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The bill is 45,000 euros and two lost trials

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When a traffic light stops working there are road rules that we must follow until it is repaired. The worst thing is when this repair takes several days, causing chaos in traffic. That was what happened in 2023 in Valencia, and the dispute between the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community (TSJCV) and the maintenance company remained unresolved until a few days ago. What happened. For five days in November 2023, the pedestrian traffic light located on Doctor Manuel Candela Avenue with Santos Justo y Pastor Street showed the red light and the green light at the same time. According to they count From El Motor, the first alert was registered on November 14 at 6:45 in the morning. Four days later, a municipal inspection confirmed that the problem remained unresolved. Why did it take so long? The origin of the failure, according to the Valencia City Council, was that the company that had to take charge replaced the burned out halogen lamps. for other LED types with E27 socket. Municipal services described them as “glaringly unsuitable for traffic light networks.” The problem, furthermore, was not only the type of bulb that was used, but the technical procedure they followed to install them. A procedure that municipal reports described as “technically inappropriate.” blegal attack. The City Council imposed a penalty of 45,000 euros on Electronic Trafic SA, the company awarded the contract. The company appealed, arguing that it had resolved two different breakdowns, both in less than two hours, and that the council had “deliberately” confused the terms breakdown and incident, which would entail different economic implications depending on the contract. He also alleged “animosity” from the head of the Mobility Service towards the company. The courts did not see it that way. What the judges said. The TSJCV confirmed the sanction on February 26, supporting the City Council’s thesis. The sentence highlights “the seriousness of the behavior followed by the contractor”, which left the incident unresolved for more than four days at an intersection where there is special traffic. The court highlighted that the municipal reports were “highly precise and exhaustive” and that the company did not provide sufficient technical evidence to refute them. According to point The Motor, in addition to the 45,000 euros, the company must pay 2,500 euros in procedural costs. What this sentence implies. The issue here is that the company notified of the problem but the traffic light continued not to work correctly during those days. Therefore, the city council insist in which the responsibility falls on the company, from notification to solution. The failure being a traffic light, a critical road safety device, all the more so the urgency of finding a solution. More and more cities are outsourcing intelligent traffic management to private companies, and the ruling certainly sets a precedent. What happens now? The crossing operates normally. The ruling still allows for an appeal, although the fact that two different courts have endorsed the city council’s position means that the company has little room for maneuver. Cover image | Georgi Zvezdov In Xataka | We already have the VAT discount at the pump: now the battle begins to prevent gas stations from absorbing it

Renfe is already maneuvering to get a new contract in France. And the 1,000 million euros at stake is the least of it

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Arrive in Paris. Three words to summarize Renfe’s great objective in the neighboring country. After living with competition on our roads for more than five years, the Spanish company seeks to achieve one of its great challenges in its international expansion. A new route originating or ending in Paris is underway. But, so far, France has not made it easy. Target: Paris. Be that as it may. And Renfe is already preparing an offer to participate in the tender for the Paris-Dijon-Lyon line. That is what media outlets like Expansion either Forbeswho state that the Spanish company will participate in the tender to operate a route that, ten years from now, would be valued at around 1,000 million euros. The striking thing is that this line is not high speed. The link between Paris and Lyon that Renfe will serve uses regional trains, contrary to what the Spanish company has always pursued in the neighboring country. It would be, for the moment, his only way to reach Paris, a city that continues to resist him. A complicated landing. And Renfe has tried to reach Paris by all the means at its disposal. These were, as could be expected, offering their services on a high-speed line as required by Europe and Spain is allowing Ouigo and Iryowith French and Italian origins respectively. However, France has tried to torpedo As far as possible, Renfe runs its lines. Right now, the Spanish have managed to launch a corridor between Madrid and Marseille and Barcelona and Lyon. However, the French have managed to protect the arrival of the Spanish company in Paris, where a very substantial part of the high-speed business is located. What has been argued from France is that Renfe trains do not meet the technical criteria to be able to operate on the lines that reach Paris. And in this way he has achieved that Renfe will not operate in the city while the Olympic Games were organized from Paris, which would have given a great boost to his project. Go for the regionals. Aware of the difficulties they are encountering to continue expanding their borders with high speed, Renfe has decided to take the leap with regional trains. In Forbes They explain that the process requires the final offer for the Paris-Dijon-Lyon line to be presented before the end of 2026. Next year the award of the line would be confirmed and between 2029 and 2030 the company that has received the approval must begin operating. Renfe’s great rival, everything indicates, will be the French SNCF. The Burgundy-Franche-Comté region, which is responsible for this line, has already put out a first batch of the tender that fell into the hands of the local company with hardly any opposition, they point out in Five Days. And in Spain? As we can see, Renfe has already shown interest in operating on regional trains in neighboring countries. However, in this case it is Spain that is putting all possible obstacles to delay competition on this type of lines in our country. According to the deadlines established since In 2016 the Fourth Railway Package will be approvedcompetition on these lines should have been a reality from December 25, 2023. In 2024, the contracts should have been awarded. However, Renfe is still the only company that currently offers this service and it does not seem that it will change. And it is that The Government has been working to delay the launch of new competitions in these ways. According to ABCthe current Renfe contract extended from 2018 to 2027. This year, 3% of the contract was to be put out to tender but the Government and Renfe have signed, without making it public, an addendum to it that extends said contract until 2028. Photo | Anthony Delanoix and Xataka In Xataka | Spain forced to open its lines to Ouigo. France is now doing everything possible to prevent the entry of Renfe

A millionaire has been fined 120,000 euros for exceeding the speed limit

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In Finland, breaking the speed limit can ruin your day. Above all, if you are a millionaire and they fine you for driving above the permitted limit. The latest example was experienced by Anders Wiklöf, one of the richest men in Finland, who was stopped by the police on March 22 after catching him driving at 59 km/h through an urban area of ​​Mariehamn, in the Åland archipelago, where the limit was 30 km/h. For exceeding 29 kilometers per hour, the police imposed a fine of 120,000 euros. ​The millionaire accepted it without question. Wiklöf is president and founder of Wiklöf Holding, a group of more than 20 companies with investments in logistics, aviation, real estate and tourism valued at more than 400 million dollars. When the police stopped him for speeding, he did not try to escape the problem. “The agents asked me if I wanted to take the case to court, but if I made a mistake, I accept it. They were polite and nice guys who were just doing their job,” declared to the local newspaper Nya Åland. Wiklöf will pay the fine for speeding without even appealing it, although he did take the opportunity to ask the Government that the money be used to cover the planned cuts in health, one of the hottest political debates of the moment in Finland. This unusual normality regarding the amount of the penalty is due to the fact that the Nordic country’s sanction system links the amount of the fines to the offender’s income. That is to say, for most mortals such a sanction implies ruin for life, for this millionaire it is little more than pocket change. Wiklöf has not learned his lesson. Despite the surprising amount of the fineit’s not the first time that police officers stop Wiklöf for speeding. The millionaire already accumulates four documented penalties for speeding: one of 95,000 euros in 2013, 63,680 euros in 2018, 121,000 euros in 2023 and this is 120,000 euros in 2026, which adds up to a total of 399,680 euros in those traffic fines alone. For these same violations, any driver in Spain would hardly have paid more than 600 euros in total, since the regulations in Spain establish a series of fixed penalties depending on the severity of the violation, but are not linked to the offender’s assets. Wiklöf himself already said it bluntly in 2013: “In Sweden they would have fined me about 450 euros. I don’t understand how I can be a bigger offender here than there, but the law is the law.” Nokia executives’ feet are heavy. The most famous case of this sanctions system Anssi Vanjoki starreda 44-year-old Nokia executive, who in January 2002 was traveling at 75 km/h on an urban road in Helsinki with a limit of 50 km/h. For exceeding 25 kilometers per hour, the authorities imposed a fine of 116,000 eurosfor years it was considered the highest traffic fine in history. Another Nokia executive, Pekka Ala-Pietilä, He also received a sanction of 35,000 euros for a similar violation at the same time. Vanjoki ended up appealing his fine, alleging a drop in income compared to the previous year, and got a reduction. In Finland, a fine can’t ruin you. No matter how high and disproportionate these fines may seem, in reality they will never cause the offender to go bankrupt. The key is in a calculation system in force since 1921. While in Spain everyone pays the same for the same offense depending on its severity, in Finland the police consult the offender’s previous year’s income database in real time and calculate the fine in days salary depending on the severity of the infraction. In this calculation, the monthly net salary is taken, the vital minimum of 255 euros is subtracted and divided by 60 to obtain the value of each “fine day” (Päiväsakko). The greater the speeding, the more days of fines are accumulated. For the majority of Finnish citizens, the result of this calculation translates into fines of between 30 and 80 euros for minor infractions such as those committed by Wiklöf. Astronomical figures only appear when the fined person is very rich. Despite the complaints of some affected (in 2015, millionaire Reima Kuisla threatened to leave the country after paying more than 50,000 euros for speeding), the model has great social support for consider it fair and proportional. A fine of 400 euros does not have the same deterrent character for someone with an income of 25,000 euros a year, than 25 million. In Xataka | In 2010, the owner of a Ferrari missed a radar in Switzerland at 137 km/h. He took home the most expensive fine in history Image | Unsplash (toine G)

There are 75-inch televisions that already cost less than 500 euros. The last one to drop in price has been a Xiaomi with Google TV

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Little by little we are seeing more offers on TVs with diagonals that exceed 55 inches, and the truth is that their prices are often quite low. MediaMarkt, for example, has only today (during The Great Renove) the Xiaomi A Pro 75 inchesa very large TV for only 499 euros. Xiaomi TV A Pro 2026 (75 inches) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links big and cheap The Xiaomi A Pro 2026 It is a smart TV that initially started at a price of 849 euros, but over time we have seen discounts through a wide range of offers. Today’s one at MediaMarkt is not the best, but it is one of the best because it remains for about 20 euros above its minimum price historical in the same store. We are talking about a Xiaomi television that comes with a panel 75 inch QLEDso it is a fairly large size for its price. Obviously it offers a 4K resolution, but its refresh rate remains at 60 Hz. However, what we do have are 178º viewing angles both horizontal and vertical, so you can see the TV well from different angles. It also supports the format HDR10+comes with Filmmaker mode for watching movies and its speakers are compatible with Dolby Audio. Furthermore, its operating system is Google TV and it has a good assortment of connectivity options: WiFi, Bluetooth, three HDMI ports, Ethernet, USB and optical digital audio output. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: xiaomi pro offer today ✅ THE BEST Yesu size: We see more and more offers on large TVs, and this one from Xiaomi has an excellent quality-price ratio considering that its diagonal is 75 inches. Your viewing anglessomething already distinctive in the brand that offers the possibility of viewing the content well regardless of whether we are in front of the television or on one of the sides. ❌ THE WORST TOand, the 60 Hz… Something that we also usually see in the Xiaomi brand, at least in most of its television catalog. You will not be able to watch TV with the fluidity offered by many that offer a refresh rate of 120 Hz. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for a good television to watch movies and series, that is of considerable size and also has a good panel such as the QLED. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… Above all, you want to get the most out of your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series, since the screen only offers 60 Hz, so you will not be able to have the best possible experience. You may also be interested Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, compatible with Wi-Fi 6, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and HDR10+ The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG DS60T – Sound Bar, Bluetooth, 340W, 3.1 Channels with subwoofer, Dolby Digital, DTS Digital Surround, Black 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 | Xiaomi In Xataka | Best home theater projectors. Which one to buy and five recommended models from 299 to 18,000 euros In Xataka | Mega-guide to set up a home theater: projector, screen, sound system and more

It has more than 200 euros off and Movistar Plus+ for free

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Are you looking for a TV with a good screen but don’t want to spend a fortune? At MediaMarkt there is a discounted model that may interest you. It’s about this Philips Ambilight 55OLED770/12which has gone from costing 997 euros to 777 euros. Additionally, with your purchase, you get six months of Movistar Plus+ as a gift. Philips Ambilight 55OLED770 4K OLED Smart TV The price could vary. We earn commission from these links An ideal TV to enjoy a totally immersive experience The television market seems to be somewhat saturated, but there is a brand that has managed to differentiate itself and this is Philips, thanks to its lighting system Ambilight. This is made up of a three-sided rear LED strip that synchronizes with the image or sound that appears on the screen. This TV model on offer at MediaMarkt also stands out for its panel 55 inch OLED with 4K resolution. Another of its assets is the Philips P5 processor with AI, a brain that analyzes each frame to optimize color, movement and sharpness. It is compatible with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ (in the image section) and with Dolby Atmos and DTS Play-Fi (in the sound section). It comes with Titan OS operating system (own brand) and its refresh rate is 120Hzthus also being a TV that you can use in gaming. ⚡ IN BRIEF: offer for the Philips Ambilight 55OLED770/12 smart TV today ✅ THE BEST The Ambilight effect: It is, without a doubt, its great differentiating factor. Once you get used to the wall lighting up with the colors of the movie, any other TV will seem boring and small. If you really like watching movies in the dark, this lighting system greatly reduces eye strain. The OLED panel: It offers true blacks (since the pixel is completely turned off), which will make you forget about gray spots or light halos in dark scenes, something that usually happens on cheap LED TVs. ❌ THE WORST The standard sound: Despite being compatible with Dolby Atmos, the speakers integrated into this TV fall short. If you want a real movie theater experience, you’ll have to invest in one. sound bar. Brightness in brightly lit rooms: Like almost all OLED TVs in this range, if you have a living room with huge windows and a lot of direct daylight, you may need a little more brightness power, if you compare it with a MiniLED TV. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are a lover of movies and series, you like to watch TV in low light and you want the immersive experience of Ambilight that no other brand offers you as standard. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… Your living room is tremendously bright and you usually watch TV during the day and with the blinds up. You may also be interested Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG S40T – Smart Sound Bar, 300W, 2.1 Channels 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 Philips In Xataka | The nine best sound bars and bases for less than 400 euros In Xataka | Mega-guide to set up a home theater: projector, screen, sound system and more

the new ones are worth up to 300 euros

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The other day, while I was brushing my teeth, my electric brush made a strange noise. I didn’t give it much importance, but a few days later it happened again and this time it was accompanied by a clear drop in power. Finally what was expected happened: it stopped working. I bought it in 2020 for 17.99 euros, so I am more than satisfied with the service provided. Plus, it caught me just the day Amazon’s spring sales ended, so I ran to look for a replacement. What I found left me quite surprised. A huge (and very expensive) offer It’s been six years since I bought my ill-fated Oral-B Vitality brush. Six years in which I have not found out what was going on in the electric toothbrush market, for whatever reason, it has not interested me either. First of all, I clarify that I went directly to see the Oral-B offer because I was happy with my previous brush, but above all because I still had several heads to use. In 2020 I was aware that there were models much more expensive than the one I chose and in fact this time I went to Amazon with the idea of ​​looking at a slightly more advanced model, what I did not expect was to find these prices. The Oral B spring sale cover The most notable offer on the Oral-B website is the Oral-B iO 10, which cost 299 euros (today it costs 309 euros), but those that followed were not short; 289, 199, some for 129 euros… truly crazy. At what point have electric toothbrushes become a luxury product, I thought. These ultra-expensive brushes have a color screen, magnetic base, travel case with charging function, seven cleaning modes and of course AI, Don’t miss out on AI. I understand that many of these functions will be very practical and have their audience, but personally I am not going to spend three figures on a toothbrush. In addition to prices, there are a lot of models and it is quite difficult to understand what their differences are. Suddenly I found myself looking for comparisons and reading spec sheets. For a toothbrush. The premiumization of the everyday Is a phenomenon that affects all types of products and services. We are seeing it with the gourmet bakeriesthe specialty coffee shops and even with the kebabs. Another establishment that we have seen premiumize recently are the stationery stores. They are traditionally cheap products that are given a patina of luxury and exclusivity to justify much higher prices. With electric toothbrushes, the point is also added techie. In mobile phones we have long since overcome the 1,000 euro barrier and have it normalized, but at the time we also it seemed crazy to us. They have achieved this based on exclusive functions, designs with premium materials and also the phenomenon of aspirational purchase. I didn’t expect that the same thing would have happened with toothbrushes; Providing them with countless functions, they justify paying 300 euros for something as basic as brushing our teeth. The chosen one Seeing the prices and knowing that I was not planning to pay more than 50 euros, my range was drastically reduced. The Oral-B iO 2 was one of the options I considered. Costs 50 euros and it is not the most basic model of all. Among its advantages is that it comes with a travel case and a stand to store two heads, as well as a pressure sensor and timer. I had it in my basket, but I finally ended up buying the Oral-B Vitality Pro, which is basically the same model that I already bought in 2020, but with a couple of new features and a black design. I paid 22 euros and I hope it lasts another six years. Images | Xataka, Amazon In Xataka | The price of housing in Spain is already higher than at the peak of the bubble. But the data has a little trick

The orchards allowed Galician households to save hundreds of euros on purchases. Now they are disappearing

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The proverb says that ‘he who has a friend, has a treasure’. In the Spain of 2026, that of house price skyrocketedthe accumulated inflation two digits and loss of power purchasing power, the reality is much more mundane: those who really have a ‘treasure’ are families with access to a garden, a corral, fruit trees or a small stable with sheep and cows, self-consumption tools that help save and lighten spending in the shopping basket. Curiously, at least in Galicia, fewer and fewer people take care of their own vegetables or livestock. And that allows you to save more than 100 euros per month. What has happened? That the garden is losing weight in Galicia. And in an accelerated and indisputable way. So revealed it on Monday Vigo Lighthousethat after styling the published data by the Galician Institute of Statistics (IGE) has concluded that in the region fewer and fewer families resort to self-cultivation, fruit trees or small farms to alleviate their economy. It’s not just that their number has decreased in the last decade, it’s that it is already at historic lows. If in 2007 45.1% of the community’s households saved thanks to the potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots… harvested in their gardens, in 2024 that percentage was already a meager 25.1%, the lowest level in the historical series. What do the figures say? If you walk through Galicia it will be increasingly difficult for you to see people working in small gardens or taking care of animals. The IGE statistics They do not talk about large agricultural holdings or farms with a business focus, but rather about family savings, which is why they focus on a very specific part of the Galician agrarian map. All in all, its reading is resounding. If in 2007 there were 452,200 families that saw their economy lightened thanks to the cultivation of their own vegetables, at the end of 2024 there were already 278,500. In between, years of almost uninterrupted decline. There are small swings, but they are largely explained by the context. For example, between 2019 and 2020, coinciding with the pandemic, the number of households with gardens grew slightly. The IGE also reflects that the trend is not equally clear throughout the region. Although the garden is losing weight in the community, it is holding up better in the interior provinces. Its decline is much more pronounced in A Coruña and Pontevedra. Does it only happen with orchards? No. The IGE also investigated how savings have evolved thanks to other forms of self-consumption, such as the use of fruit trees, the production of homemade wine or cheese, the care of livestock to obtain meat, milk or eggs, fishing… And the ‘photo’ is practically the same always. For example, in 2007 there were 372,000 homes saving thanks to their own hens, chickens and eggs. In 2020 there were already 298,300 and at the beginning of 2025 they barely exceeded 202,600. The collapse is not only due to a loss of population. Its incidence rate also fell: from 37.1% in 2007 to only 18.3% in 2024. Exercise Households that save on food thanks to the garden (no.) Households that save on food thanks to the garden (%) 2007 452,188 45.09% 2011 444,843 42.00% 2016 406,384 38.34% 2021 384,283 35.81% 2024 278,519 25.12% And other forms of self-consumption? The same. The same thing happens with the food (and savings) obtained thanks to fruit tree cultivationhe cow milkingthe elaboration of wine or spirits homemade, the cattle breeding or the ‘pig slaughter’, which despite its roots in rural Galicia has also deflated. If in 2007 it was practiced in 20.7% of homes, in 2020 it was already reduced to 7.6% and in 2024 to less than 5%. In practice, this means that the slaughter has gone from being a saving for 207,300 homes to being a saving for 55,100. And why is it important? Beyond the greater or lesser interest that weight loss in gardens may have, the phenomenon is curious because it coincides with another, also noted by Lighthouse: Taking care of orchards or farms pays off. And a lot. After years of inflation and increases that have been fueled by products like eggsself-consumption has become a way to cut spending by more than 100 euros per month. In certain cases the savings can reach 120. On average, the garden allows you to reduce the shopping basket by 30 euros, chicken farms by another 22, beef (or rabbit) farms lighten the basket by almost 40 euros and domestic fruit trees by 18. The greatest source of savings continues to be the slaughter of pigs. Those who practice it save 51 euros every month, since they avoid buying pork. So why does it decline? The million dollar question. Having a garden, a corral or even a small farm with cows and sheep may save money on purchases, but it requires other precious resources: time and space. Added to this is the expense involved in caring for vegetables and livestock. In a Galicia that is no stranger to demographic crisis and she is getting older, that is a challenge. The region is not spared from the rural exoduswhich makes it difficult for families to have space for gardens. Image | MRC Témiscamingue (Unsplash) Via | Vigo Lighthouse In Xataka | In emptied Galicia there are town councils taking charge of gas stations and stores. The objective: not to be left without services

The last thing was a Navy submarine for 130,000 euros

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The Spanish Navy embarked on the path of renewal some time ago, one in which the old glories are left without a place and must make way for new generations. Within this strategy, Spain put up for sale last year one of the last submarines of the S-70 family, a Tramuntana which for almost 40 years was the backbone of the country’s submarine force. The price? Little more than what it costs Xiaomi SU7 Ultraand it is an important step in the cycle of weapons renewal in which Spain finds itself. What you pay. The S-74, baptized ‘Tramontana’, was the fourth of the Navy’s S-70 series submarines. Based on the French designs of the Augustaleft the shipyards of the old Navantia in 1984 and served the Navy since 1985. With about 68 meters in length, capacity for 60 crew members, four torpedo tubes and a propulsion system with a double diesel engine of 3,600 HP and an electric engine of about 3,500 kW, the submarine could last up to 45 days without surfacing. After participating in numerous exercises and the occasional international deployment, his moment came in February 2024. After 38 years of service, and after a stretch in his useful life while awaiting the ddeployment of the first S-80the Tramontana was decommissioned and immobilized at the docks of the Cartagena Military Arsenal, ready to await its fate. What you take. In May of last year, the BOE published a resolution detailing the sale of the Tramontana. As is usually the case with this type of sales, it is not about anyone arriving and being able to get hold of a military submarine: the operation aims to serve as scrap metal. The base price was set at 138,468.53 euros and whoever was interested had to leave a provisional deposit of the base price: 27,693.70 euros. The final deposit will also be 20% of the amount reached in the auction. Is it easy to sell one of these things? Not at all, and if not… Ask the Prince of Asturias. The legendary Spanish aircraft carrier that was once the spearhead of the Navy also went up for auction after completing service. After having to repeat them with succulent discounts because no one wanted it even for scrap, he undertook a last trip to the Aliaga ship cemetery in Türkiye, where it ended up scrapped. In fact, the BOE already contemplates in these operations that, if no one opts for it, three additional auctions will be held, one every seven days and with a 15% discount compared to the previous auction if the previous one is void. Emblematic. For some it will be sad, but when something so enormous reaches its life cycle, there are only two alternatives: keep it as an element of maneuvers for training or auction it to recover money and have it scrapped. Unlike the aircraft carrier, the S-73 Mistral submarine has already been acquired by a scrapping company in Cartagena. A third option is to display it, but it is something much easier to do with a plane than with a submarine (although there are some, of course, as a museum ship). Scrapping. Speaking of the Mistral, after decommissioning it in 2021 after 35 years of service, it sold for 150,000 euros to a scrapyard that dismantled the vehicle to recover the valuable metals inside. The starting price was slightly lower than that of the Tramontana: 136,078.53 euros. Inflation affects everything. If we get philosophical, it is a bitter end for a submarine that, for decades, acted as a protection element in the Mediterranean. He participated in several NATO missions, but perhaps the most remembered operation was when he patrolled the waters around the Perejil islet in the dispute with Morocco in 2011. The S-73 Mistral, to get an idea of ​​the size Renewal. In the most pragmatic sense, it is still a 40-year-old submarine, so it didn’t make much sense to sell it to other nations (especially when looking for clients for the S-80newer and whose sale would help defray the costs of development). Because Spain has been creating for years – not without a few problems – its new fleet, the aforementioned S-80. They represent a generational leap in absolutely all their capacities, and they held out for the S-74 as long as possible until the arrival of the S-81 Isaac Peral. Now, the only one of the veteran submarines operational is a S-71 Galerna which keeps alive that strategy of at least two ‘live’ submarines at a time in terms of defense. And when the next units of the S-80 begin to arrive, the easiest thing is for the S-71 to have the same fate as its brothers the Siroco, the Mistral and the Tramontana. It’s still the weapons cycle, which can be stretched to a certain point, but when the time comes… better to get some money than have a dead asset. Images | José María González, Alberto Hernandez In Xataka | The new fear of Western fleets is not nuclear. They are conventional submarines armed with surprise and a flag: China

The Portuguese AVE has a much juicier promise than the connection with Madrid. One of 7,000 million euros

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When talking about trains and infrastructure, there is a country that rubs its hands every time a new project is approved: Spain. Our country has a network of construction companies and rolling stock manufacturers that are among the most leading in the world. And they are already taking positions regarding a new project. One that has 7,000 million euros at stake. The Portuguese AVE. We said a few days ago that Portugal continues to move into an internal high-speed rail connection and that, in fact, its plans go directly through connect Lisbon with the south of Galicia before with Madrid. There are two reasons for this: the movement between Galicians and Portuguese has always been very high but, in addition, it means connecting the two largest Portuguese cities, finally, with a high-speed train. The objective is for the AVE between Lisbon and Porto to be ready in 2033, as well as its connection with Vigo. A year later the link with Madrid should arrive. If the deadlines are met, we will be talking about close a chapter that opened more than 20 years ago. 61 kilometers. It is the distance that runs in the Aveiro-Soure section, which the Portuguese Government has put out to tender. Although, really, we should say that “it’s back in the competition.” And from Portugal they have already tried to award this section without success through a public-private tender. To this tender only The Portuguese company Mota Engil was presented but his project has finally been rejected. This company had already gotten the go-ahead to build the first section between Porto and Aveiro but this time it was not so lucky. 7,000 million euros at stake. They explain in elEconomista.esthat the Portuguese Government has republished this contest with the aim of attracting more companies and projects. And the attraction is clear: now the contract has a potential of 7,000 million euros. The contract is launched to build the high-speed section and the required connections, which requires an adaptation of the Coimbra station, modifying the Northern Line between Taveiro and the southern entrance of said station and building an electric traction substation in the area. But, above all, it has something more juicy: the maintenance of all infrastructure except the section of the Northern Line and the Coimbra station. They explain in the middle that the maximum amount of the award is 1,603.36 million euros but that, in addition, payments are contemplated for a total of 30 years that can reach 4,765 million euros. Added to this is that the project will be partially financed during its construction with 600 million euros. The sum of the project, therefore, is more than 7,000 million euros. The Spanish options. In the middle they also point out that from Spain there will be competition on two fronts. One of them will be Acciona, FCC and Ferrovial, a “team” that has already attended together on other occasions and that, in fact, they dropped out of the tender for the first section of this new high-speed line. Sacyr will also present itself to the project but will do so accompanied by DST and ACA Engenharia & Construção, Portuguese partners with whom it is also presenting itself to the projects in the neighboring country. Again, Sacyr is also another company that already has experience obtaining contracts related to Portuguese railway lines. Pointers. Portugal is the last scenario that Spanish companies will attend, but it is by no means the only one. In recent years, Spanish construction companies have taken over the business of what is known as “AVE to Mecca” and They have found a gold mine in Saudi Arabia for your accounts. They have also found a vein in Vietnam. Although on other occasions this expansionism across half the world has cost some of them some displeasure. CAF, which had been acquired “the contract of the century in Belgium”decided accept the construction of a light rail in Jerusalem. One that passed through Israeli colonies on Palestinian land, which ended up leave the company out of the competition on the new Barcelona Metro trains. Photo | Alex Azabache and Seoane Prado In Xataka | France has tried by all means to prevent CAF from winning “the contract of the century” for Belgian trains. There is good news

This robot vacuum cleaner has a self-emptying base, 180 minutes of autonomy and LiDAR navigation. Everything without reaching 85 euros

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Keeping our house clean is almost as necessary as a real pain in the ass. For this reason, any technological help that we can have for this is always welcome and there are few things more useful than a robot vacuum cleaner. Do you want one without costing you a fortune? Well, keep an eye on this iLife A30 Pro: on AliExpress it comes out 84.03 euros if we use the coupon ‘ESA13‘. At this price, it’s hard to find something better. ILIFE A30 Pro Vacuum Cleaner and Mop, Self-Emptying Station for 60 Days, 5000Pa Suction, LiDAR Navigation, 2.4G WiFi/App The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A robot vacuum cleaner that is surprising for its price As we have been telling you since yesterday, the AliExpress Anniversary It’s back with a vengeance this year. There are really powerful offers and this iLife robot vacuum cleaner is a more than perfect example to illustrate them. If we take a look in stores like amazon either Leroy Merlin, The price of this model is around 200 euros. For this reason, this AliExpress offer is a real treat, but even more so if we take a look at what this iLife A30 Pro offers. The first thing is the suction power, which is 5,000 Pa. Translated into practice, it is more than enough to carry away dust, crumbs and even animal hairthe things that most often populate the floors or carpets of our homes. Plus, it also scrubs. It is also worth stopping a little while browsing. It has a LiDAR system that It is not usually present in robot vacuum cleaners in this price rangewhich is already a point in its favor. Thanks to it, you will move well between rooms and overcome the obstacles you encounter, avoiding those uncomfortable headbutts that these types of devices sometimes cause. Beyond all of the above, perhaps one of its greatest assets is its self-emptying base. This will clean the robot’s tank and, as the dirt ends up in a 2.5 liter capacity bag, It’s enough so that we don’t have to do anything for about 6 or 7 weeks. And it has plenty of autonomy, since it offers up to 180 minutes if we use its gentle mode. It is reduced if we use more suction power, of course. This iLife A30 Pro does not seek to be the best robot vacuum cleaner on the market, but it is one of the best options we can buy if we want to spend as little as possible. For less than 90 euros, It is very difficult for us to find something better. And in fact, it is rocking it on AliExpress: it has more than 10,000 sales and an almost perfect average rating. 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 | iLife In Xataka | Best robot vacuum cleaners in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and six recommended models In Xataka | Best cordless upright vacuum cleaners. Which one to buy and seven recommended broom vacuum cleaners from 139 euros

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