expensive

In 1945 someone bottled 75 centiliters of wine in Burgundy. And now that wine is the most expensive in history: 700,000 euros

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With 812,500 dollars in your pocket (almost 700,000 euros, at the exchange rate) you can buy a good house in a wealthy neighborhood, embark on a business adventure or simply face life with much more peace of mind, at least on a financial level. In New York there are those who have decided to use that amount of money on something very different: buy a bottle of wine most expensive ever sold at auction, a very exclusive burgundy made from a 1945 vintage that has shattered the previous record, which It dated from 2018. This is still ironic if you take into account that the wine industry (at a general level and in France in particular) does not go through his best moment. An $812,500 wine? That’s how it is. The milestone was reached a few days ago, during an auction held in New York. Of course neither the wine nor the date were normal. The sale was closed during bidding Acker’s Pauléeone of the reference events for wine collectors in the world and (especially) lovers of wines from the Burgundy region, France. Those responsible they boast that in just three days sales of 25 million dollars were made and a good handful of records were achieved. Among all of them, however, there is one that arouses interest beyond the world of viticulture: the bottle for which the most money has been paid in a bid. And what is it like? Special, of course. The piece in question is a 750-milliliter bottle of Romanée-Conti 1945. Said like that, it may not seem like a big deal, but there are several reasons why this wine is so attractive to wine lovers. To begin with, its history. The broth in question was made with grapes collected in 1945 in Romanée-Contiwhich is interesting in itself. Not only because of the symbolic value of that date (the end of World War II). It was also the last harvest before the winery decided to uproot its vineyards to replant them, strengthening them against phylloxeraa plague that dealt a severe blow to the European wine industry, especially in the 19th century. This peculiarity made the 1945 vintage an object of desire for collectors around the world. Not only was it good for Burgundy itself, but it marked a before and after in Romanée-Conti’s production. To make matters worse, there are very few bottles of that vintage. Only 600 were produced. If we trust the most trained palates, the wine obtained at that time also offers a “depth and complexity” difficult to find in other broths. Is it so extraordinary? John Kapon, president of Acker, gives an idea how extraordinary it is to have a bottle like that. “I have had the privilege of tasting the 1945 Romanée-Conti three times in my life, but I have not tried it again in more than 20 years and probably never will again.” “To this day it is still the best wine I have ever tasted. The 1945 vintage was the last harvested before the vineyard was replanted in 1947. As a result of the fight against phylloxera, for many years production was reduced to only 10%. What was made was almost impossible to acquire.” Does it stand out for something else? Yes. Acker stands out that the bottle that has just been auctioned for almost 700,000 euros was part of the personal cellar of Robert Drouhinthe late patriarch of the Drouhin and a reference in the world of wines and more specifically Burgundy. It is not a minor detail because it affects the history (and especially the traceability) of the bottle, giving it even more value. Is it just wine? No. It is also a magnet for investors. Proof that the Romanée-Conti 1945 is exceptional is that the record has been ‘taken from itself’. Right now the Guinness World Records identifies as “the most expensive wine sold at auction” a bottle of that same vintage that reached $558,000 during an auction organized by Sthevby’s in New York in 2018. That its price has gone from $558,000 to $812,500 in less than a decade shows that, in addition to a wine with oenological and historical value, French bottles are an interesting asset from an investment point of view. The Telegraph assures In any case, the (secret) buyer is a citizen from outside France who was moved by his love for vines, not by dollars. A great irony. That a bottle of wine sells for almost 700,000 euros is striking in itself, but it is even more so when we remember that the operation catches the sector at low times. Not that of luxury, but that of wine. For some time now, the indicators used by the industry have pointed to an undeniable and prolonged decrease in consumption or at least a stagnationin the best of cases. His future is not too rosy either. a report The recent European Union (EU) report on agriculture anticipates that demand will fall by 0.9% annually until 2035, leaving per capita consumption at approximately 19.3 liters, significantly lower than the figure recorded at the beginning of the last decade. Images | Acker Wines and EU Via | DAP In Xataka | Europe had placed its hopes in China to continue selling wine to the world. They didn’t have “morality”

The Aragón justice system has shown how expensive it can be for a company to get involved with dismissal letters: 46,665 euros

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There are mistakes that can be corrected with a simple apology. And then there are errors that, once committedhave legal consequences that no apology can undo. A freight transport company in Huesca discovered this in the worst possible way when it fired one of its employees, regretted it days later, trying to back down, and then fired him again. All of this while the worker was at home on medical leave. What seemed like an internal bureaucratic mess ended up in court and with compensation of more than 46,000 euros. The dismissal letters the devil carries them. Two layoffs, one leave and fifteen days of chaos. As documented in the sentence In the case that reached the Superior Court of Justice of Aragon, the worker had been in the company since 2011, with an indefinite contract, and had accumulated more than a year of medical leave due to a cervical injury when, on December 14, 2023, he received a burofax from his company informing him of the disciplinary dismissal. As indicated in the dismissal letter, the employee had carried out incompatible activities with his low status. The worker did not take long to react and began the process to challenge the dismissal in court. But then something unexpected happened. On December 20, just six days later, a second burofax arrived in which the company declared that the first dismissal was annulled and that an internal disciplinary file was opened in its place. Not satisfied with this, on December 29 they received a third burofax containing another dismissal letter, this time accompanied by the payroll and the corresponding settlement. Within two weeks, the employee had received two dismissal communications and one cancellation while was still convalescing at home. Why the company wanted to back down. As stated in the ruling, the company argued that the first dismissal had been a procedural error and considered that the initial letter had formal defects related to the applicable collective agreement, since the worker had questioned by email whether the merchandise transportation agreement or the chemical industry agreement should apply. The company’s intention was to annul that first dismissal, open the correct disciplinary file and issue a new letter in order. From his point of view, the only real dismissal was that of December 29, which had never been challenged by the worker. The company also tried to demonstrate to the court that the underlying reason for the dismissal was legitimate: a private detective report recorded the worker carrying out physical activity during his medical leave, which he interpreted as a simulation of the disability or, at least, as a behavior incompatible with recovery. A dismissal letter is not a draft. The problem for the company is that the dismissal letter is not a simple administrative communication with the employee, but is a document with key legal value with which an entire dismissal process begins with very well-defined deadlines and procedures to give maximum guarantees to both companies and employees. He article 55.1 of the Workers’ Statute establishes that disciplinary dismissal must be notified in writing, with the facts that motivate it and the effective date. Once that letter is delivered, a legal mechanism is put in place that neither party can stop unilaterally. The law itself contemplates the possibility for the company to retract the dismissal and provides a way out when a company wants to correct a poorly formulated dismissal, but as stated in article 55.2 of the Workers’ Statute, it is subject to very precise conditions and deadlines. Furthermore, it is only admitted if, during that rectification period, the company keeps the worker registered with Social Security and pays them all salaries. In this case, the ruling states that it was not proven that the company had complied with that requirement, which blocked this means of rectification. Without the worker’s acceptance, there is no turning back. On the other hand, and beyond the administrative procedures, there is an additional requirement that the company did not comply with in its process of rectification of the first dismissal: for the employment relationship to be restored, the worker who has been dismissed must expressly accept it. It is not enough for the company to declare on its own that the dismissal is without effect. The Supreme Court already established that a communicated dismissal determines that the worker is not obliged to accept any subsequent retraction from the company, and that claiming before the courts in that situation does not constitute any type of abuse. In this case, the employee did not explicitly accept the annulment of the first dismissal or return to his position. The email he sent to the company questioning the applicable collective agreement was not considered by the court as a tacit acceptance of the withdrawal, but rather as confirmation of his dismissal status. The employment relationship, in the eyes of the law, had been terminated on December 14 and no subsequent communication from the company could change that unilaterally. The outcome: more than 46,000 euros in compensation. The TSJ of Aragón also ruled out the argument about physical activity during sick leave. It was proven that the outputs recorded by detective They were walks or runs of about 40 minutes of moderate duration that, according to the medical assessment, were not contraindicated for the worker’s recovery from the cervical injury. With all these arguments on the table, the court declared the dismissal inadmissible, the first, because the second no longer had any legal value, and established compensation of 46,665.34 euros, calculated based on age of the worker. The company appealed that decision to the Superior Court of Justice of Aragon, which confirmed it in its entirety and also ordered it to pay 800 euros in costs. Dismissal letters, especially if they are not well formulated, are carried by the devil. In Xataka | He had been in the same notary office for 16 years and was fired for not passing the trial period: the Supreme Court ended up seeing the … Read more

Cocoa is so expensive that some suspect that a shipment with 12 tons of Kitkat has been stolen

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There was a time when big robberies had their own Hollywood epic: the Bank of England goldthe diamonds of the Great Antwerp Raidthe tickets from the Federal Reserve or the assault on the Mint and Stamp House of The Money Heist. Well, in 2026, European organized crime has decided that the most valuable thing you can take with you in a truck is 413,793 chocolate bars. No, it’s not a joke. In a statement to the AFP agencyNestlé has reported the theft of a shipment of more than 12 tons of KitKat chocolates, an incident that the multinational warns could cause supply problems right in the middle of the Easter campaign. A blow to Easter. According to the company, one of its logistics trucks carrying 413,793 a batch of chocolates KitKat has disappeared while transferring between the production center and the distribution center. According to pointed Reutersthe vehicle had left a factory in central Italy bound for Poland, but its trace was lost somewhere along the way. Since then, neither the truck nor the merchandise have been located and the investigation remains open. Nestlé warns that the disappearance of more than 400,000 units could be noticed in stores in the coming weeks, just at one of the times of greatest chocolate consumption of the year with the arrival of Easter and coinciding with the preparation of traditional sweets and cakes during these days. Pay attention to the black market. The company assures that it is collaborating with local authorities and its logistics network to try to locate the sweet shipment, although for now there are no details about the exact point of the journey at which the truck disappeared. The brand also warned that the stolen bars could enter unofficial sales channels in European markets. To combat this, KitKat noted that it is possible to trace the origin of products by scanning the unique lot codes listed on each bar. If the traceability system detects a coincidence, an action manual has been put in place to alert the company. Make a KitKat. Despite the seriousness of having lost almost half a million chocolate bars, the company has found humor in the face of such an unusual situation. A spokesperson for the brand made fun of KitKat’s famous slogan about taking a break or, as they call it, “making a kitkat.” “We’ve always encouraged people to take a break from KitKat, but it seems thieves have taken it too seriously and made off with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate.” The truth is that, joking aside, the thieves have taken a button so voluminous that it will hardly go unnoticed if they try to “place” it on the market. “While we appreciate the exceptional taste of criminals, the truth is that merchandise theft is a growing problem for businesses of all sizes,” KitKat stated in its statement. brown gold. The theft comes at a time when the cocoa market is experiencing its biggest correction in decades. After reaching all-time highs above $12,000 per ton in 2024, the price of cocoa at origin has fallen more than 60%, reaching around $3,165 per ton at the end of March 2026. However, that moderation has barely reached the consumer and the cocoa prices They rose by 18% in the EU during 2025. Despite the price of the raw material having moderated, European supermarkets keep prices rising because manufacturers passed on the increases when the market was skyrocketing, but they took it more calmly when it fell. In Xataka | Coffee and cocoa have become so expensive that they are drowning themselves: buyers do not have the money to send them Image | Unsplash (justin, Gabriel Santos)

We know its price and even its name from the most expensive mansion in Spain. The only thing we don’t know is who sells it.

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In Sierra Blanca, the urbanization most exclusive in Marbellawalls do not only delimit properties. They are also silent. It is the unwritten rule of Spanish luxury. The most expensive mansion of the country has just gone on sale with 5,600 square meters of luxuries and opulencewhich does not lack a fountain inspired by the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. His sale price It is 70 million euros and has absolutely everything, except the answer to the most obvious question: who is selling it? ELON MUSK VS JEFF BEZOS: STAR WARS An oasis of luxury overlooking the Mediterranean As and as highlighted ForbesSierra Blanca is one of the most exclusive urbanizations in Spain and a natural fortress for privacy. Nestled on the slope of the mountain range that gives it its name is Villa Bellagio. The impressive mansion sits on a plot of 14,000 m2 300 meters above sea level. Its gardens mix palm trees, cypresses and native species in a setting designed both for beauty and to keep its tenants out of reach. of curious looks. The 22-meter infinity pool seems to extend to the horizon, with spectacular views over the Mediterranean. A fountain, a replica of the one at the Bellagio hotel-casino in Las Vegas, greets visitors before they even cross the door. The façade, designed by the Spanish architect Jesús del Valle, is impressive with a double staircase flanked by 20 columns up to eight meters high. Engel & Völkers In fact, the house is so ostentatious that it even caught the attention of YouTuber Ibai Llanos, who dedicated it to one of his videos in which he went through it it already showed its details. The mansion was built by Joe Ricotta, founder of a logistics company in the United Kingdom and a luxury real estate developer in Spain. According to the local pressRicotta sold the property (at that time called Villa Ricotta) in 2021. for 40 million euros. However, no one knows the identity of the current owner, faithful to the tradition of discretion that prevails among the residents of the most exclusive urbanization in Spain. Thirteen suites and no random details The interior of the mansion does not disappoint those who arrive expecting opulence and luxury in abundance. The 5,600 m2 built of the mansion are distributed in thirteen suites between its two floors: four of 40 m2 each on the ground floor and eight of up to 50 m2 each on the upper floor. Engel & Völkers Each of the suites has large windows with direct views of the Mediterranean and its own marble-clad bathroom. In total, no less than 24 bathrooms spread throughout the house. The main living room exceeds 200 m2 and connects with a dining room for 14 people and an impressive 60 m2 kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances. Engel & Völkers During his visit to the spectacular mansion, Ibai discovered that the entire house had a centralized home automation system from which the lighting, climate, blinds and sound are controlled in every corner of the house. An in-house electricity generator and several independent water tanks ensure that nothing ever fails, turning the lavish mansion into a self-sustaining bunker. The lower floor is the best example that Villa Bellagio is not a conventional luxury mansion and falls into another category. The spa area includes a heated indoor pool, haman, Finnish sauna, massage room and full gym. Engel & Völkers The leisure offer of the mansion includes a private cinema with capacity for 22 spectators, a double bowling alley of professional sizes, a billiard room with its own bar and a hairdressing and manicure salon for exclusive use. For motor lovers, the mansion reserves its most extravagant chapter: an air-conditioned gallery where to exhibit a collection of up to 12 vehicles as if they were museum pieces, with lighting designed to highlight every detail of their bodies. Underground, a second garage accommodates 40 more cars. In total, 52 places of parking for a collection which, in this context, no one would consider excessive. Engel & Völkers Concierge, cleaning and maintenance services with five-star hotel standards complete the proposal that, more than a home, functions as a private resort. All this behind walls that, as tradition dictates in Sierra Blanca, they reveal nothing about who lives (or has lived) on the other side of the luxurious entrance gate. In Xataka | The most expensive mansion in the world costs 1 billion dollars: the CEO of Citadel is building it in Florida Image | Engel & Völkers

toilet paper 10% more expensive

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It may be better or worse, single or double layer, white or decorated, but there are usually two characteristics that are often repeated in toilet paper. Their rolls are voluminous. And cheap. Both peculiarities explain that right now there are a part of China where they fear that the price of packages will skyrocket between 10% and 20%. The reason is very simple: the iran war. We explain ourselves. What has happened? That Hong Kong is preparing for an accelerated escalation in the price of toilet paper. The news is reported by local media such as The Standard, South China Morning Post either Dot Dot News: in the region there are already those who believe that rolls will soon become more expensive 10%, even more. Right now the stores are working with stored stock, but it is feared that as this stock runs out, businesses will update their rates upwards, generating more pressure on the pockets of Hong Kong families. Why’s that? Because of the Iran war. The Middle East conflict the price has skyrocketed of oil until the brent barrel is located above 100 dollarstransferring the tension to the logistics and transportation industry. This increase has an impact on any merchandise that must be transported, but not all are equally sensitive to the fluctuations in crude oil, such as I remembered these days Shiu Ka-fai, a retail sector representative in Hong Kong. Does oil affect that much? “While the value of toilet paper is low, its volume is very large, meaning it requires considerable transportation space,” Shiu reflectswho compares as an example what happens with a ship container full of iPhones and another with rolls of paper. The rise in the price of oil (and transportation in general) affects both equally, but since the first shipment has a high value, the increase in freight will be less noticeable in its final cost. Things change when we talk about very cheap and voluminous merchandise, like a pallet full of paper. Does only crude oil influence? The million dollar question. That the rise in Brent is transferred to transport and threatens to directly infect merchandise, fully affecting our shopping baskets, is no surprise. Another thing is the extent to which oil justifies price increases. In Hong Kong in fact already there are voices which encourage you to pay attention to which items become more expensive in the coming weeks, how much they become more expensive and, above all, why they become more expensive. Pascal Siu of Our Hong Kong Foundation warned yesterday that one thing is goods dependent on oil, such as fuels or petrochemical products, and quite another is items such as toilet paper, manufactured with other raw materials. In the latter case, crude oil intervenes in only part of the production. To be precise in transportation and plastic packaging. As an example, Siu points out that if inputs related to crude oil represent between 10 and 20% of the total costs of producing a commodity, no matter how much the barrel of Brent becomes more expensive, the final footprint on the price of the items should be low. After all, he emphasizes, other costs, such as labor or rent, have not yet experienced increases that affect the price. Is this something that happens only in Hong Kong? At the moment the alarms seem to have gone off in Hong Kong, an economy with its own peculiarities and that stands out above all for its high dependency of imports. If we talk about toilet paper the “photo” It is different in Spain. That does not mean that the Chinese region is the only one who fears that the war will affect the prices of basic goods. Right here, in Spain, the OCU published a report a few days ago in which he warned that the cost of food is skyrocketing “as a result of the war” in Iran. Specifically, the organization warns that March threatens to leave “one of the biggest increases” since 2024, when it began collecting monthly data. The emphasis is on the prices of fresh meat and vegetable products. Hong Kong is also not the only region where toilet paper is in the news because of the Middle East. In Japan, supermarkets have found a curious effect: panic buying of rolls like those already seen during the pandemic or the 1973 oil crisis. The authorities they have made a move to ask citizens not to engage in compulsive shopping. Images | Marques Thomas (Unsplash) and Michael Marais (Unsplash) In Xataka | There is only one correct way to place toilet paper. A patent ended the debate in 1891

why diesel is much more expensive than gasoline

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The conflict between United States, Israel and Iran has turned the energy industry upside down, leading to an aggressive increase in fuel prices. Diesel has risen so much and so quickly that it is already above the price of 98 gasoline in Spain, the most expensive fuel at the pumps. The differences. According to data from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition collected According to the Dieselogasolina portal, the accumulated average price of diesel this weekend was around 1.96 euros per liter, before the government measures package to tackle the problem, while 98 gasoline was around 1.97 euros. After the measures, diesel has remained on top, and this may end up being a problem for millions of drivers, transporters and industries that have no alternative. How we got here. The outbreak of the war in the Middle East on February 28 has acted as a trigger for an increase in prices. Since that date, gasoline has become more expensive by around 18.9%while diesel accumulates an increase of close to 31.1%, according to the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU). The problems. Diesel does not only depend on the price of a barrel of oil, but on something more structural. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a key point for maritime oil transit, and any alteration in that area has an immediate impact on international prices. The Government announced last Friday a series of measures in order to alleviate the rise through a reduction in VAT on fuel from 21 to 10%. Together with its partners from the International Energy Agency, it also authorized the release of up to 11.5 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, which is equivalent to 12.3 days of national consumption, being the largest release of reserves in the history of the IEA. Prices have dropped from their highs last week, as the chart for the last seven days shows. But diesel is still above 98 gasoline. Why diesel rises more than gasoline. Every time there is an energy crisis, diesel hits harder than the rest. It makes sense, since the rebound is mainly due to Europe’s dependence on diesel importssince the continent depends on the Middle East for this type of fuel. For this reason, its international price has come to eat up the tax advantage that diesel historically had in Spain. Added to this is that Europe has spent years closing refining capacity. Well according to data According to the Financial Times, as of 2024 alone the continent has closed about 400,000 barrels per day of refining capacity, a deficit that has been accumulating for years. The process was further accelerated when Russia was sanctioned following the invasion of Ukraine. And Europe depended on Russia for almost half of its total diesel imports. Losing that supply required rebuilding the entire supply chain. And now, without Russia and with the Middle East on fire, Europe’s diesel market is in a bind. The vehicle fleet is still mainly diesel. If diesel were only the fuel for those who drive on the highway or travel many kilometers, the impact would be limited. But it is not. Of the more than 34 million vehicles which approximately make up the vehicle fleet in Spain, around 57% are diesel vehicles. If we focus only on passenger cars, some 15 million private cars depend on this fuel, which is now ahead of the most expensive gasoline. And although sales of diesel cars have been collapsing for years (in February 2026 They represented only 4.05% of passenger car registrations) diesel vehicles continue to be the majority in Spain. The renewal of the fleet is slow because new cars are expensive and electric cars have not yet penetrated sufficiently. The blow to transportation and everything you buy. The problem multiplies when we look beyond conventional tourism. And it is that 93.8% of light commercial vehicles They use diesel, while 98.7% of commercial vehicles use diesel. Trucks, delivery vans, agricultural machinery, buses: almost everything that moves goods in Spain runs on diesel. And approximately one-third of trucking companies’ operating costs are fuel. In the case of a long-distance heavy truck, the consumption can exceed 4,000 liters per month. The sharp increase in the price of diesel, with increases of more than 30% in a few weeks, is putting pressure on the transport sector. While a private driver can stay at home or take the subway or bus, the truck driver has no alternative. And when transportation costs rise, so do the prices of what you buy at the supermarket. Cover image | Roberto Rodríguez and engin akyurt In Xataka | In 1973 the oil crisis elevated the Japanese car. In 2026 the winner is very different: the Chinese electric

Data centers have made the electricity bill more expensive in the US. And the Government has said enough

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Every time you ask a generative AI to solve a problem for you, a server on the other side of the world needs power to process it and cooling to keep from melting down. The problem is that this electricity meter that spins at full speed is not just that of the large technology companies: it is that of the entire community. The AI ​​revolution has a real physical and economic cost that has already begun to hit the pockets of families, unleashing a crisis that has forced the United States Government itself to hit the table. The US government has said enough. According to federal dataresidential electricity prices will increase a national average of 6% in 2025. Citizens, stifled by the cost of living, have begun to connect the dots and point to the huge data centers that are proliferating in their neighborhoods. As detailed Politicalthere are currently some 680 data centers planned in the country, gigantic infrastructures that will require energy equivalent to that of 186 large nuclear power plants. This brutal demand has provoked strong citizen opposition, how to explain Guardiannumerous communities have begun to reject and block these projects for fear that their bills will skyrocket. The pressure has been so strong that the rebellion has penetrated traditionally conservative fiefdoms. According to Financial TimesRepublican legislators in states such as Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma have suggested halting the construction of data centers, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has pushed laws to regulate them and protect families from price increases. Faced with this scenario, Donald Trump’s administration has been forced to intervene. Washington’s “historical pact.” As reported The New York Timesexecutives from Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI made the pilgrimage to Washington to meet with President Trump and sign the so-called “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” (Ratepayer Protection Pledge). The objective of the agreement is to shield consumers from rising electricity costs. Technology companies have committed to “build, provide or buy” the new electricity generation resources they need, assuming 100% of the costs of infrastructure and improvements to the transmission network. During the meeting, Trump left a phrase that perfectly summarizes the sector’s reputation crisis: “They need help with public relations, because people think that if a data center is installed, the price of electricity will go up.” The president assured that, thanks to the pact, that “will no longer happen.” For their part, managers such as Ruth Porat (Google) or Dina Powell McCormick (Meta) confirmed their commitment to pay for the infrastructure “whether or not they end up using that energy.” according to statements published by the New York media. We cannot understand this move by Washington without looking at the electoral calendar. Politically, as they point out Financial TimesRepublican strategists alerted the White House that energy inflation was an imminent risk ahead of the midterm congressional elections (midterms). The Democrats, like Senator Mark Kellywere already using citizen anger as a political weapon, calling Trump’s pact a simple “handshake agreement” that was insufficient. And the clash with reality: a network to the limit. On paper, the promise sounds perfect. As the specialized media ironically says Engadget“big tech agrees not to ruin your electricity bill.” However, journalism and energy sector experts agree that there is a gigantic distance from words to actions. As he warns Political, The agreement is, in essence, a voluntary “handshake”, without binding legal force. Rob Gramlich, former economic advisor cited by CNBCremember that the White House has no direct jurisdiction over this matter: the rules of the electric grid are decentralized and depend on the public service commissions of the 50 states. It is they, and not the federal government, who approve how costs are distributed. The damage in some areas has already been done. Argus Media reports that on the PJM network —the largest in the US, covering 13 states and including the world’s largest data center cluster in Virginia—capacity costs have skyrocketed by $23 billion, record rates that are locked in until 2028, making it “virtually impossible” to lower prices for consumers in the short term. An independent watchdog came to describe this situation as a “massive transfer of wealth” from citizens to corporations. Competition for resources is fierce. Abe Silverman, researcher at Johns Hopkins University cited by Politicalcompares the situation to “a bidding war for a ticket to a Taylor Swift concert.” There is a five-year waiting list for gas turbines, and their prices have doubled. This technological urgency not only makes the network more expensive, but is stopping the green transition in its tracks. As they explain Argus Mediathe immense demand for servers cannot be covered quickly enough with renewable sources. This is forcing power companies to delay the closure of polluting coal plants and invest heavily in natural gas generation, perpetuating dependence on fossil fuels. The greatest risk, Silverman warnsis what happens if Silicon Valley is wrong in its growth calculations: “You spend 3 billion to improve the network, and then the data center does not materialize (…) Who is left with the problem? Grandma.” Should Europe demand the same? If we cross the pond, the situation is no less worrying, and the regulatory approach is drastically different. According to data from the European Commissiondata centers currently consume 415 Terawatt-hours (TWh) globally (1.5% of the world total), a figure that, driven by AI, will double to 945 TWh in 2030. In the European Union, consumption was around 70 TWh in 2024 and will jump to 115 TWh by the end of the decade. Europe has launched a mandatory monitoring system under the Energy Efficiency Directive to demand transparency about this consumption and its water and carbon footprint. But in Spain, the problem is already a physical jam in the networks. As we have described in Xataka, The Spanish electrical grid is like a saturated highway to which, suddenly, “a convoy of trucks of industrial tonnage” has arrived. The technical regulations of the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) caused a “cascade effect” that blocked connection permits. The … Read more

The first great Atlantic submarine cable that connected us to the internet says goodbye for a simple reason: it was too expensive to repair it

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It has been at the bottom of the sea for more than two decades, forgotten. But now, finally, the TAT-8, the first fiber optic cable that crossed the Atlantic and connected us to the Internet, is being removed from its place. And to understand the importance of this, it is worth telling its story, since perhaps the Internet would not be as we know it without this cable. The cable that started it all. On December 14, 1988, AT&T, British Telecom and France Telecom developed TAT-8, the acronym for Trans-Atlantic Telephone 8. It was the eighth transoceanic cable system between Europe and the United States, but the first to use optical fiber. Before him, transatlantic cables ran on copper, with very limited capacity. With the TAT-8, voices and data traveled converted into pulses of light through glass threads thinner than a hair. Just like account Wired in its report, at the inaugural event, writer Isaac Asimov connected by video call from New York with audiences in Paris and London to celebrate, in his own words, “this inaugural voyage across the sea on a ray of light.” Why was it so important? When it came into operation, the Internet was still too technical a concept for the general public. But the TAT-8 literally built the highway on which everything later circulated. The curious thing is that in just 18 months it already reached its maximum capacity, so this forced new cables to be laid as soon as possible, especially after the outbreak of the world Wide Webelectronic commerce and in a context in which the Internet became increasingly relevant. By 2001 the TAT series had already reached 14. Disconnection. Just like account In the middle, in 2002, the TAT-8 suffered a breakdown, and repairing it was not worth it, it was that simple. With more modern and higher capacity cables already operational, it made no sense to invest in their recovery. It went offline and was abandoned at the bottom of the Atlantic, where it has remained for more than two decades. Now they are taking it out of the sea. According to collect Wired, a specialist company called Subsea Environmental Services is physically recovering the cable with its vessel MV Maasvliet. It is one of the few companies in the world whose entire business consists of recovering and recycling retired submarine cables. The operation involves dragging a flat hook across the seabed, waiting hours until tension is felt in the cable, and then hoisting it aboard meter by meter. The workers they explain As the ocean floor is an increasingly crowded space, and recovering old cables frees up routes for new ones. What is done with the remains. The TAT-8 is not thrown away. Fiber optic cables contain high purity copper, steel and polyethylene, all recyclable materials with market value. Copper, especially, is a valuable resource and may become scarce in a few years. And according to the International Energy Agency, in less than a decade could be scarce if the industry does not find new sources. On the other hand, the steel of the cable will end up being converted into fences, and the plastic, processed in the Netherlands, will be transformed into pellets to manufacture non-food packaging. In fact, just as they count At Wired, you may soon be using shampoo in a bottle made from remains of the first fiber optic cable to cross the Atlantic. Sharks. Curiously, the TAT-8 is at the epicenter of one of the legends that has lasted the longest in this sector: that sharks bite internet cables. Just like share In the middle, it all started with a test prior to the TAT-8, the Optican-1, which ended up failing due to problems in its insulation. A Bell Labs engineer appeared at a conference with shark teeth that had supposedly been removed from the damaged cable. The story spread instantly. As well as point At the time, AT&T even included four pages on protection against shark bites in its press kit for TAT-8. Actually, there has never been consensus about whether the sharks really caused that damage. Subsequent tests in aquariums, where they were starved to see if they would bite into wires with electric fields, did not yield any clear patterns. At least the outcome of all that testing and debate was positive, as engineers added a layer of steel between the insulation and the fibers, which improved the cable’s overall resistance to abrasions and damage of all kinds. Cover image | What’s Inside? In Xataka | In 1901, a Spanish man had one of the ideas of the century: invent the remote control before television

In Madrid they sell an apartment for 20.9 million euros. The question is not whether it is the most expensive in history, but what that means

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He has earned the unofficial title “most expensive apartment in Madrid” and, although it is difficult to confirm it because in the luxury sector there are operations that never reach transcendence, it certainly has the potential to be so. To start with its price. The apartment that Property Partners announces in Jerónimos, in the heart of the capital, it costs a whopping 20.9 million euros. Beyond that figure, the home’s size (1,008 m2), display of luxuries and extras is striking. For example, it has no decoration. It has “works of art.” Not a typical main room, but a “social area” that covers about 200 m2. In any other advertisement that vocabulary might sound like an exaggeration. Not here. The most expensive apartment in all of Madrid? So suggests it Property Partners, which claims to have in its portfolio what is “considered” the “most expensive property in Madrid.” The same unofficial title has been recognized in recent days several economic means, premises and generalistsincluding Tele Madrid that refers to the luxurious apartment as “the most expensive in the history” of the city. In reality, it is very difficult to confirm whether this is the case or not because discretion prevails in the luxury market. Many operations are closed with hardly any publicity, almost with their backs to the market. Others don’t. Last year, without going any further, John Taylor, a French real estate company specializing in luxury, brokered the sale of a home that was valued at 20 million. The property in question was located near Retiro Park and measured about 1,100 m2. The 20.9 million flat announced by Property has been announced for several months, although the agency assures that “there are offer processes” underway and interested people who have already made several visits. Click on the image to go to the tweet. What is the housing like? Enormous. And that’s an understatement. According to the token Published by the real estate agency itself, the apartment has a constructed area of ​​1,008 m2, although it identifies 812 m2 as “housing area”. Seven bedrooms (five en suite), six bathrooms and three toilets are distributed throughout this vast space, as well as amenities such as a gym, wine cellar and large living rooms. A reporter from EPE was able to visit the apartment and says that one of the first things that catches your attention is a 200 m2 room named “social area”. Do we know more? Yes. And it points in the same direction: that of exclusive luxury. The house, located in Los Jerónimos, has five parking spaces and two storage rooms, terraces with views of the Botanical Garden and furniture in line with the profile of its market. Tele Madrid assures Its renovation alone cost two million, to which is added another for the furniture. As a finishing touch, it incorporates works of art. That the apartment (the agency dates it back to the 70s) is so spacious in the heart of the center is explained by its past: in reality it is made up of three independent homes that a former owner bought and mergedoccupying an entire floor. Why is it interesting? Because beyond how striking the price or the characteristics of the apartment are, the advertisement connects with a larger trend: the increase in price of the home. That the price per square meter has been rising for years (in Madrid and the rest of Spain) is nothing new. Idealistic sample that in the last year the m2 has skyrocketed by 14.8% in the capital, reaching a maximum of almost €5,900/m2, although there are certain areas where this value is much higher. In Retiro there are more than 7,800 and in Salamanca they are close to 10,000. The announcement of the Los Jerónimos apartment reminds us, however, that the price increase is not exclusive to the conventional residential market. It also affects luxury. At the end of 2025 Diza Market published a report which shows that the cost of prime housing in the region rose by 95% in a matter of a decade, between 2014 and 2025. The analysis focused, however, on the luxury sector in which houses worth several million are moved, without reaching stratospheric figures. Are there more indicators? Yes. Savills has published another report in which it points out that the price of prime housing in the capital “triples the rate of global growth expected for 2026.” “If we focus the analysis on the first consolidated, the average prices in Madrid are around €16,000-17,000/m2, reaching peaks of between €25,000 and €30,000/m2”, details Santiago de Miguel, director. “The forecast is that the market will continue slightly bullish, but with sustained demand. The international buyer continues to have his sights set on Madrid.” “The Madrid market super luxury has reached a degree of maturity that allows operations of this caliber,” agrees an interview with Five Days Felipe Reuse, from Property Partner. Data from the Notarial Statistical Portal show In fact, the dynamism of the market in the heart of Madrid, with the m2 above 11,000 m2, and where foreign buyers have a relevant weight, representing a third of the total. There are those who already points out that the demand is going outside the city, towards La Moraleja or La Finca. Image | Chris Curry (Unsplash) In Xataka | There is a Europe that is suffocating to pay for housing and another that lives in peace. And this map shows the differences

The Government wants new buildings to include spaces for bicycles. There are those who warn that it will make housing even more expensive.

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Europe wants its buildings to be increasingly ‘green’, an endeavor that Spain seems willing to take a step further. The Government has reviewed the Technical Building Code (CTE) to apply certain changes that prioritize precisely that: sustainability. If it goes ahead, the new CTE will pay even more attention to the energy efficiency of buildings, their polluting footprint and even proposes using buildings as a lever to promote sustainable mobility. With this last objective, a demand that has generated some controversy: that the properties must include a minimum of places for bikes. From the sector they already warn that the new requirements costs will skyrocket of construction at the worst time, with the price of housing shot. What has happened? That the Government has launched the institutional machinery to modify the CTEthe framework standard that details the basic requirements that buildings must meet. It is not a capricious change. In reality, it is an update that seeks to adapt the code to the guidelines set by Brussels, such as the Directive 2024/1275 of the European Parliament and Council. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda is already advancing that it will be one of the “most ambitious” modifications since the CTE was implemented. What is the objective? The change seeks to give more weight to certain objectives set from Brussels, such as the “energy efficiency of buildings”“environmental sustainability” or control of the polluting footprint during the life cycle of buildings. One of the novelties in fact is the regulation of what European regulations call “global warming potential of buildings”, a way of quantifying the emissions of a property. With the current CTE, the Government also wants to review the anti-fire regulations (the change comes after the tragic fire of Valencia in 2024, which left several deceased) and use real estate as a lever for “sustainable mobility”. After all, buildings also usually include parking spaces. Housing has proposed that these spaces be planned from the beginning to make it easier for those who travel with electric cars, scooters or bikes. And how will he do it? Including a series of guidelines in the CTE. At the moment we have your draftbut it is clear: “Buildings with parking spaces for cars will have a minimum infrastructure that enables the charging of electric vehicles and will have a minimum provision of parking for bicycles.” The text does not stop there and specifies issues such as the minimum number or even the size of the spaces reserved for bikes. What does it say exactly? “Parking spaces for bicycles will have a minimum dimension of 2.00 x 0.4 m. From 20 spaces, 5% of the spaces will have a dimension of 2.5 x 0.9 m for bicycles with dimensions larger than standard, such as long bikes or for people with disabilities. In uses other than private residential, parking spaces will be marked in accordance with the highway code,” collect the text. The draft clarifies that these parking spaces must “preferably” be in the parking lot or the access floor and that, at a minimum, residential properties must incorporate two bicycle spaces for each home. The CTE clarifies in any case that town councils can regulate to reduce this general requirement. Things are somewhat different in properties that are not intended for housing. In them, bicycle parking spaces must cover “5% of the building’s total user capacity.” At what point is the change? What we have at the moment is the draft royal decree that modifies the CTE, a document that was kept on public display until December so that citizens, builders or any other group that wished could raise their “observations.” Once this mandatory requirement has been dispatched, the CTE must now continue with its processing, including, if the Government so deems it, the proposed corrections. If we talk about the guidelines on bicycle spaces (and in general the “sustainable mobility” chapter of the project) it is important to take into account a nuance: the changes are proposed for newly built buildings. The project It also contemplates that the guidelines be applied to existing properties, but only when they have undergone substantial renovations, extensions or changes of use. Has it generated controversy? It has certainly generated debate. And the reason is simple: there are those who already warn that, in general, the different changes applied to the CTE will make construction more expensive at the worst moment, in the midst of the housing crisis and with prices (especially rents) skyrocketing. Recently the College of Surveyors of Madrid did the math and estimated that in general the new CTE requirements (not only those related to bicycle spaces) will translate into thousands of euros of extra cost. How many? In a first phase, the new houses will become 12,000 euros more expensive. And that will only be at the beginning. When they are fully implemented, the extra cost will be even greater and will reach 18,000, making it even more complicated. the “cost of entry” to the homes. Images | Alexander Van Steenberge (Unsplash) and Liona Toussaint (Unsplash) In Xataka | Communities and neighbors have been wondering all their lives whether bikes can be parked in the hallways. The law leaves little doubt

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