cold

Leroy Merlin reduces this portable air without works with which to alleviate the heat waves this summer (and also the cold of winter)

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If you are looking for a quick way to air-condition your home without getting into construction trouble or having to call installers, Leroy Merlin has just reduced one of those air conditioning devices that not only saves you the summer, but also the winter. It is about the Equation Cool&Heat 9K portable air conditionerwhich you can buy today for 259 euros. EQUATION Cool&Heat 9k 2236 fg/2150 kcal heat pump portable air conditioner The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A 4-in-1 penguin ideal for any time of the year The great advantage of this portable air conditioner It is its enormous versatility. We are not looking at the typical noisy device (it is not silent, mind you) that ends up collecting dust in the storage room as soon as September ends. By integrating a heat pump systemthis device is capable of becoming an efficient heating system for the winter months. To this, we must add its functions of fan (ideal for sweltering but not extreme days) and dehumidifierwhich makes it a key ally to combat environmental humidity that makes the thermal sensation at home much heavier and more annoying. with his refrigeration capacity of 2,236 frigoriesit is perfect for medium-sized rooms and another of its great assets is its philosophy Plug & Play. Forget about having to call an installer or drill holes in the wall; You just have to place the device near a window, place the hose with the sealing kit included and connect it to the power to start cooling any room in your home. Furthermore, having a compact design, multidirectional wheels and integrated handles, you can easily move it around the house according to your needs, keeping the living room cool during the day and moving it comfortably to the bedroom at night. This portable air conditioner comes equipped with a very intuitive LED display and a remote control so you don’t have to get up from the sofa or bed when changing the mode or speed of the air flow. It also incorporates a Night Mode and a 24-hour programmable timer. ⚡ IN BRIEF: offer for Equation Cool&Heat 9K portable air conditioner today ✅ THE BEST Zero installation complications: You save community licenses, technicians at home, drilling walls and hundreds of euros in labor. It’s just arrive, unfold the window kit and plug it in. Use 365 days a year: The inclusion of a heat pump prevents the device from being a useless “junk” during the winter, guaranteeing the return on investment throughout the year. ❌ THE WORST Sound level… As in all portable air conditioners, the compressor is inside the device itself and not on the façade, which generates a continuous noise level (between 50 and 65 dB) that can bother light sleepers. Efficiency compared to a fixed split… Although it cools quickly and directly, it consumes a little more energy than a fixed inverter system to maintain the same temperature in the long term. 💡 BUY IT IF… You live for rent. It is the definitive solution if your landlord does not allow work to be done or if you do not want to invest money in a property that is not yours. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You need absolute silence in the room to fall asleep, the constant hum of the compressor can be uncomfortable at night. You may also be interested EVVO Clima Silent – Portable Air Conditioner up to 14000 BTU with Heat Pump The price could vary. We earn commission from these links INFINITON | Portable Air Conditioner | PAC-S10 | 3000 Frigorias The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Webedia and Leroy Merlin In Xataka | Silent ceiling fan: which one to buy? Tips and recommendations In Xataka | Best portable air conditioners 2026. Which one to buy and six recommended penguins

“Cold water does not block digestion, but if it is too cold it can make it slower and less comfortable”

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With the arrival of the heat, something that many people may want is to grab a bottle of very cold water and start drinking as if there were no tomorrow. But along with this common practice, a classic phrase also arises under the myth that drinking ice water can “block” digestion. The idea in mind. The claim has a physiologically plausible basis, since cold induces transient gastric vasoconstriction. However, when crossing these claims with the primary scientific literature, we discovered that the line between proven biological mechanism and exaggerated myth is extremely fine. To break this line, Silvia Gómez, specialist in the digestive system, in statements to La Vanguardia pointed that “cold water does not block digestion, but if it is too cold it can make it slower and less comfortable.” And this last part is where the key to this issue is found. The physiology of cold. To understand what happens when we drink ice water, we must know that our digestive system operates optimally at the body’s core temperature, which is approximately 37ºC. In this way, when we introduce a liquid at temperatures close to 0ºC the body reacts and the cold causes the blood vessels to constrict to conserve heat. The consequence is simply a temporary alteration in the contraction patterns of all the muscles in the stomach and, therefore, affects the ability to digest. It is studied. The most direct and recent proof of this is found in a work published in 2020. In this crossover experimental trial, researchers followed 11 healthy men after ingesting 500 mL of water at three different temperatures: 2°C, 37°C, and 60°C. Gastric ultrasound results made it clear that 2°C water significantly reduced the frequency of gastric contractions compared to body temperature or hot water during the hour after a meal. But curiously, this modulation of gastric motility showed that the subjects who drank the ice water experienced earlier satiety, reducing their energy intake in the subsequent meal by between 19% and 26%. It is not a block. The fact that it is proven that the stomach reduces its contraction work does not mean that digestion is “blocked” or “cut off.” We must keep in mind that the human body has an enormous thermoregulatory capacity that means that, when we drink a cold liquid, it reaches body temperature in a matter of minutes, restoring normal gastric activity. Many myths. There are many phrases around drinking cold water that are very mythical in our society, such as, for example, that it “solidifies fats.” And, although thermodynamics dictates that cold hardens fats, in the human gastric environment this has no clinical relevance, since the thermal effect is so ephemeral and the combined action of hydrochloric acid, enzymes and subsequent mechanical agitation is so powerful, that the body compensates for the thermal impact quickly. Another quite important myth is related to the effect that cold water has on the intestinal microbiota, but so far there is no solid evidence that demonstrates damage to our bacteria. We are not all the same. That the effect is harmless to the general population does not mean that all digestive systems react the same. In clinical practice, the temperature of beverages becomes important in patients with important functional pathologies such as, for example, functional dyspepsia, gastroesophageal reflux, gastritis or irritable bowel syndrome. In these cases, sudden thermal stimuli that modify gastric motility can increase the symptoms, and here the gastric slowing of cold water can be a problem. Although we are talking about specific cases that should follow the recommendations of your specialist doctor. Images | Nigel Msipa In Xataka | Science has disproved the productivity gurus’ morning mantra: a cold shower is as useless as waking up early.

The cold shower is as useless as the early morning

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In recent years, some of the wellness and productivity gurus seem to have taken it upon themselves to torture their followers with the most inhuman torments. First there was the fashion of getting up at five in the morning to complete an endless ritual. Now, the new trend is to immerse yourself in ice water every morning with the excuse of relieving stress, reducing inflammation and strengthening defenses. Science has already dismantled the supposed benefits of get up at five, and now it’s the turn of the ice water baths. Researchers from the University of South Australia they have not found evidence of the miracles that the gurus attribute to this practice. The influencers from the cold. In recent years, polar baths, also known as cold water immersions, have gained enormous popularity. Elite athletes and professional players like LeBron James soak in baths of ice water after competitions. Even Gwyneth Paltrow dedicated one of the episodes of his series The Goop Lab to show the supposed therapeutic benefits of immersing yourself in icy waters. That trend has become popular reaching all types of people who are just looking for general well-being or simply reducing stress levels. Social networks and influencershave attributed multiple benefits to these baths for physical and mental health. However, science wanted to check whether immersion in ice water is as beneficial as social networks have led us to believe. Bathing is okay, temperature is optional. Researchers at the University of South Australia decided to scientifically evaluate the supposed benefits of soaking in ice water. To do this, they carried out a meta-analysis of 11 global studies, the results of which were published in PLOS One. For the analysis, data from immersions and cold showers with temperatures between 7 and 15 ºC were used for a time range of between 30 seconds and two hours. Although some benefits attributed to this practice were identified in the results, the researchers found that the existing evidence focuses primarily on athletes and not the general population. A study carried out by Coventry University, reveals that, although it is true that baths with cold water increase energy expenditure in the short term by activating fat burning, it produces a rebound effect by increasing appetite, so the supposed benefit is neutralized. Forget the cure for stress. The researchers stated in their report that the effects of immersion in ice water against stress were not as advertised “we found that immersion in cold water could reduce stress levels, but only for about 12 hours after exposure.” That is, there was no evidence that immersion in ice water had an immediate effect on stress levels, nor an appreciable long-term effect. “We noticed that participants who took cold showers of 20, 60 or 90 seconds gave slightly higher quality of life scores. But again, after three months these effects had disappeared,” the researchers explained in their report. What doesn’t keep you awake makes you stronger. The results in improving sleep quality were also not conclusive. The study found links between improvements in sleep quality and cold water immersion, although this conclusion was based on data limited exclusively to men, which calls for more research in various population groups. The researchers did not venture to say that cold water immersion could have a positive effect on the immune system because, although it is true that a 29% reduction in work absences related illnesses among those who took cold showers, there were no significant improvements in the immediate immune response to cold exposure. These data indicate that, although there are potential advantages to exposure to ice water, the effects of this exposure are neither consistent nor long-lasting, calling into question the widespread effectiveness what the gurus attribute to him. The “straining effect” of the cold. Among the most surprising findings the Australian researchers made was the inflammatory response to cold water immersion. Contrary to popular belief, rather than reducing inflammation, ice water baths caused “significant increases in inflammation,” both immediately and an hour later. According to the researchers, this reflects an “acute inflammatory response” of the body to cold stress. In the words of study co-author Ben Singh, “this immediate spike in inflammation is part of an adaptation process similar to muscle damage caused by exercise, which subsequently strengthens the muscles.” That is, like soreness, this adaptive effect can be positive for athletes of high physical performancebut Singh highlighted that it could be harmful for people with pre-existing pathologies. In other words, unless you have just participated in an Olympic event, showering with cold water only will improve your productivity in the sense that it will take less time to shower and you will be able to spend that time to other tasks. The risk of ice baths. A study conducted by researchers at King’s College London on the phenomenon of “autonomous conflict” reveals that exposure to ice water baths can pose a risk even for people without previous pathologies. Research shows that when someone dives into ice water while holding their breath, two opposing reflexes compete to control the heart, which can cause arrhythmias even in healthy people. That risk is reduced as “thermal shock” is reduced, with a cold shower being safer than an ice bath. A version of this article was published in February 2025 In Xataka | In 1947 the Yukon reached -63ºC. So a scientist started listening to conversations five kilometers away. Image | Pexels (Vidar Nordli-Mathisen)

Showering with cold water before sleeping in a heat wave seems like the best idea. Science warns that it is a big mistake

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Heat waves are already with us and in many places in recent days we have seen how they has far exceeded 40 ºC in many parts of our country. But the problem is not only that it is difficult to leave the house, but that sleeping becomes practically impossible for many peoplehaving a very fragmented sleep with different awakenings or even suffering from insomnia due to not being able to fall asleep. A solution. Faced with this great problem, common sense and desperation push us to get under the shower to be able to cool our body as much as possible just before entering bed to at least be a little cooler and try to fall asleep. But the problem here is that showering activates our body and can have a quite different effect than what we are looking for, making it very difficult to fall asleep. The mechanism of sleep. Something that we must keep in mind is that for our brain to understand that it is time to sleep, it needs a very specific physiological signal, which is the drop in the body’s core temperature. But when we take a shower of ice water, we get instant relief on the skin, but we cause our blood vessels to constrict so that our blood does not drop below its precious 36-37 ºC. In other words, the blood vessels They close to protect the internal heat of the body by sending less blood to our skin. The result. Although we get very fresh skin, a few minutes after getting out of the shower, the body experiences a rebound effect, retaining central heat and remaining in a state of alert because for the body there is a threat to which it has had to respond. On the other hand, warm or hot water does just the opposite, since, according to the group of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, hot water stimulates the thermoregulatory system, causing blood to travel from the inner core of the body to the extremities. This facilitates a massive dissipation of body heat once we leave the bathroom, and that subsequent drop in core temperature is the biological switch that induces sleep. The warm water. Knowing all this, we can conclude that we should not use hot or cold water when showering, but that the middle ground is what we should look for. This is what an exhaustive review published in the journal points out. Sleep Medicine, where it was analyzed thousands of data to reach the conclusion that the optimal water temperature to improve sleep quality is between 40 and 42.5 ºC. But in a context of great heat like the one we are experiencing, experts clarify that the ideal is to look for the point of warm water, since the objective is not to roast ourselves, but to relax the blood vessels to promote heat loss from inside the body. The time. Showering and immediately getting into bed (or getting on top of the sheets) doesn’t work at all, since the body needs time to cool down. This same study we were referring to showed that the optimal time to take this shower is between 1 and 2 hours before going to bed. And best of all, it is something that has been shown to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. These data are reinforced by a large-scale observational study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, where, after analyzing more than 1,000 adultsresearchers confirmed that bathing between 61 and 180 minutes before going to bed is directly associated with faster falling asleep, thanks to physiological changes that are related to body heat. Images | Slaap In Xataka | An expert clarifies the main mistake of sleeping with air conditioning: “It is totally unnatural and we rest worse”

Cold War spy satellites

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Ander Izaguirre is the author of Return to the country of Elkano. It is a book that mixes travel chronicle with adventure narration. The story begins in Guetaria, where he returns after touring the Basque country by bicycle, taking as the backbone of history the figure of Juan Sebastián Elcano, considered the first person to complete a complete circumnavigation of the world. An idea is repeated several times in the book: the world has always been much more connected than we think. The starting point, in this case, is something that happened more than 500 years ago. What could the life of a person who crossed the planet five centuries ago be like when there are still people today who do not go beyond the borders of their country or their hometown? In its pages it talks about the connections between empires and geopolitical struggles to control trade routes. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand how in those days a person could travel thousands of kilometers and metropolises could trade with each other. But, personally, I find it much more complicated to imagine JUlius Caesar traveling along the Nile or Cleopatra living in Rome on the edge of the new year count with its Julian calendar. We are talking about a handful of years prior to the supposed birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Imagine if we go back further. As much as 4,000 years. That is, around the year 2,000 BC In two leaps we have begun to ask ourselves how our world could be interconnected just 500 years ago to how it would be more than 4,000 years ago. And to that question, some archaeologists believe they have found an answer. A river highway in Mesopotamia And our colleagues Motorpassion They bring us the story of one of those discoveries that will delight history fans. For many years it has been known that mesopotamian cities They have been using an intricate system of tunnels and water management for their irrigation for thousands of years. The invention was so effective that by adding all the conduits that have been active at some point, it is believed that it may have the same distance as there is between the Earth and the Moon, according to National Geographic. These tunnels were used, as we say, to move water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers but also to serve as a refuge for the inhabitants of these cities, both from the scorching heat of the desert and from possible enemy invasions. This has been, until last year, what was thought. And using spy images and the use of LiDAR, research has continued to advance until making sense of a new use of these channels. According to the researchers who have developed Identifying the preserved network of irrigation canals in the Eridu region, southern Mesopotamia, published by the University of Cambridge, These canals would also serve as a river highway to trade between towns. In the 1960s, the United States launched a spy satellite project called CROWN. These satellites took photographs of the terrain in the middle of the Cold War and the declassified file has allowed researchers to detect subtle changes in the terrain that are impossible to detect from the ground. The photographs revealed small differences in the vegetation, which shows commercial roads and passenger traffic for millennia. But using LiDAR, researchers have also managed to bring to light some cities that were hidden, as was the case of an extension near Abarkuh where those famous canals were discovered. The great discovery, however, has been to verify that these canals were not only used to transport water through complex hydraulic systems or to cool the environment. Everything indicates according to the latter research which were also used to move goods, resources and wealth between city-states such as Ur, Uruk, Lagash or Eridu. With this discovery, it is considered that we are facing one of the oldest and most extensive logistics networks in history and the key to understanding how grain, copper, wood or precious stones were traded then thanks to flat-bottomed ships that would move through these canals and not only through the visible bed of the Tigris and Euphrates. Photo | Semhur and Ali sabih kadhim In Xataka | When there was a lunar eclipse, Babylon trembled. Texts from 4,000 years ago announced all misfortunes

From Cold War bunkers to bunkers wherever

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In 1961, Switzerland required by law that practically every new building incorporate access to nuclear shelters. Decades later, the country still has more places in bunkers than inhabitantsa European rarity that for years seemed like a paranoid exaggeration and that today many governments are beginning to look at with different eyes. Europe looks underground again. For decades, European bunkers were treated like uncomfortable relics of the Cold War, spaces buried under modern cities that survived converted into warehouses, parking lots, swimming pools or simple historical curiosities. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed radically that perception. Governments, architects, urban planners and citizens have returned to thinking in terms that seemed to have disappeared from the continent: shelter, civil protection, urban survival and the ability to resist prolonged bombings. The most striking thing is that Europe is not only rebuilding former military shelters; is starting to convert any space underground available in potential emergency infrastructure. Garages, subway stations, tunnels, basements or sports centers become part of a new defensive geography where the priority is no longer winning a war, but ensuring that cities can continue functioning under attack. Finland never stopped preparing. I remembered the new york times that while much of Europe dismantled its civil protection systems after the end of the Cold War, Finland decided to keep intact a culture of refuge deeply linked to its history with Russia. In Helsinki, thousands of underground spaces spread under the city can become operational shelters in just 72 hours. The most surprising thing is that many operate daily such as playgrounds, parking lots, swimming pools, concert halls or sports facilities. Finnish logic has always been clear: if another war comes, civil protection cannot be improvised. The Russian invasion of Ukraine made that mentality, for years seen as a kind of Nordic obsession inherited from the 20th century, come to light. seem almost prophetic. Suddenly, families who had never thought about shelters began asking where the nearest one was, architects began debating underground protection again, and European governments began to study the finnish model as if it were a practical manual on how to survive near Russia. Germany and discovery. Latest German turn reflects the extent to which the perception of war has changed in Europe. Berlin once had about 2,000 shelters public during the cold warbut today it only preserves a few hundred partially usable for a population of more than 80 million people. Reuters counted last week that the important thing about the new German plan is not only the investment of billions in civil protection, special vehicles or warning systems, but the implicit acceptance of an uncomfortable reality: the State no longer believes it is possible to guarantee universal refuge for the entire population. Instead of rebuilding huge networks of bunkers like those of the 20th century, Germany is opting for a much more more flexible and pragmatic based on mobile alerts, improvised shelters and rapid reaction capacity. The symbol of this new strategy is not an armored concrete door, but a notification on the mobile phone indicating to the citizen which is the nearest basement or station. The war in Ukraine changes the idea of ​​security. The Ukrainian experience has destroyed many Western certainties about modern warfare. For years, many European experts assumed that future conflicts would be technological, precise and limited, making large civil refuge infrastructures unnecessary. Ukraine showed exactly the opposite: massive attacks on cities, drones over residential areas, bombings of civil infrastructure and millions of people taking refuge in metro stations once again became part of the European landscape. That finding appears constantly in the German and Finnish debate. Architects who previously considered shelters obsolete recognize now that Russia has returned to Europe a form of war much closer to the classic bombings of the 20th century than to the surgical conflicts imagined after the end of the Cold War. The uncomfortable question. Behind the return of the bunkers there appears a politically explosive issue: that of who can protect themselves really if a war breaks out. Germany is beginning to publicly assume something that it avoided verbalizing for decades: there will never be enough places for everyone. Seen this way, the debate no longer revolves solely around building shelters, but about priorities, access and real response capacity. Who receives the alert first? Who manages to arrive on time? What happens to the elderly, sick or people without mobility? Even during the Cold War, European shelters could only cover a limited part of the population, but then they worked too as a political symbol: They represented the idea that the State remained capable of protecting its citizens even under nuclear threat. Today that illusion is weakening and civil protection is beginning to be understood more as social resilience than as an absolute guarantee of survival. The underground returns to the board. Ultimately, the Berlin case sums up this transformation perfectly. Under the German capital there is still a gigantic network of tunnels, bomb shelters, adapted stations and military structures built between the Third Reich and the Cold War. For years they were archaeological or tourist spaces managed by historical associations as Berliner Unterwelten. Now some are beginning to be partially reconditioned for real civil protection uses. The significant thing is that no one is talking about resisting a total nuclear exchange, but rather about surviving to drone attacksconventional missiles or localized bombings similar to those seen in Ukraine. Europe is thus entering a scene unprecedented since the end of the 20th century: the return of shelter mentalitynot as an ideological symbol of opposing blocs, but as a practical response to the feeling that war has once again become a tangible possibility within the continent. Image | GetArchive In Xataka | There is a 50-ton “nuclear reactor” in a bunker in Fuenlabrada: it has been donated by Amancio Ortega In Xataka | A secret Nazi bunker in Germany hides the most sought-after treasure on the entire planet: hundreds of tons of rare earths

the new front of the technological cold war

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The great Achilles heel of the energy transition in Europe is not in sight. It’s not the photovoltaic panels or the windmills, but the hidden chips and processors that make them work. Aware of this risk, the European Union has decided to shield its electrical network with a drastic measure. Companies that want to set up renewable projects with community money will have to look for alternatives: Chinese technology is, for the moment, out of the game. The veto, in detail. Brussels has made public his plan to veto European financing for renewable energy projects that use key equipment manufactured in countries considered “high risk”: China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The target of this prohibition has a very specific name: investors (or converters). Simply put, these are critical electronic devices that act as processors for photovoltaic plants. Its function is to transform the direct current generated by solar panels into the alternating current that finally reaches our homes and businesses. The measure, de facto, is already underway. financial institutions They have until May 15, 2026 to notify the Commission of the projects they have in their portfolio. As of November 1, the veto will be total for any new facility that aspires to receive community funds, especially those coming from the European Investment Bank (EIB). And why now? As pointed out Expansionthe Community Executive has framed this decision under the umbrella of “economic security” and protection against strategic dependence, distancing itself from those who see it as a mere protectionist industrial policy. The scope of this guideline is capital. As detailed pv magazineis not only limited to traditional solar parks, but extends to vital Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). This is a blow to the Asian giants, which usually sell integrated solutions that combine batteries and power electronics. To this fence must be added a strict “anti-cheat law”: the regulation does not contemplate significant exceptions and will affect even those inverters that are physically manufactured in Europe, as long as the parent company is controlled by entities from these risk countries. The ghost of the national blackout. The forcefulness of the EU responds to a tangible fear. The Commission bases its veto on intelligence reports and classified information provided by several Member States that warn of a very serious threat: cyberattack and “remote shutdown.” Since the investors are connected to the internet and manage critical operational data of the electrical grid, a foreign actor could use them as a Trojan horse. Siobhan McGarry, Commission spokesperson, has been blunt: “In practice, this could involve a remote shutdown of Member States’ networks, causing national blackouts.” This is not science fiction. The great blackout that Spain and Portugal suffered on April 28, 2025 empirically demonstrated the vulnerability of the network. Although acts of deliberate sabotage were ruled out at the time, the official report from the European grid (ENTSO-E) concluded that the collapse was directly linked to a large voltage swing caused by the unexpected disconnection of photovoltaic inverters. This precedent has revived in Brussels the ghosts of 5G and the decision to corner firms like Huawei and ZTE in the telecommunications sector. A shot in the foot for Spain? Brussels’ theory is firm, but it collides with an uncomfortable reality: the overwhelming dependence on the Asian giant. According to data provided by SCMPChina currently controls 80% of the global inverter market, with brands such as Huawei and Sungrow leading the world ranking. In Spain, the scenario is even more monopolistic. As revealed by the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC)that close to 70% of the inverters installed in our country are of Chinese origin. Huawei alone accounted for 36.5% of installations in 2023, followed by Sungrow (29.7%) and GoodWe (14.5%). Despite warnings from Brussels, the Spanish Government maintains a divergent position and continues to certify dozens of Huawei devices for use in sensitive networks, assuring its allies that they do not pose a risk. However, the shock wave of the European veto is already breaking projects at the national level. As we explain in Xatakathe Generalitat of Catalonia has recently had to backtrack on the award of its public network macro project (XCAT) to the alliance formed by Sirt and Huawei. The fear of having to dismantle the infrastructure in less than a year to comply with new European regulations has left a 127 million euro contract up in the air. Unfounded fear of costs? There are many open questions. Will this veto paralyze renewable deployment in Europe due to lack of supply or cost overruns? The European industry assures that there is no reason for panic. According to the ESMCthe current production capacity in the EU exceeds 100 GW annually (compared to a demand of about 65 GW). Furthermore, the Commission points to Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and the United States as reliable alternative suppliers. Regarding the economic impact, the data dismantles the myth of a drastic increase in prices. As stated Euronewsthe cost of inverters barely represents 5% of the total budget of a solar park. An analysis by Wood Mackenzie It is estimated that replacing Chinese components Western technology will only increase the total cost of large-scale projects by 2%. A “minimal extra cost”, according to Brussels, in exchange for shielding the network. The “boomerang effect.” This strategy of Western isolation has a silent but gigantic parallel consequence. By expelling China from European energy and telecommunications networks, Beijing is being forced to create a 100% autonomous technological ecosystem. Chinese entities, such as Tsinghua University or Huawei itself, are registering an unusually high volume of patents in photolithography to be able to manufacture its own cutting-edge chips without depending on the European ASML. In parallel, they are building solid alternatives to Western Artificial Intelligence standards (like NVIDIA’s CUDA monopoly). By closing the door, Europe and the United States could be incubating a totally uncontrollable and independent global technological competitor. Outrage in Beijing. As expected, China’s reaction has been immediate. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the EU (CCCEU) has … Read more

Do you think we’ve had a cold winter? Arctic sea ice has things to tell you

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It’s easy to look out the window on a January morning, see the frost on the car, feel the icy wind on your face and think: “What a winter we’re having.” Our perception of the weather is often terribly local; However, while we shelter ourselves to combat the seasonal coldthe global thermometer tells a very different story. And if we want to know how “cold” this winter has really been, the best place to ask is not our street, but the top of the world, that is, the Arctic. A technical tie. Every year, during the dark and frigid months of the northern winter, the Arctic Ocean freezes, expanding its ice sheet until it reaches its maximum annual extent. Something that normally occurs between February and March. but this year control data of this ice expansion have pointed out that the winter limit of Arctic sea ice was reached on March 15, 2026 with an extension that reached 14.29 million square kilometers. This is a number that in isolation may seem like a large amount of ice has formed, but the reality is that 2026 has tied statistically with the historical minimum recorded in 2025. It’s a problem. Although this year’s extent is nominally lower by just 0.02 million km² compared to last year, the NSIDC considers any fluctuation within a margin of 40,000 km² a “technical tie”. In other words: we have never had two winters with so little ice in the Arctic since satellite records have existed since 1979. It’s a problem. To understand why we should worry, we have to look back. Here climatologists usually use the average of the period 1981-2010 as a base reference, and if we compare the maximum of 2026 with that historical average, the reality is that we are missing a piece of ice the size of 1.3 million square kilometers. We are talking about a reduction of between 8% and 10% of the frozen surface, and to put it in perspective, it is as if a block of ice equivalent to the surface of Spain, France and Germany combined had disappeared. Something that confirms a trend that already points to a loss of this maximum limit of 12% per decade since the end of the 70s, since the ice is not recovering, but is systematically retreating. It’s not just quantity. The drama of the Arctic is not only read in two dimensions, but also in three, since thickness is essential in this situation. And to measure it the mission comes into play ICESat-2 from NASA, which has already ‘seen’ how much of the current ice, especially in the Barents Sea and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, It’s much finer than in past decades. Thinner ice is bad news, since it means it is much more fragile and fractures sooner in spring storms and, more critically, melts much faster in summer. Its consequences. This last point is fundamental, since seeing how the winter maximum falls is bad news, since the structural weakness of that ice guarantees that, when summer arrives, the thaw will be more aggressive. And if we continue advancing in this chain of events, we find in the end that the dark ocean will be able to absorb a greater amount of solar heat, which will heat the waters even more and make it difficult for ice to form in the following winter. In the end we are seeing a textbook vicious cycle. Images | Cassie Matias In Xataka | China has turned the Arctic into its own “Panama Canal.” And that explains the US obsession with Greenland

A polar air mass will descend over Spain just before Easter. AEMET is already talking about polar cold and significant snowfall

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The key day will be Wednesday the 26th. It will be then when, at the gates of Holy Week, a mass of polar air will enter the national territory leaving cold and snow during the last week of march. And yes, that’s what matters to us right now; but the general context is much more complicated. But let’s talk about the cold. Starting on Wednesday, an undulation of the polar jet will push the anticyclonic ridge towards the north of the Atlantic and a very deep polar trough will descend over Europe. This will generate several storms. In Spain, the models they don’t agree. While the European model is committed to a colder and more intense scenario; The American believes that the irruption will be limited to the north, the east and the Balearic Islands. Be that as it may, we are talking about an isotherm of -4 degrees in the heart of the peninsula, more than significant snowfall in the Cantabrian Mountains, the Pyrenees and the Iberian system (at least in the north). This is just what we hope for. And skepticism is more than justified: the 2025-2026 storm season has broken all records totaling (to date) 19 named systems. Furthermore, this winter has been the third wettest of the 21st century and January was the wettest month since records began. The uncertainty is, understandably and unjustifiably, greater than normal. We must not forget that “Holy Week” is synonymous with millions of trips, thousands of outdoor activities throughout the country and hundreds of sectors that critically depend on it. But it’s not a surprise either. According to AEMET climate dataBetween the end of March and the beginning of April, it rains some day in 70-80% of recorded years. That is to say, the distinctive thing this year will not be the rain, but the cold. The good news. If we pay attention to the medium-term models, everything seems to indicate that the anticyclone It will recover ground around April 1 or 2. That is, we can expect the weather to be more stable in the second half of Holy Week. Of course, the uncertainties are great and, as the old saying goes, “you should not sell the bear’s skin before hunting it.” Interesting days are coming. Image | Tropical TidBits In Xataka | The snowiest ski resort in Europe right now is not in the Alps or the Pyrenees: it is in Granada

a signature of the cold war

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Sometimes, decisions in international politics are not made in offices, but in documents signed decades ago. In fact, a clause drafted in the middle of the Cold War can become the decisive factor in a 21st century crisis. A document from the past that has been transformed into a strategic tool. Escalation and division. The offensive of the United States and Israel against Iran has opened a political rift on the European continent. France, Germany and the United Kingdom have coordinated a joint position that leaves no room for doubt, one in which they even contemplate proportionate actions to neutralize Iranian attacks at source and protect their interests in the Gulf. Faced with this bloc, Spain has opted for a explicit uncheck linedefending de-escalation and strict respect for international law. The fracture with the great forces of Europe is not just rhetoric, because it has now materialized in operational decisions that directly affect strategic infrastructures on Spanish soil. All “yes”, except one. Thus, while the great European powers they have made it clear that will allow the use of its capabilities and bases to support Washington, Spain has activated a legal mechanism signed almost 40 years ago during the Cold War, in 1988, which conditions any use of the Rota and Morón bases to objectives framed in collective defense or in a recognized multilateral framework. The key “paragraph.” He article 2 of the Convention It is clear in this sense, since it grants the United States the use of certain support facilities and authorizations in Spanish territory “for objectives within the bilateral or multilateral scope of the agreement.” However, it also points out that any use that goes beyond those objectives will require authorization prior to the Spanish Government. Hence, the Executive has maintained that a unilateral operation against Iran doesn’t fit in that case. That clauseborn in the context of the NATO referendum and the reaffirmation of sovereignty over the bases, has now become the “ace in the hole” that has allowed Madrid deny replenishment of American tankers and block direct support for the offensive. Rota and Morón: sovereignty, not automatic transfer. The bilateral agreement makes it clear that the bases They are of Spanish sovereignty and that the United States operates support facilities under national command. This implies that transit or resupply flights are for the purposes of the treaty and have express authorization. Thus, yesterday and after the Spanish refusal, Washington retired for a fortnight of tanker aircraft deployed in Morón and Rota, moving them to other European bases. The message is twofold: Spain does not authorize offensive use outside the agreed framework and the United States reorganizes its device accordingly. The European contrast. As we said, Paris, Berlin and London have shown willingness to coordinate responses even of an offensive nature if they consider that their interests or those of their allies are threatened by Iranian missiles. The difference, therefore, is not ideological, but strategic: the big three have chosen to align with Washington in active defense against Tehran. Spain, on the other hand, has insisted in that any action must be protected by the United Nations Charter or by a multilateral organization such as NATO or the EU. There is no doubt, the result is a unique and historic position within the Western bloc. Consequences and international perception. Plus: the decision has generated conflicting readings. For the Government it is clear that it is a reaffirmation of legality and sovereignty. For critics and defense experts, it means a distancing of the common allied position, one that may have medium-term implications in the strategic relationship with the United States, whose link with Spain is articulated to a large extent via Rota. If you like, also in security policy, each gesture is interpreted as a signal. And on this occasion, the signal sent by Spain has been unequivocal: without international legal coverage, its bases will not be a platform to attack Iran. Image | Navy, US Defense In Xataka | Iran has just attacked a base in Europe: the paradox of Spain is that it condemns the war, but the US does not need to ask to use its bases In Xataka | The great paradox of Spain is 7,000 million euros: nobody wants to take up weapons, but they are making money by selling them

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