decision

AMD has made a decision that until now seemed impossible

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Lisa Su, AMD’s CEO, visited Samsung’s campus in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in March. At that time, some Asian media considered the possibility that the purpose of this visit was to negotiate an agreement. about 2nm node from this semiconductor manufacturer. And it has just been confirmed: according to DigiTimes AsiaSamsung is going to manufacture 2nm chips for AMD. We still don’t know for sure what products these will be, but they will possibly be next-generation processors. EPYC Venice and Summer. Venice will incorporate Zen 6C cores and will be able to integrate a maximum of 256 cores distributed in eight CCDs (Core Complex Die). An important note: CCDs incorporate the cores and the cache memory subsystem, among other essential elements of the CPU. On the other hand, the EPYC Verano processors will arrive in 2027 and will work hand in hand with the Instinct MI500 GPUs in data centers to artificial intelligence (AI). Curiously, when AMD presented the EPYC Venice family in April 2025, it announced that TSMC would manufacture these chips in its 2nm node. Nvidia dominates the AI ​​GPU market, but AMD is doing increasingly better in this sector. And the company led by Lisa Su has closed the first quarter of 2026 with revenues of 10.25 billion dollarsa figure that represents an increase of 38% compared to the same period in 2025. Its data center division has invoiced 5.8 billion dollarswhich represents a growth of 57% compared to the same stage last year. These figures reflect an unappealable reality: sales of EPYC processors and Instinct GPUs are growing. TSMC can die of success The agreement that AMD and Samsung have agreed upon has arrived just a week after the leak that maintains that Apple is exploring the possibility that Intel and Samsung manufacture the advanced chips for their devices in the US. In all likelihood, the loss of influence and priority in the TSMC production chain that it has maintained for more than a decade has led to this decision. Now Nvidia has these privileges. The agreement that AMD and Samsung have agreed upon does not imply that Lisa Su’s company will stop being a TSMC client Whatever the agreement that AMD and Samsung have agreed upon, it does not imply that Lisa Su’s company will stop being a TSMC client. At least not in the medium term. In all likelihood, what AMD is looking for is to diversify and increase its production capacity in a context in which Nvidia and Apple largely monopolize TSMC’s 2nm nodes. The latter are so in demand not only by Nvidia and Apple, but also by Qualcomm, Google or AMD itself, that they cannot cope. TSMC is doing very well, there is no doubt, but everything seems to indicate that its inability to satisfy the demand of its most advanced nodes is going to cause it to lose certain orders from some of its customers. Of course, Samsung has a big challenge ahead to build customer loyalty and attract more chip designers to its 2nm nodes. Currently the per wafer performance of its 2nm nodes ranges around 55%so it is below the 60% threshold that needs to be reached to ensure node profitability and attract more customers. The per-wafer performance of TSMC’s 2nm nodes, however, ranges between 60 and 70%which places this Taiwanese company, which is Samsung’s biggest competitor and the leader of the chip manufacturing industryin a very favorable position when it comes to attracting new clients. Image | amd More information | DigiTimes Asia In Xataka | Apple had been able to maintain prices despite the crazy rise in RAM. That’s over

Neighbors in Chile tried to stop an Amazon data center. Justice has left a clear message with its decision

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Artificial intelligence has been part of our lives for a long time, often almost without us stopping to think about what is behind it. We use it as if everything were happening in an invisible layer: models, algorithms and, perhaps, servers in some remote location. But we can also look at it from another perspective. The infrastructure that supports that world is very real: it has a location, consumes resources, requires permits, involves enormous investments, and can also alter the environment of those who live nearby. That is one of the great debates that is beginning to accompany the rise of AI: the cloud also has neighbors. They lost the case. A specific case leads us to Huechurabanorth of Santiago de Chile, where Amazon plans to build a data center. The initiative had received a favorable Environmental Qualification Resolution in July 2024, but not everyone was convinced that the project had been evaluated accordingly. That concern reached the judicial route through a claim presented by Patricio Hernández Valenzuelaa resident of the area, and the Second Environmental Court resolved on April 9, 2026 to reject ita decision that leaves the data center in a position to move forward. A very specific concern. Hernández questioned whether the environmental evaluation of the project had not adequately taken into account a possible high voltage line that, according to his approach, would be necessary to power the data center. The criticism was not minor: if both infrastructures were linked, they had to be analyzed together. For residents, not doing so meant leaving relevant impacts on the environment out of the analysis. The key to the failure. The court’s reasoning involves clearly separating both pieces. The ruling concludes that the data center and the eventual high-voltage line cannot be considered to form a single initiative, among other things because the Amazon project does not include that infrastructure as part of its design. Furthermore, the planned electricity supply does not depend on its own installation, but on the network managed by third parties, which reinforces the idea that these are different projects. Without joint evaluation. Once the existence of a project unit has been ruled out, the court concludes that an integrated environmental assessment is not appropriate. The sentence explicitly states it: “it has been proven that between both initiatives there is no relationship of functional interdependence that conditions their execution.” This nuance is key, because it implies that the data center can operate using the available electrical infrastructure, without the need to subject its viability to a future high voltage line which, in any case, would have to be evaluated separately if it were to be considered. Beyond the legal debate. The Amazon project has very specific dimensions on paper. The data storage center in Huechuraba is designed to operate for 30 years, with an estimated investment of 205 million dollars. It would be built on an area of ​​10.9 hectares, with a construction of 21,350.07 square meters, in the street of Américo Vespucio 1055. From the company, collects Reutershave pointed out that the design of the infrastructure focuses on minimizing energy and water consumption, and maintains that the plan met environmental requirements. Chile as a hub. The Huechuraba project is not an isolated initiative within Amazon’s strategy. Amazon Web Services has proposed an investment of more than 4,000 million dollars in Chile over 15 years to build, operate and maintain its infrastructure in the country. The idea is to turn Santiago into its third major center in Latin America, after São Paulo and the central region of Mexico. Factors such as connectivity through fiber optic cables are added to this context. The concern of those who live nearby. Beyond the investment and digital infrastructure they promise, data centers are often accompanied by very specific concerns: high electricity consumption, use of water for cooling, heat or noise generation, and their fit into environments that, in many cases, have environmental or community value. Google did not have the same path. The case of Amazon is not the only one that has gone through this type of debate in Chile. Google had obtained initial approval in 2020 to build a $200 million data center in Cerrillos, southwest of Santiago. However, the project’s journey was different. In February 2024, the Second Environmental Court decided to partially reverse that permissionand months later the company announced that it would not continue with the initiative as it had originally been proposed, opting to start a new process from scratch for a project in the same location, but with a redesign based on air cooling. Electricity enters the scene. If we broaden the focus, the debate is not limited to a specific project, but to the system’s capacity to absorb this type of infrastructure. A Systep reportpublished on September 23, 2025 with data from the National Electrical Coordinator, indicated that, taking 2025 as a starting point, the electrical demand of data centers in Chile could increase by 270% in five years. The same projection places this consumption at around 1,207 MW in 2030. These figures help to understand why the energy issue has become one of the central axes when talking about the expansion of the cloud and AI. Images | Xataka with Nano Banana In Xataka | In 2024, Big Tech spent absurd amounts of money on AI. In 2025, they managed to spend 77% more

It’s actually the most logical decision.

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Everything related to hantavirus and the MV Hondius cruise ship is causing great fear among the population. A virus that comes from another country and that has already left several deaths, quarantines, security protocols… It is impossible not to think about the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is possibly the reason why the Government of the Canary Islands has shown its disagreement with the decision of the WHO and the Central Government of Spain to take the ship to the Port of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife, to evacuate the sick. The truth is that Fear is a totally logical reaction. However, there are many experts who have made a call for calmremembering that the pandemic potential of the hantavirus is very low and that, furthermore, Spanish Health has the capacity to treat this crisis in a safe way for the population. On the other hand, they add what both the president of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and the president of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, have already been saying. “Solidarity is very important in cases like this.” What do we know so far about this virus? The hantavirus It is not a new virus. That is the first factor that differentiates it from SARS-CoV 2, which causes COVID-19. The disease that causes has been known since the 1950swhen the first cases were detected in South Korea. However, the virus was not isolated until 1976. The cells from which it was extracted came from mice living near the Hantan River, also in this Asian country. That’s precisely where its name comes from. This first virus caused kidney disease when infected in humans. Today it is the only hantavirus that can be found naturally in Europe. But what caused the outbreak on the cruise ship is not this hantavirus, but another one, which was discovered on the American continent in the 1990s. Instead of a kidney disease, causes a respiratory disease and is much more deadly. Both are usually transmitted mainly by rodents, such as rats and mice. However, it has been known for years a variant of the American hantavirus called Andesthat Yes, it can be spread between humans due to very close contact. That’s the one on the cruise. The contact must be very close for said contagion to occur. It is normally found in the saliva and respiratory secretions of patients in the acute phase of the disease. It is not in aerosols, like SARS-CoV 2, so it is not common to be infected simply by being in the same room as an infected person. It also does not last long on surfaces. That’s why it’s much less contagious. In fact, Tertiary infections are quite rare. That is, a first person can infect a second, but there rarely is a third and a fourth would be extremely unusual. It is not known if the infections have all occurred on the ship or on an excursion That said, it is not known if the sick people on the cruise contracted the disease through contact with rodents during any of the excursions to the American islands or if they directly infected each other. It is something that should be investigated. That said, with all this data, it seems that all the institutions consulted, with the exception of the Government of the Canary Islands, agree that Spain cannot look elsewhere. What do the experts say? It should be noted that the cruise ship initially moved to Cape Verde. The Government of said country rejected help to the passengers, ensuring that they did not have the necessary means. For this reason, the WHO requested help from Spain. An aid that the Central Government has accepted, recognizing that We are the closest country with the means to take charge. In fact, according to statements to Science Media Center (SMC) of Maria João Forjazpresident of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology, in Spain “Periodic drills on health emergencies are held in designated portsthe last one, a few weeks ago in the port of Palma.” In addition, “we have a network of hospitals with High Level Isolation and Treatment Units in case it is necessary to attend to the cases.” For this same reason, Pedro Ignacio Arcos Gonzálezdirector of the Emergency and Disaster Research Unit of the University of Oviedo, believes that “The Ministry’s decision is consistent with the reduced degree of risk posed by the hantavirus ship threat. and is in accordance with what is established in the WHO International Health Regulations and with the duty of international cooperation in matters of public health.” Think something similar Mar Faracohead of the Foreign Health Service in Huelva. Furthermore, it points out that “it is reasonable and fair to assume control of the outbreak and assist the affected ship and the people on board, guaranteeing the protection of public health with a procedure of action, which, although complex, is possible and necessary”. And now what? The cruise is already on its way to Tenerife, but will not dock directly in the port. It is planned to anchor in the vicinity of the same. There, passengers will board small boats, which will take them to a bus, with which they will travel to the airport. Afterwards, each person will be repatriated to their country, with the security measures indicated in each case. The Spanish Government has already made it known that Spanish passengers, with or without symptoms, They must undergo a quarantine period. Let us remember that this virus can take up to 45 days to incubate. Therefore, it is best to take extreme precautions before these people can return to their routine. This quarantine will take place at the Gómez Ulla Hospital in Madrid. Regarding the sick, Adrian Hugo Aginagaldespokesperson for the Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Health Management, has also pointed out SMC that the first step is to evacuate them. Afterwards, it will be necessary to “evaluate, monitor, transfer and maintain the quarantine of their close contacts.” In principle, … Read more

Two tourists from the US decided to free the lobsters from a bar in Italy. Environmentalists think it was a bad decision.

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In theory it was going to be a nice gesture, a kind of performance improvised idea with which to give an emotional touch to a holiday in the Mediterranean, but it has ended up becoming a blunder. A few days ago, while eating at a restaurant in Campania (Italy), two American tourists decided to rescue the dozen lobsters that were swimming in the local aquarium. They paid for them. They put them in a basin. They got into a taxi. And they traveled to a Tyrrhenian beach, where they released the crustaceans. Everything was fantastic if it weren’t for one small detail: what they did could be an environmental crime. Now they risk paying a considerable fine. The saying goes that hell is paved with good intentions. In the waters of the Tyrrhenian, Italy, good intentions have caused something else: a illegal release of lobsters. The event occurred a few days ago, when two tourists from Texas (mother and daughter) decided to crown their vacation in Naples with something that at first seemed an altruistic gesture: Pay for a dozen crustaceans condemned to die in a kitchen and then release them into the sea. Altruistic gesture or environmental crime? To understand the story you have to travel to the Mercato Pompeiano restaurant, in Campania, where a few days ago two Americans decided to try the local cuisine. So far nothing strange. The surprise came when they asked the waiter to sell them the dozen lobsters that were swimming in the aquarium, the typical display where customers can choose the seafood they want to be cooked for them. Their intention was not to feast on crustaceans, but to put the animals in a basin to release them into the sea. It was the daughter herself who was in charge of ‘fishing’ them out of the pond with a small net. Then, to the astonishment of the restaurant owners, the two tourists got into a taxi and traveled to the nearby beach of Castellammare di Stabia. Once there, the daughter rolled up her sleeves, approached the coastline where the waves were breaking, and went releasing one by one the lobsters that until recently looked at the diners of the Mercato Pompeiano with tongs held with ribbons. You don’t have to imagine it. The scene can be seen because the tourists themselves were in charge of recording everything in a video that has ended up going viral. In it you can see the daughter with the water up to her ankles, releasing the lobsters, while the mother immortalizes the scene with her cell phone. Some Italian media they need who were accompanied by a guide. “We want to take this memory to the United States. It has been beautiful, we are happy,” explains the mother, proud. The couple even sent a message to the restaurant owner. “Even if they only live a few more days, it was worth it. My mother has always wanted to do this when we saw lobsters in restaurants, but until now it has never been possible.” The video of the release soon spread like wildfire on social networks, where it provoked opposing reactions. There are those who applaud the gesture for its altruism. And there are those who consider it a nonsense with serious environmental consequences. @la.repubblica Have bought all the things that were in the restaurant’s aquarium. Salvandololi from the death and from the destiny indicated by the end of the meals in the menu. Due to Texan tourists arriving at Pompei from Texas, they are very happy to join the spiaggia of Castellammare di Stabia and have not been liberated in the sea. Terminata la missione salvezza hanno sent a message in English to the owner of the ristorante: “Grazie per avercelo permesso, se anche vivranno qualche giorno in più ne è valsa la pena. Mia mamma avrebbe semper voluto farlo quando abbiamo viewed le aragoste nei ristoranti, ma non è stato mai possibile.” Il fuoriprogramma nato quasi percaso, quanto le due Americane touriste hanno gli glistici nuotare nell’acquario accanto al tavolo dove era sedute a mangiare. This is the time to turn on one at a time with the light used in the chambers of the premises, fishing from the aquarium with per insertion in safety. Tutto ripreso con il cellulare dalla mamma: “Vogliamo porre a casa negli Usa il ricordo di questo avvenimento. È stato bello, siamo felici. Abbiamo regalato loro una ultima possibilità.” by Mariella Parmendola ♬ original audio – la.repubblica The reason? To the untrained eye, perhaps all lobsters look the same, but that is not the case. In the recording it can be seen that the lobsters that the tourists released into the waters of the Tyrrhenian are of the species Homarus americanus (American or Canadian), native to the northwest Atlantic and characterized by the brown tones of its shell, very different from the bluish color that usually identifies the European lobster. It is no surprise because the American variety is usually the one used by restaurants in the region. That small detail is important because in practice the Homarus americanus is considered an invasive species in the Mediterranean. Not only that. Animal releases, even if only a dozen specimens, as occurred in Castellammare di Stabia, require studies and careful prior planning. First because introducing species can alter the balance of ecosystems. Second, because it is not unusual for loose specimens to carry parasites or diseases that are lethal to the native fauna. As if the above were not enough, there are experts who warn that the lobsters released by the American tourists probably did not live much longer than they would have lasted in the restaurant’s aquarium. The reason? The water in the pond was probably kept at a lower temperature than that found on the beach of Castellammare di Stabia, so it is not unreasonable that they suffered. a lethal thermal shock. The worst of all is not that both tourists have found themselves involved in a bitter … Read more

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

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

150 years ago, Spain made a unique decision in the world. Ouigo and Iryo believe that Renfe uses it to get them out of the market

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They have no rolling stock. And the worst of all (for them) is that they are not going to have it. Ouigo, Iryo and a third rolling stock company have raised their voices before the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) to make it clear that the current system with two gauges of track reduces their competitiveness in our country compared to Renfe. And it doesn’t seem like it’s going to change in the short term. What has happened? The CNMC has published a document with the name “Report on technical barriers to the provision of railway services”. It sets out the challenges and interventions that Spain should carry out in the coming years. It specifies that the Spanish railway system has the obligation to improve interoperability with its neighboring countries, both to facilitate the flow of passengers and goods. But there is a drawback: the track widths. And this inconvenience has a very relevant economic impact. They complain. In the document the different postures are collected of those involved. And it states that “Ouigo, Iryo and a rolling stock manufacturer (which is not specified) warn that the uncertainty regarding the schedule and details of the Gauge Migration Plan, as well as the unification of the electrification system and the implementation of the ERTMS signaling system, makes decision-making on strategic investments difficult, and they ask that the Gauge Migration Plan be prepared and published as soon as possible.” In short: the two operators and the rolling stock manufacturer complain that Adif does not have a clear plan as to whether the Iberian high-speed track gauges are going to adapt to European standards, which move in standard gauge. The same happens with the unification of the electrification system and the definitive implementation of the ERTMS system. And they defend themselves. The position of Adif and Renfe is set out in the same document. Both companies “point out that incorporating gauge change technology in the rolling stock and infrastructure is less expensive and entails fewer interruptions in traffic than the migration of the infrastructure. On the other hand, both the AESF and the DG of the Railway Sector indicate that, in addition to Talgo, there is a second manufacturer of variable gauge rolling stock for high speed, CAF, although they admit that it is currently only approved to operate at 250 km/h.” In short: neither Renfe nor Adif They believe that adapting to the standard width is economically profitable given the high economic impact. The bottleneck. What Ouigo and Iryo defend is that the current situation and the commitment to trains with wide gauge technology leaves them behind. They have two reasons to maintain this. CAF can supply trains with this technology but they are only approved to travel at a maximum of 250 km/h. Talgo is the only company with this technology with approval to circulate up to 350 km/h. They are known as Talgo AVRIL but their production is committed to Renfe. And the results are not satisfactory either.. Beyond these two manufacturers, no one seems to want to get involved in the production of trains capable of changing tracks between standard and Iberian gauge. And the fact is that their production means meeting a demand that is still a niche or a rarity in the world railway system. Very juicy. The reluctance of Adif and Renfe is not strange either. For Adif it would mean a huge investment that has to be able to make profitable with the rest of the operators when the vast majority of current corridors in Spain already operate with standard gauge. For its part, Renfe does not want to let go of this trick either. Right now, the high speed to Galicia needs trains that are capable of moving between the Iberian gauge and the standard gauge if you do not want to transfer and the Spanish company is the only one that has the trains for this. The Galician corridor has also emerged as one of the most profitable. Travel has grown so much that it has made airlines retreat and now that they have to liberalize the line, maintaining the current situation guarantees that they will continue to be the only ones that will be able to offer this trip without transfers, which is a clear competitive advantage. Photo | Falk2 In Xataka | “Whoever wants to come, should invest”: Ouigo wanted to enter the Madrid-Galicia AVE but now sees it as impossible before 2030

A brotherhood in Sagunto has closed its doors to women during Holy Week. The decision threatens to cost the entire town

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What weighs more, tradition or equality? It seems like a whimsical question, but it’s exactly the same as yesterday they had to consider hundreds of brothers from Sagunto. There the members of Sang de Sagunt have had to make a controversial decision with Holy Week around the corner: Keep the doors of their brotherhood closed to women, preserving the status quo with which they have functioned in recent centuries, or accept the requests increasingly pressing of the women who want to procession just like the men of the town? For them there are few doubts. What has happened? That nothing will change in Sagunto. At least for now. Yesterday the brotherhood of the Sang de Sagunt decided by an overwhelming majority that it will remain faithful to tradition and keep its door closed to women. The members of the brotherhood with the right to vote were called to a conclave in which they had to decide a crucial question: whether or not to alter the statutes so that where it now says “male” it now includes “any baptized person”, a small change that would nevertheless allow women to participate in the work of the entity. The brothers voted for do not touch a single comma. What was the result? The vote was held behind closed doors, but its results were not long in coming. To begin with, we know that of the 1,627 brotherOnly 403 voted, all men, of course. Regarding the result, the ‘no’ to the change won resoundingly. 267 people spoke out against altering the statutes compared to 114 who supported it. Another eight brothers abstained, 12 voted blank and two issued invalid ballots. The result throws a bucket of cold water (the umpteenth) on the claims of the dozens of women of the Semana Santa Inclusiva Sagunto collective who were waiting gathered at the doors of the temple where the summit was held. Why is it important? Beyond the vote and what it means for the brotherhood, the result is important for several reasons. To begin with, it shows that, despite the attempts at Inclusive Holy Week, the message of equality is far from reaching the brotherhood. It’s not just that the ‘no’ won overwhelmingly, it’s that it’s the third time that the brotherhood has spoken out in that sense. A similar vote was held in 1999 in which only nine brothers They spoke out in favor of the inclusion of women. In 2022 the experience was repeated with the same result, although the ‘yeses’ shot up to 135, leaving at least a positive reading for women. Yesterday the vote did not even leave that little consolation. Support plummeted to only 114. Are there more reasons? Yes. Yesterday’s vote is also relevant for what it may represent for Holy Week in Sagunto. In February elDiario revealed that the Ministry of Tourism had initiated an investigation file to decide whether or not to remove the label Festival of National Tourist Interest (FITN). The reason: precisely the lack of gender equality in the brotherhood that has been in charge of the central events of Holy Week for centuries. The loss of the title would be a lot more than a simple administrative formality. The FITN label clears the way to benefit from promotion channels and subsidies, so if Sagunto loses that label it could be affected at a tourism level. The Government already has advanced which, after yesterday’s vote, has decided to initiate a file to “revoke” the 2004 declaration. Why did they vote against? In the background there is a key debate: Maintain the current status to preserve tradition or adapt it to the values ​​of the 21st century for greater equality? As the reporters who were waiting yesterday for the result of the vote at the doors of the temple explained, arguments in favor of both positions could be heard in the streets of Sagunto. At the summit, however, the first one won with arguments like “tradition is tradition” or that women can set up their “own brotherhood.” “We are sad, above all disappointed,” admits to The Newspaper Blanca Ribelles, from Holy Week Inclusive. “I thought that our society would have evolved and that we would be more mature than three years ago, because equality is something that is no longer questioned. It is not about being more, but about equality.” After collecting signatures to encourage voting, Ribelles recognizes that now the next move may be to go directly to court, although assures which is a path “that we would never have wanted to reach”. Is it a unique case? Not quite. What the group demands is that women not have to limit themselves to mending their clothes, cleaning the hermitage or raising funds. They want to go out in procession in “the usual brotherhood, the one they have always had.” It is not the only place in Spain where the debate has arisen. A year ago the Constitutional gave the reason to a woman from La Laguna (Tenerife) who reported a similar situation. The case has been resorted at the European level, however, which explains why yesterday it was not decisive in the Sagunto vote. Images | Sagunto Tourism and Valencian Community In Xataka | Holy Week has been a huge marketing campaign for decades. Now it even has board games

Faced with the fear of a barrel of oil at $200, the US has made an unprecedented decision: remove sanctions on Russia

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After almost two weeks, the Iran war already has a great (and unexpected) beneficiary: the Kremlin. days after giving carte blanche to India to buy million barrels of Russian crude without fear of sanctions, yesterday Washington was one step further by lifting (partially) the sanctions imposed on the Russian oil industry after the invasion of Ukraine. With this, he hopes to alleviate the effects of the Iran war on the energy market and prevent Tehran’s threat from becoming a reality: that the barrel of Brent shoots to $200an all-time high. The question is… What will it mean for the war in Ukraine? What has happened? That the US has decided to pause the sanctions that penalize the purchase of Russian oil, a measure adopted four years ago and which seeks asphyxiate the Kremlin’s ability to finance its troops in Ukraine. The White House just published an order in which it gives the green light to the purchase of crude oil and oil products from Russia. Of course, with small print. The suspension of sanctions is temporary. It will only affect merchandise previously loaded on ships and (a priori) will be limited to one month: from March 12 to April 11. Click on the image to go to the tweet. Why do you do it? The task of announcing the measure has been the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bressent, who a few hours ago insisted in the White House’s efforts to “promote stability” in the global energy market and above all “keep prices low” while the Iran war lasts. “To expand global supply reach, Treasury grants temporary authorization for countries to purchase Russian oil stranded at sea,” explains the high office. “This measure, which is limited in scope and short-term, applies only to oil that is already in transit.” In the same messageBressent insists that the rise in crude oil prices this week, coinciding with the escalation of tension in the Persian Gulf, is “temporary” and claims that “in the long term it will greatly benefit” the US economy. In recent days, Trump himself has tried to downplay the fluctuations in the Brent barrel. Recently he even stated that, being “the largest oil producer”, the US makes “a lot of money” when crude oil rises. Does context matter? A lot. In fact, the decision of the Treasury Department cannot be understood without taking into account several factors. The first, the escalation in the value of oil to which Bressent himself refers. The stock charts show that the cost of a barrel of Brent has skyrocketed in recent days: from marking just under 70 dollars in mid-February, it has gone above 90, with peaks that exceeded the barrier of the 100. Those fluctuations already affect to those who need to fill the car tank and threaten to go beyond transportation, infecting the shopping basket. What will happen now? The problem is not just how much oil has risen over the last two weeks. There is (very much) concern that the barrel of Brent will continue to become more expensive and, if so, by how much. The Iranian regime already has shown its ability to condition oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime passage that channels 20% of international oil, and Tehran seems willing to use ‘black gold’ as a weapon of war. On Wednesday the regime of the ayatollahs threatened to the US (and the West) with a scenario in which the Brent barrel doubles its value and shoots up to $200, shattering the all-time high of 2008, when it reached $174.5. How will it affect Russia? That’s the other big question. The order just published by the US Treasury will allow Russia to market oil for a month without its customers risking sanctions, generating a flow of cash for the Kremlin. Bressent questions in any case the scope of that injection of funds. “It will not bring significant financial benefits to the Russian government, which derives most of its energy revenue from taxes levied at the point of extraction,” defend the secretary. Is it an exceptional measure? The truth is that it is not the first ‘balloon of oxygen’ that Trump has granted to the Russian oil industry since he began his military operation in Iran. It’s been a week now temporarily relaxed its sanctions policy so that India can buy Russian oil. The measure was approved with conditions very similar to those that Washington now extends to the rest of the countries: a 30-day suspension limited to crude oil already loaded on ships. It is not the only card that the White House has tried to reduce market tension. Another, adopted hand in hand of the International Energy Agency, has been to release millions of barrels of reserves. How much will it benefit Moscow? The great unknown. The measure approved by the US is temporary and has a limited scope, but it will probably allow the Kremlin to sell its oil without having to apply significant discounts to offset the possible sanctions that its buyers faced. Recently Financial Times I calculated that Russia is already winning up to 150 million of dollars in extra income every day through the sale of oil, a plus directly related to the conflict in Iran, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the turbulence in the Gulf and the growing interest of India and China. But will it help the Kremlin? The situation of the Russian coffers is not particularly buoyant. Its public deficit accumulated during the first two months of the year almost reaches the objective set for the entire year and there are those who question that the extra injection it will receive over the next month thanks to oil will increase its room for maneuver in Ukraine. The reason: hydrocarbons represent only a part of the income (relevant, but not decisive) on which the Kremlin depends, which after four years of war has seen how the country’s military industry is conditioning its economy. Images | … Read more

In 1997 Blockbuster decided that DVD would never replace VHS. With that decision he began to dig his grave

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In 1997, Warner Bros. proposed blockbuster an exclusivity agreement to rent DVDs. The deal replicated the model that was already practiced with the VHS format, which gave 60% of income to the video store chain. Blockbuster declined because they were confident that magnetic tape would maintain its dominance for years. Warner responded by drastically cutting the wholesale prices of its records and Walmart was quick to take advantage of the opening: In less than a decade, it overtook Blockbuster as Hollywood’s biggest moneymaker. The DVD arrives. In 1997, this format arrived promising better imaging, more durability, and interactive features (we were so young). But it had a giant before it: in 1988, after defeating Sony’s Betamax format, VHS already controlled 95% of the home video market. And a decade later, in 1997, it was an empire: VHS rentals generated $10 billion annually for movie studios, with Blockbuster pocketing about half of that revenue. VHS had reasons not to be afraid: DVD players were very expensive, between $300 and $500, and VHS devices were very accessible. And they were not wrong: DVD sales would not surpass those of VHS until 2003, six years after its commercial release. Warner’s proposal. Warren Lieberfarb, head of Warner Bros.’s home video division and one of the key figures in the development of the DVD format proposed to Blockbuster a deal that replicated the VHS model: exclusive rights to rent the company’s new DVD releases before they hit stores for sale to the public. Warner would receive 40% of the rental income from those records. John Antioco, CEO of Blockbuster, had just arrived at the company after passing through Taco Bell, and his decision could be key to the company’s future. The rejection. Blockbuster decided to reject the proposal because it believed that VHS would maintain its dominance for years. As we said above, a not unreasonable assumption. Furthermore, creating an inventory of DVD movies was an unnecessary expense under the profitable and peaceful reign of VHS. Some later format releases, before the advent of DVD, possibly made Blockbuster think it had done well: JVC’s D-VHS digital tape, which allowed high-definition recording, was a flop. But Blockbuster didn’t have two things: Hollywood support for DVD and the inevitable drop in player prices. The answer. Warner Bros. responded with a strategy that would transform home cinema: it drastically reduced wholesale prices for its DVDs, in order to compete directly with the rental industry. This allowed businesses to sell records at prices that made purchasing more attractive than renting. The North American giant Walmart detected the opportunity very quickly and began to sell DVDs below the cost price, and in this way, for example, they sold their discs for 15 or 20 dollars when renting a VHS cost between 3 and 5 dollars per day. The power of Walmart. Walmart’s network of stores had power in distribution, covering the entire country, that Blockbuster could not match. In addition, it had privileged deals with suppliers and, in general, a fund and resources that allowed it to absorb the losses from the DVDs. In this way, Walmart replaced Blockbuster as the studios’ main source of income in less than a decade. This led to redefining the balance of power in the industry: the most valuable distribution channel was no longer the video store, but became large commercial stores, where consumers no longer only bought movies. Blockbuster, free fall. As is well known, It was not Blockbuster’s last catastrophic decision: in 2000, when Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, co-founders of Netflix, approached John Antioco about selling their DVD-by-mail rental service for 50 million dollarsthe executive declined the offer. A decade later Blockbuster declared bankruptcy in 2010 while Netflix reached a valuation of billions. They are not the last. The case has parallels with recent technological transitions where dominant companies have underestimated the speed of the public’s adoption of new formats: the physical media industry believed that Blu-ray would maintain its relevance against streaming. And it is also easy to draw lines that link current technology companies with the adoption of AI: who will be the next giant to fall? Header | Stu pendousmat In Xataka | VCR Virus: the anti-copy system of the VHS era that looked like something out of a B horror movie

NASA had been refusing to allow its astronauts to carry iPhones for decades. For Artemis II you have made a historic decision

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Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator, has announced an important change for astronauts: the crew will be allowed to carry their personal smartphones. The objective is simple, to allow both photographs and videos recorded during space missions to be shared. what has happened. The publication has been informal and outside the official NASA press page. Via X, Isaacman has revealed that the crew of Crew-12 and Artemis II you will be able to fly with “modern smartphones”. “NASA astronauts will soon fly with the latest smartphones, starting with Crew-12 and Artemis II. We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and videos with the world. Equally important, we are challenging legacy processes and enabling modern hardware for spaceflight on an accelerated timeline. This operational urgency will serve NASA well as we strive to achieve the highest value science and research in orbit and on the lunar surface. This is a small step in the right direction.” Without detailing models or limitations, it makes it quite clear that soon we will see more than one iPhone flying over a ship far from our planet. What was happening until now. Historically, NASA has only allowed Nikon cameras (a Japanese company with which it has had an agreement for more than a decade) to be brought on board. Initially with some of their DSLRs, and recently with the Nikon Z9, the latest generation mirrorless authorized for Artemis. Because. For decades, NASA has operated under an extremely strict security framework for any object boarding a manned spacecraft. The devices must not interfere with critical systems, their batteries have to meet very specific requirements to minimize the risk of fire, they cannot contain materials that can fragment in microgravity and they must pass certification processes associated with an exact hardware model. For the first time, the agency will allow the use of mobile phones on a manned mission certified by its own procedures, marking a significant shift in how NASA evaluates and accepts commercial technology on board. When. The departure of Artemis II, after some delayis scheduled for the month of March. After several dress rehearsals, NASA is not prepared to return to the Moon, because of old ghosts like the complexity of liquid hydrogen. It will not be the first time that a modern mobile phone travels to space, but it will be the first time that its use is authorized within a manned mission managed directly by NASA. Until now, mobile phones and tablets had flown on SpaceX missions under more flexible operating frameworks, serving as a background to evaluate their behavior during the mission. In Xataka | When the United States decided to go to the Moon, it did so no matter what the cost. And that included 60% of all its chips

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