice those 50 kilometers of autonomy if that would allow us to stop almost 25 minutes less when plugging the hose. Everyone seemed to us that a 90 kW recharge is not up to a car with aspirations to be an electric supervent. In ByD they have a similar impression and their bet is determined: Ultra -grape rechargesat the pace of filling a gas tank even if you have to stop once more. Although for now, They assured usits 1 MW recharge was mainly intended for heavy transport, they aspire to be an attractive solution for their own customers, with launches of more cars (right now they have two that admit this power) that can make use of these loaders. His approach is that the by and tang l can recover 400 kilometers of autonomy in five minutes. I would dare to say that the vast majority of drivers need or prefer to make a small stop before covering that distance. Huawei is one of them. The technological presented a few months ago A 1.5 MW recharge. Again, it is a very interesting formula for heavy transport but, to put it in perspective, a car with a large 100 kWh battery could be completely filled in five minutes if it did not have the obvious power restrictions so as not to be completely damaged. In spite of everything, if a manufacturer offers energy accumulators as resistant as those of Byd, filling a battery of this size should not take more than 10-15 minutes. Although Byd has filled headlines since he presented this load system, they are not the only ones. In April, Catl also presented a recharge system capable of overcoming that of the company of Stella Li, vice president of Byd than in Coach has defended these recharge systems against Autonomies of a thousand kilometers and said they aspire to bring them to Europe. In the interview he said that “they don’t give me more than 300 kilometers because I don’t want to pay the cost (of a greater battery).” Although I understand why Stella Li defends this approach, I also understand that Western manufacturers continue to prefer to offer much higher autonomies in order to sell as a purchase value. Perhaps 300 kilometers are fair but firmly believe that more than 350-400 kilometers of autonomy are needed in an electric car if the recharge network is powerful enough. I believe it with loaders of more than 150 kW, let’s not say with those plugs (and cars) that allow recharges at 1,000 kW. Despite this, There is something cultural In Stella Li’s words. You have to understand that China is a country so big that long trips They are usually done by plane or bullet train. The cities are so large that they favor adoption to the electric car because it is the environment where its virtues are more valued: without noise, without vibrations and … Read more

Spain finally runs out of the Broadcom chips factory. This US company has broken with the government

by

At the beginning of July 2023 Charlie Kawwas, the president of the Broadcom subsidiary specialized in the manufacture of semiconductors, announced that your company had reached an agreement with the Government of Spain to build An advanced integrated circuit factory on Spanish soil. Its budget touched the 1,000 million dollars (about 850 million euros), and although it never became completed its location for several months a filtration anticipated that this plant would stay in Zaragoza. According to Kawwas, these facilities were going to be specialized in Substrate manufacturing And they would help this American company reinforce its position in the semiconductor production market. For Spain, the construction of this factory was great news because it would place the country on the European map of The production of advanced substrates. And, in addition, presumably would generate high qualification jobs and develop the technological ecosystem of the area in which it finally be installed. Unfortunately this project will not come to fruition. Broadcom has back According to the Europa Press agencyBroadcom will finally not build its factory in Spain. The negotiation that this company maintained and the Spanish government has been broken, apparently. At the moment it has not transcended the reason why this project will not prosper, but according to Europa Press Donald Trump’s return To the White House has been able to exercise as a death sentence in a context in which the commercial relationship between the US and Europe goes through a very complicated moment. “That collapsed by Trump. It was a very interesting operation and in the end he did not curdle,” In fact, the arrival of Trump ended another project in which the Spanish government intended to invest 400 million euros to establish a company joint with an American company. Its purpose was also to build a chips manufacturing plant. “That collapsed by Trump. It was a very interesting operation and in the end it did not curdle. Right now there is a feeling that US companies are very restricted when investing in Europe, ” has declared One of the sources of Europa Press. It makes sense. The administration led by Trump pursues reinforce your local semiconductor industryso it is perfectly credible to be zancadilleando the plans of US companies that plan to invest outside the US. On the other hand, the construction of a avant -garde semiconductor manufacturing plant usually costs Between 20,000 and 30,000 million eurosso it is evident that the factory that Broadcom was going to be tuned in Spain was not going to be at all toe. Even so, it is a pity that this project has been frustrated. Image | Chris Hsia More information | Europa Press In Xataka | Chips manufacturers are coming from pearls to attract them. These are your reasons to come

We have our attention so broken that a buoyant industry has emerged: keyboards “without distractions”

by

In 2024 more than 90,000 books. It is estimated that in the United States the figure was much greater and reached three millionincluding self -published books. Those numbers make something very clear: The world has been filled with writers. Those who write do so in addition to many ways. The traditional typewriter has practically disappeared to give way to the computer, and the versatility of this technological product has made the experience more personal than ever. The blank folio, but on the screen Thus, while some write on the desktop computer, others do it in the laptop, but in that experience they import the details, such as the type of keyboard used – with the popular ones Mechanical keyboardsfor example – or, of course, the application that each one uses to write. The famous case of George Rr Martin with The mythical and very old Wordstar It is almost anecdotal, because there are currently many more modern rivals. Microsoft Word is the obvious option, but the rivals have pressed remarkably in this sector. Thus, a huge amount of applications and services designed for writers have appeared such as Scrivener, Ulysses, iawriter, Manuskripteither Ghostwriter. In many cases one of the foci of these applications was not just to help the writer in areas such as the structure of the novel or the organization of the characters and the plot. They also usually have a mode without distractions, which usually manifest with the digital version of the blank folio: the totally empty interface, without tool or menus bars. Only a cursor flashing and waiting for us. Welcome to keyboards without distractions These software applications are also accompanied by some hardware devices specifically written oriented. They are a modern version of traditional writing machines: products totally thought to do one thing and only one: write. Freewrite Traveler. These “keyboards without distractions“They usually integrate small screens in which the text we are writing is showing, but there is nothing more than we can do with them. They have internet connectivity, but only with the aim of being able to synchronize those texts with the cloud to save them. Nothing of web browsers, no social networks, nothing of (is supposed to) distractions. All of them try to create a” concentration bubble “so that whoever writes is centered exclusively on it. The clear reference in this segment is Freewriteof the Astrohaus company, which manufactures several keyboards without distractions with that proposal. In them we normally have: Internet connectivity Small but sufficient flash memory to store several manuscripts Internal battery Screen: Normally of electronic ink, but also LCD This electronic ink screen of several models makes it more comfortable to have long writing sessions and contributes to the autonomy of the battery being lasting. The most remarkable alternative to Freewrite machines is Pomberaof the Japanese company King Jim, which has launched some of its smodels on collective financing platforms such as Indiegogo. Pomra DM250US It is, of course, devices with a high price for how specific they are. Here it is likely that the limited production lots will ensure these products, but still Your price/benefits ratio is not remarkable. Freewrite Traveler, for example, has a price of 603.95 euros In the official Freewrite store. Pomera’s recent rival – with LCD screen – has an official price of $ 449, almost 400 euros. In Xataka we have contacted three users of these devices: two of them English -speaking, and a young Spanish. All of them have bought and used at least one of these types of keyboards without distractions or some similar alternative, and have had the kind of sharing the experience with us. Looking for digital substitute to the notebook and the ball ILIA EPIFANOV, writer and editorhe has published more than 30 works, among which are short stories, books and even comics. When he decided to buy one of these devices, he tells us, “I was looking for a compact machine and allowed me to write without distractions.” Discovered the Freewrite devices“But the price seemed high, and I also looked for something more portable. Ended up deciding on the Nokia E7a smartphone launched in 2011 that had a drop -down physical keyboard under the housing. “It is small, well done and causes nostalgia,” he said, “although it certainly has its limitations.” He admits that he would not recommend it to most people, especially since the keyboard is not suitable for use for long periods of time. But for this user one of the keys to this old device is that it is old and most of its applications are useless today. That makes it focus only as a keyboard without distractions, because as he says “I love its simplicity: you display the keyboard and simply write.” Carl Dikington “Pseudonym that.” Use in Reddit Our second guest – is an autonomous worker who writes both professionally and for hobby. He also began looking for alternatives to write without distractions, and began by the cheapest and less technological: a notebook and a ball. He soon realized that did not seem practical, and after looking for devices of this type, he opted for the Freewrite Traveler, who chose for his portability but that “if I am honest, I chose in front of others for aesthetic reasons. I simply liked her appearance, and I thought that if I was going to spend a good part of the day looking at him, I wanted me to like her design.” This type of products “do not magic,” he confessed. “You still need to force yourself to sit and write, and that will always be a complex task. And that is the real problem. We let computers distract us because we want to avoid the difficulty of writing. Eliminating those distractions does not eliminate the desire to be distracted, and the world has a lot of additional distraction sources to which we can submit.” It is an important reflection, and reveals the reality of some devices that of course avoid the distractions … Read more

The oil market is so broken that Spain already prepares its great weapon to fix it: remove oil via decree

by

They do not run easy times for the olive oil market. Or rather, they run paradoxical times. In recent years, farmers had to deal with bad harvests that raised prices and They punished consumption. Now they enjoy a good campaign that will overcome the 1.4 million tonsbut things are not much better. The prices they charge They have fallen so much that they have left them in a committed situation, with a Great hole In your income. Given that scenario, the government has decided to move and endow A ‘Nuclear button’ That, if necessary, it will allow you to stabilize the market in the 2025-2026 campaign. As? Removing oil if the harvest is very abundant. What happened? That the Ministry of Agriculture wants to anticipate a possible imbalance in the extra virgin olive oil sector. In view of The good prospects Of the 2024-2025 campaign and the fear that this abundance of fruit ends up impacting the Spanish market, the government has launched its administrative machinery to have a tool that allows it to re-may be rebuilt. As? Basically removing oil from the oil mills. Remove olive oil? Exact. The community regulations allow states to activate a “marketing standard” for the olive oil sector that “improves and stabilizes” its market. That general framework moved to Spain with the Royal Decree 84/2021which in turn contemplates that “when the conditions justify it” it is withdrawn as a result of the markets, reserving it for the next campaign or even dedicating it to a different use to that of food. The process, yes, is somewhat more complex and requires that the autonomies and organizations representing the sector be consulted before. And that is precisely what the Ministry of Agriculture has just done: open A public consultation so that those who want to comment on their order for the 2025/2026 campaign can do so. The observations can be sent until next Wednesday. And why do you do it? For the data that arrive from the olive sector itself. Although the crops of 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 were rather Parcas (666,000 and 854,500 tons, respectively), which contributed to the price of olive oil to be triggered in the stores, the current panorama is quite different. It is estimated that the current campaign, which started in October and will end in September, will leave More than 1.4 million of tons. In March the Minister of the Branch, Luis Planas, even He spoke of 1.42 million. There are who is even More optimistic and talks about major figures for the next campaign. And how do prices respond? If in 2023 and 2024, coinciding with the bad harvests, the price of olive oil came to be around nine euros per kilo in the case of the Aove, now, with a generous campaign, that value has been reduced to 3.59 euros. And so It is a problem For farmers. Juan Luis Ávila, from COAG, warned In May that while the consumer pays about six euros for the liter of oil, the producers receive less than 3.5 euros for the AVE, which would be below the cost of production in the olive groves. What is that fall? The million dollar question. Especially since farmers ensure that market prices are not those that should in current circumstances. “The data is overwhelming and alarming, since there is an unjustified lag of more than two euros per kilo between the real price at the origin of olive oil and the value it should have,” He warned in May Miguel Padilla, of the Coordinator of Agriculture and Livestock Organizations, COAG. To reinforce its position, the collective even presented A report which estimated that the Aove should quote 5.55-6.14 euros per kilo in the current campaign, far from what the olivicultores perceive. “Speculation Campa at ease”, regrets UPA General Secretary, Cristóbal Cano, who believes that there should be “a different pricaries in the market, according to the law of supply and demand.” What will the new standard be for? With its new order for the 2025-2026 campaign, the government wants to be prepared to “stabilize” the market with a clear strategy: withdrawing product. From the Ministry they advance, yes, that will only happen “if high production estimates are found that can generate imbalances.” I would be The first time That the Planas department activates the mandatory oil withdrawal mechanism to rebalance the market. What does the sector think? The EFE agency has spoken with several organizations, such as ASAJA, COAG, UPA, UDU or agro-food cooperatives, which the initiative see with good entrance. “It is absolutely essential to have all the prepared machinery. Until now we had not needed, but before a predictable good harvest we have seen the convenience of activating it, as simple as possible, to avoid the sinking of prices,” comment In DCoop. Not everyone is equally optimistic. In Murcia there are producers who They are suspicious that the oil withdrawal from the market to control prices is the effective solution. Images | Government of Castilla-La Mancha (Flickr) and Deoleo In Xataka | More and more giants get into the Andalusian field and in the olive oil industry. The last: Pepsico

The German Wendelstein 7-X reactor has broken all records

by

In the field of nuclear fusion ITER (International Thermonuclear Experctor reactor), The experimental reactor that an international consortium led by Europe is building in the French town of Cadarache, monopolizes all eyes. However, in the old continent we have other fusion energy machines that are also very important. The Wendelstein 7-X experimental reactorwhich is installed in one of the buildings that the Max Planck Institute has for Plasma Physics in Greifswald (Germany), is one of them. Its purpose is to contribute to the development of the technologies involved in the tuning of nuclear fusion reactors through magnetic confinement, but its formula is different from that proposed by Iter or JET. In fact, the Wendelstein 7-X reactor is a type design Stellarator. The most obvious difference between Tokamak and Stellator reactors It resides in its geometry. The former have a toroid form (or donut), and the latter have a more complex geometry that resembles them to a twisted donut on itself. However, the fundamental difference between these two designs is that the reactors Tokamak They require that the magnetic fields that confine the plasma are generated by coils and induced by plasma itself, while in the reactors Stellarator Everything is done with coils. There is no current within the plasma. This means, in short, that the latter are more complex and difficult to build. Fortunately, Wendelstein 7-X experiment is already delivering extraordinarily promising results. Global record in long -term plasma The first tests carried out in this fusion reactor between 2015 and 2018 came out as planned, so in November of this last year there came an important moment in its itinerary: it was necessary to modify it to install a water cooling system that was able to evacuate more effectively the residual thermal energy of the walls of the vacuum chamber, as well as a system that allowed the plasma to reach a higher temperature. The works required by these modifications concluded successfully in August 2022. The electronic cyclotonic resonance heating system delivers more than 1 MW of power to plasma When scientists introduce such important modifications in such a complex experiment they are forced to review everything obsessively before launching the machine again to make sure that everything will go correctly. Fortunately everything went well and in February 2023 the Wendelstein 7-X reactor reached an important milestone: He managed to confine and stabilize plasma for 8 uninterrupted minutes in which the reactor delivered a total energy of 1.3 gigajulios. But it wasn’t enough. Now it was time to submit this machine to a new maintenance and renewal phase with the purpose of going further. A year later the reactor was prepared again to carry out new experiments, and now has significant improvements. The technicians who have worked on it in recent months have optimized the control and data acquisition systems, have improved the plasma heating system and have implemented about 50 additional diagnostic tests. Of all these improvements the most relevant is the heating system because it is now capable of generating more than 1 megavatio of power in the plasma thanks to the microwave application. This technology is known as the electronic cyclotonic resonance heating system (ECRH or Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating in English). The first results have not taken to arrive. And it is that on May 22 this German reactor registered a world record by sustaining the fusion reaction through a high performance plasma For 43 seconds. To date, no other merger machine has prolonged both the triple product in long -term plasma discharges. Understanding what the triple product is is not difficult (it is also known as Lawson’s criteria). In fact, it is nothing more than a metric that evaluates the density of the plasma particles, its temperature and the time that magnetic confinement lasts with the purpose of measuring the performance of the fusion reaction. This strategy is essential because it allows engineers to determine if the fusion reactor has overcome the threshold that allows it to generate more energy than it has been necessary to use to heat the plasma. Once this point has been reached, the energy balance becomes positive and the fusion reaction can be sustained over time without investing energy in the heating system continuously. This milestone would not have been possible without the intervention of the new frozen hydrogen packages developed by the Oak Ridge (USA) National Laboratory. However, there is something else that is worth not overlooked: during the campaign that the reactor has just finished, he has delivered 1.8 gigajacles of energy, so he has clearly exceeded the 1.3 gigajulios that he reached in February 2023. Image | MPI for Plasma Physics, Jan Hosan More information | Eurofusion In Xataka | “The nuclear fusion is intrinsically safe”: we interview Carlos Alejaldre, general director of Ciemat

China has broken the dependence of the GPS in two decades. His proposal has already convinced 140 countries

by

China has just published The data of your satellite navigation system (Beidou) for 2024. After the figures a geopolitical transformation is read that has not made much noise but that is full of meaning. Why is it important. The United States controlled global satellite navigation through GPS. China has created a viable alternative in just twenty years, breaking its own agency and also offering options to other countries. Beidou began as a Chinese military project in the 1990s. Today it is recognized by the United Nations as a global satellite navigation provider, integrated into eleven international organizations. In figures: The Chinese satellite navigation sector invoiced 79.9 billion dollars in 2024. That is 7.4% more than in 2023. Beidou processes more than one billion daily location requests (it is not a False Friend: one billion). And guide 4,000 million kilometers of navigation every day. Besides… 288 million Chinese mobile phones already integrate Beidou. The system covers 99% of urban and rural roads in the country lane precision. Yes, but. Beidou has not displaced GPS as a dominant global standard. Most current devices use several satellite constellations (GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass) to improve precision and reliability. The 140 countries that use Beidou do it mainly as a complement to GPS, not as a total substitute. And they adopt it differently: More than 30 African nations They have installed continuous reference stations for high precision services in agriculture, water management and weather monitoring. In Latin America, ports like Chancay’s in Peru They integrate Beidou In smart navigation systems. In Asia and the Middle East, several countries use Chinese constellation to complement transport and logistics services. The majority does not completely replace GPS, but adds Beidou as a second option to reduce dependencies or improve coverage in regions where US signals are weaker. One of Beidou’s strengths is his best coverage in the southern hemisphere. In 2020 he completed his global scope. Between the lines. China has not defeated GPS, but has achieved something equally valuable: reduce its critical technological dependence. The United States can no longer cut access to satellite navigation as a diplomatic weapon against China. And now what. Beidou marks the Chinese patron: not completely replace Western systems, but to create viable alternatives that reduce strategic dependencies. Not to compete, but build your own parallel reality. As Huawei has doneamong others. Satellite navigation is only the beginning. China replicates this strategy in 5g, AI and renewable energies. In Xataka | China is turning its roofs into power plants. He has achieved in three months what in Europe costs three years Outstanding image | Xataka

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.