historic

The Xiaomi 17 and the Google Pixel 10 at historic lows, offers on TVs, consoles and more. Hunting Bargains

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The week has been full of offers on all types of devices, so in Bargain Hunting we are going to review the best deals we have seen these days and, of course, they are still available. If you are looking for a good mobile phone, a console to make the most of during the summer or an e-book reader, keep an eye out for these offers: Xiaomi 17 by 799 eurosa mobile phone that has dropped to its all-time low price. Philips 65MLED920 by 699 eurosan Ambilight TV that is compatible with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Kobo Clara Color by 169 eurosdrops to the same price as its BW version with a black and white screen. nintendo switch 2 by 469 eurosalthough if you pay 10 euros more you get a video game. Google Pixel 10 by 549 eurosanother mobile phone that has dropped to its all-time low price. Nintendo Switch 2 + Yoshi and the Mysterious Book The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi 17 Although he Xiaomi 17 Ultra It is the most attractive mobile phone of the brand, we cannot forget that it came accompanied by a model that was more concise in features, but with a much lower price. He Xiaomi 17 has not stopped receiving offers since its launch and today at MediaMarkt you can buy at historical minimum price: 799 euros. It is a mobile phone with a good processor (the best, in fact), it has an excellent screen and is compact with a screen diagonal of 6.3 inches. Besides, The cameras are signed by Leicathus offering a very particular photographic experience. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Philips 65MLED920 If we go to PcComponentes, the store right now has a good number of offers that go beyond computers and peripherals. The Philips 65MLED920for example, is a smart TV that costs 699 euros and it is very complete: it is 65 inches, has a QD MiniLED panel, comes with Ambilight technology, is compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos, integrates Alexa (also works with Google Assistant) and also offers a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz through VRR. Not bad for the price it has. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Kobo Clara Color A few months ago Kobo raised the price of its eReader, we assume that due to the RAM crisis which is affecting many devices. However, for the arrival of summer, stores have lowered the price of some models, such as the Kobo Clara Color which right now is found 169 euros (the same price as its BW version with black and white screen). This eReader offers excellent performance, its color screen It serves, above all, to view color illustrations and underline text with different colors and offers water resistance, so you can read your favorite books next to the pool. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links nintendo switch 2 MediaMarkt is, by far, the store that is launching the best offers and most packs in the nintendo switch 2. This time it doesn’t give you a video game to choose from, but if you buy the console for 469 euros and pay 10 euros more (479 euros in total) you can take the video game ‘Yoshi and the mysterious book‘, a friendly title for the whole family. Of course, to access the pack you have to press the button that appears in MediaMarkt and says “Buy pack”, otherwise only the console will be added to the cart. Nintendo Switch 2 + Yoshi and the Mysterious Book The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 10 Last but not least, MediaMarkt has also lowered the price of the Google Pixel 10and has left it at its historical minimum. By 549 euroswe are talking about an excellent mobile: it is quite compact with a 6.3-inch screen, its software will be updated for many years and Their cameras are a real delight.. 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, Philips, Rakuten Kobo, Nintendo, Google In Xataka | Best mobile phones 2026. Which one to buy based on use and six recommended models In Xataka | Best televisions in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended 4K smart TVs

a historic family from Valencian high society bets on photonic semiconductors

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The Valencian saga that has made part of its fortune bottling soft drinks is now taking a technological leap: a chip factory that uses light instead of electronswith almost 25 million of public money. The general overview. The Council of Ministers has approved almost 25 million in public financing for Attypics Photonicsas reported exclusively He Confidential. The company, 100% controlled by Baladre Capital (the holding company of Álvaro Gómez-Trénor, director of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners), plans a total investment of 50 million to build a photonic chip plant in Paterna, a municipality a few kilometers from the Valencian capital. The State enters with 49% through the Perte Chipthe semiconductor program linked to Next Generation funds. The context. The Gómez-Trénor They are an old acquaintance of Valencian high societywith two centuries of history that starts with an Irishman named Thomas Trenor Keating: He founded the Trenor Bank, traded in guano and got involved in the region’s agri-food industry. Nine generations later, the saga accumulates noble titles, historical properties (from the monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba to buildings in the center of Valencia, passing through a park for public use in Torrent) and a reference position in the province’s business community. In detail. Attypics was born in April 2026 from a team of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia with more than fifteen years manufacturing photonic chips. The integrated photonics processes and transmits information using light instead of electrons: more speed, less energy consumption. The company wants to be the European private benchmark in the model Lab-to-Fab (from the laboratory to the factory) covering from prototyping to the manufacture of 200 and 300 millimeter wafers. The first phase includes 1,240 square meters of clean rooms and 100 direct jobs. The second would expand the facilities to more than 7,500 square meters and would exceed 300 jobs. Why is it important. Photonic chips are destined to be infrastructure in AI data centers, quantum telecommunications and high-performance computing. Europe has been trying for years to reduce its dependence on Asia and the United States for semiconductors, but private projects that actually materialize are rare. That a family with its own capital, stable dividends from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and no need for advertising decides to commit 50 million to this niche says a lot about how certain family assets are reading the next decade. Entering now, with state support and a consolidated scientific team from the UPV, has overwhelming logic. Yes, but. Attypics is barely three months old. Integrated photonics is a field where the gap between the laboratory and industrial-scale production has brought down projects with more muscle than this. Depending on the Perte Chip also implies being exposed to the rhythms of the public administration, whose management of European technology funds has a bittersweet history in Spain. And the Gómez-Trénors, much more accustomed to collecting dividends than managing semiconductor factories, will have to demonstrate that the scientific capital of the UPV can become a sustainable business without the university umbrella. In Xataka | “My family tells me, but where are your products?”: inside the Spanish institute that is putting its chips on Mars Featured image | Ayar Labs

In 2016 Colombia signed a historic peace agreement. Then the area dedicated to cocaine cultivation skyrocketed

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In Colombia the 11-24-2016 It is one of those dates that sneak into history books and that schoolchildren study for generations. Or at least that’s what was expected a decade agowhen (after years of negotiations and a complicated procedure with steps forward and back) the Government and the FARC signed a Peace Agreement which was intended to mark a turning point in the country’s history of drug trafficking and violence. The reality today is that the Colombian coca map may be different from that of 2016, but it has not retreated. Quite the opposite. Taking stock. The second round of the Colombian teams will coincide almost with the tenth anniversary of the agreement signed in 2016 by the FARC-EP and the Government, then headed by Juan Manuel Santos. With that backdrop, this week the British newspaper Financial Times public an extensive analysis in which he examines how the cocaine business, drug trafficking and violence in the country have changed over the last decade. And the result is not exactly good. If it had to be summarized, it could be done like this: more hectares of cultivation, greater yield, more business and less ideology. Change of actors. One of the key ideas that leave bouncing FT is that, far from ending drug trafficking and coca cultivation, the 2016 agreement has only served to change its protagonists. The place that the far-left insurgent organization once occupied FARC It is now distributed to armed groups more motivated by the search for profit. From discourse based on politics we move on to business. Not only that. The logistics chain has become fragmented and specialized, although in the new map they would stand out above all three great actors. One is the National Liberation Army (ELN), left-wing guerrilla organization that expands its influence to Venezuela. Another group is made up of former members of the FARC who are dissatisfied with the 2016 pact and who now act as dissidents. The third protagonist is Gaitanista Armyalso known by its acronym (EGC) or as Clan del Golfo, formed by right-wing paramilitaries. For the director of the Ideas for Peace Foundation (FIP), María Victoria Llorente, the latter is “the largest criminal organization in Colombia.” What exactly happened? That the State has not achieved occupy the place left by the FARC, which has translated into a huge opportunity for other organizations interested in drug trafficking. Toby Muse, reporter and author of ‘Kilo’, summed it up not long ago in an interview with ABC: “The FARC had control of many of the places where coca was planted. When they lowered their weapons they clearly told the Government: ‘Now this territory is yours. A minimum of law must be introduced and the peasants must be protected. That is the peace process. This territory is now yours’. The Government was unable to take control. Other groups did so and it generated a new cycle of violence.” Click on the image to go to the tweet. The figure: 253,000 hectares. Geoff Dyer and Joe Daniels, the reporters who sign the report of FT, have not limited themselves to collecting testimonies from experts and locals. In their chronicle they also slip some figures that help understand how the coca map in Colombia has changed since 2016. Of all, perhaps the most resounding are the UN estimates on the cultivated area: between 2018 and 2023 there would be increased by around 50% until reaching 253,000 hectares. This growth has also been accompanied by another just as solid in the production of pure cocaine hydrochloride. A questionable balance. Just a few days ago, President Gustavo Petro assured that the Executive expects that the area with coca crops this year will be around 253,358 hectares, which, he insisted, represents a reduction compared to 2025. In any case, it is still higher than what was expected. the UN calculated in 2022 and questions the success of the policies promoted a decade ago by the Executive to encourage farmers to abandon coca plantations. In 2017, for example, the Transnational Institute (TNI) informed of how a “crop substitution plan” to, through economic incentives, eliminate 50,000 hectares of coca in just one year. Only part of the ‘photo’. It is not just that the cultivated area has increased. In its 2024 report, the UN also points out a noticeable increase in the yield of cultivated hectares, a phenomenon that coincides with the decision of the Government of dispense with of aerial fumigation with glyphosate as a tool to eradicate coca plantations. The decision was made a decade ago due to its impact on the environment and the health of the population, but the Petro Government has had no choice but to reverse and recover fumigations with the help of drones. More sophisticated. In general the analysis of Financial Times points out that new generations have ‘professionalized’ coca production in Colombia, betting on new varieties of crops, more efficient agricultural practices and more sophisticated processing. Even the laboratories have been improved. The British media reports that, taking advantage of their control of the territory, some groups have even gotten into other businesses, such as illegal gold mining. Beyond Colombia. That coca production increases by Colombian forests It has effects beyond the country or even South America. In your ‘World Drug Report 2025’the United Nations recalled that in 2023 the production, seizures and consumption of white powder had reached “new highs”, confirming itself as “the fastest growing illicit drug.” According to their calculations, production shot up almost 34% between 2022 and 2023 and consumption went from 17 million users in 2013 to nearly 25 million in 2023. hunted caches before reaching its destination, but so does production, something that has even been felt in the quote of the bales. The reflection in Europe. In the global chain they are on one side the big producers (Colombia, Peru and Bolivia) and on the other the main consumer markets. In the latter, important changes can also be seen, something that it is clear in … Read more

In February, historic rains broke the roads. Málaga has just received the go-ahead to repair the A-7 and A-45

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2026 started with rain. With a lot of rain. With so much rain that in the first 40 days of the year The registration tripled the average between 1991 and 2020. Curiously, rainfall was scarce in the Cantabrian Sea but in the south there were days of lots of water and even fear. This also had its consequences on the roads. Consequences that are patched now. Lots of water. As we said, the year started in Spain with torrential rains. At the end of January, when it had already rained well, we were preparing for a succession of storms which was going to occupy us a good part of February. And so it was. The problem, in fact, was not that it rained. The problem is that it rained. On very wet ground. The problem beyond the rains is that the soil could not drain as much water. The situation was especially delicate in the south. In areas of Andalusia, towns were evacuated for fear that water will literally gush out of the ground. All of this had its consequences on the roads. Dips, potholes and cars in the ditch. With such an amount of water on the ground, the damage to the asphalt was almost expected. We saw videos on social networks in which a string of stopped cars was shown for being victims of sinkholes. And others in which it was pointed out that a gas station kept receiving tow trucks to rescue those who were left stranded there. We said that it was almost predictable because, whether or not there is an investment deficit on our roads, our asphalts are not prepared to withstand so many days of intense rain. The bitumens used and the porosity of the asphalt It is designed for drier and warmer climates and consequently it withstands heat better but is more fragile. On the contrary, in humid climates bitumen is more malleable but the road can even melt if the heat is extreme. Until now. Once the damage to the asphalt was done, it remained to be known how long it would take the State to act to reverse the damage caused. The truth is that those days of February were complicated on the roads and interventions had to be recorded to, for example, solve landslides. But once this crisis was overcome, it was not until now in the month of June that the expenditure of 20.8 million euros was approved to repair the pavement of the A-7 and A-45 as they pass through Malaga. The interventions will extend over 156,087 kilometers, according to the Ministry of Transport. Some progress. In the note published to explain the interventions, Transport points out that interventions of this type have already been carried out in Estepona, Málaga, Nerja, Vélez-Málaga, Marbella, Casabermeja, Rincón de la Victoria and Antequera. If the schedule is met, it will not be until September when the works will be completed, “although this period may be conditioned by the evolution of the work and weather conditions,” the Ministry emphasizes. As for the works themselves, the actions will focus on milling the pavement in poor condition, replacing the wearing layers with new hot bituminous mixes, replacing the horizontal signage and rehabilitating the service roads and adjacent branches. Photo | Ministry of Transport In Xataka | We knew that we drove badly in the rain, but science has studied to what extent it alters something crucial: metastability

another worrying fact that adds to a historic ENSO

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On June 11, after weeks of uncertainty, NOAA declared that El Niño was already here and that everything seemed to point to a progressive intensification as winter approached. It is true that the probability that the warm phase will be ‘very strong’ is still at 65%, but it is also true that the models insistently indicate that it will be one of the most intense in the last 75 years. Now, in addition, we have an incontestable fact: It is not only that the central and eastern Pacific is much warmer than the historical average, but that the temperature in El Niño 3.4 (the one used by scientists to monitor, declare and measure the intensity of the phenomenon) is at levels never seen before. What do we talk about when we talk about ENSO, El Niño and all these things? What we know as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (or ENSO) is a cyclical (although somewhat irregular) climate phenomenon that has large effects on the global climate. During the warm phase (during El Niño itself), the lack of trade winds to cool the surface causes the temperature of the Pacific waters to skyrocket. And that, precisely that, disrupts all the Earth’s weather systems, causing the thermometers of the entire planet to skyrocket. As explained from AEMET“El Niño, through different atmospheric teleconnections, gives rise to drier than normal conditions in certain parts of the world; while in others it causes more precipitation. Some countries have to deal with significant droughts and others with torrential rains.” What this record implies and what it does not imply. This fact is incontestable, but there is a catch. It is true that the absolute temperature of the equatorial Pacific is at record levels, but technically speaking that is not what defines the intensity of El Niño. In fact, this last year, The index monitored by ENSO has been changed to prevent climate change (which, ‘naturally’, raises the average water temperature in the area) from causing us to confuse “a very hot Pacific” with a “very intense El Niño.” What defines it is the anomaly between the Niño-3.4 region and the rest of the surrounding regions. Right now that anomaly is still low, but considering how quickly it has appeared, it is exactly what we would expect. And why do we tell this? Because the situation is complicated. El Niño of 2023-24 was one of the five strongest on record and contributed to 2024 breaking the global temperature record. And we are talking about a ‘normal’ event. The SuperChildren of 1982-83, 1997-98 and 2015-16 left severe global impactsvictims in the order of 24,000 people and economic losses exceeding 30,000 million dollars. It is true that we have improved a lotbut to that’s what we expose ourselves to. We must not forget that the period April 2025-March 2026 is already the warmest twelve months ever measured. Image | AMETSE In Xataka | There are more and more extreme weather events. In return, they are leaving fewer victims than ever

2026 will be a historic year for smartphones. The worst year in history, specifically

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The smartphone market is touched. That of technology, in general, with the brands themselves warning months ago about what was coming and encouraging us to anticipate technological purchases in the coming years as soon as possible. The rise of artificial intelligence and the Big Tech fever for building data centers has broken the consumer market with increasingly expensive computers, inaccessible components and the disappearance of the “cheap mobile”. Because 2026 is not being a good year to buy technology to the point that there is already talk of the worst year in history for smartphones. Disaster in sight. We already knew that 2026 was going to be bad, but now the analyst firm Counterpoint Research has revised their forecasts to point out something interesting: it will be worse than we expected. If in February they pointed to a drop in the year-on-year volume of smartphone shipments this year of 12.4%, they have now revised those forecasts to go a little further: up to 13.9%. This implies that this year some 1,080 million mobile phones will be shipped, which seems like a lot, but it represents 174 million fewer devices than in 2025. The translation is that it will be the lowest annual volume since 2013, when everything was field, experimentation and the newest smartphones continued to coexist with strange proposals and ‘dumb phones’. No options. The reason is the persistence of the component crisis, mainly storage and RAM memory. The acceleration of Big Tech to build more AI infrastructure is causing himcomponent production lines For the consumer sector (in which mobile phones are found) it does not have components or has to buy them much more expensively. This, evidently, causes the sales price of the device to increase. The impact is there because the memory represented 20% of the manufacturing invoice for an entry mobile. Now that percentage rises to 40% or more and, although everything increases in price or does not improve as it should from one generation to the next to cushion the impact, manufacturers really do not have many more options. The calculations are there and they make the new mobile phones less attractive. In the entry range – increments of 30 dollars per unit. In the mid range – from 60 to 80 dollars per unit. In the premium – 100 and 150 dollars per unit. Strategy. These manufacturers have two options on the table. Or they don’t launch new devices this year, something that some industry giants have already targetedensuring that the situation will cause some companies to fall by the wayside because their business depends directly on the devices… or they launch new models, but without better specifications and more expensive. It is estimated that smartphone prices worldwide increased by 14% during the first quarter of this year, with a shortage hitting the entry and mid-range segment harder than that of more premium mobile phones. The reason is that in the mid-range the margins are tighter and in the premium it is other components that raise the bill (cameras or screens, for example), in addition to having wider margins. In figures. It is affordable mobile phones that are bearing the brunt, with a 46% drop in shipments in this first quarter due to the reduction in the supply of LPDDR4 memory. In fact, Samsung is one of the largest on the market and already pointed out weeks ago that they were going to abandon the LPDDR4 to focus on the LPDDR5 which is better, but also more expensive. An example with first and last names is Galaxy A57a mobile that exemplifies this price increase in the mid-range because one GB of RAM is already worth twice as much as three months ago. To contextualize this, let’s go with some figures: Apple (premium segment) – stable shipments. Samsung (all segments, but strong presence in premium) – 4% drop. Xiaomi (all segments, but more in the mid-range) – 20% drop. Honor (all segments, but more in the mid-range) – 28% drop. Transsion (especially entry range) – 32% drop. No recovery on the horizon. The good news? Really, there is no good news. Coaunterresearch Point is just one source, but a forecast Parallel to IDC, which also contemplates this drop in shipments of 13.9%, points to an additional 1.1% of 1.1%. It is in 2028 when the situation is expected to begin to improve, but without returning to the state we had just two years ago. It will be a slow recovery and the market will suffer more in those areas where there is a greater concentration of mobile phones that move around 200 euros. It is, as we said months ago, the disappearance of the cheap mobile in favor of a more resilient high-end and premium because of what we commented about sales margins. But hey, in the end, it is a situation that we are seeing in all consumer devices. Apple is discontinuing options for its Macs with certain memory combinations, the Steam Deck just went up 300 euros suddenly, The Raspberry Pi has increased tremendously and it is not known when they will come out Steam MachinePS6 or Xbox Project Helix because no one wants to compromise. The only thing we know about the new Xbox is what its new CEO said: It will be expensive due to the component crisis. In Xataka | Samsung is doing so well that its workers threatened to strike if it didn’t distribute benefits. And they have won

PcComponentes plummets the price (to a historic low) of this Motorola mobile with 256 GB and spectacular screen

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Finding the perfect balance in the telephone mid-range is not an easy task. Many brands sacrifice design to offer power, or vice versa. However, Motorola has been proving for some time that you can have it all in a slim, lightweight body. If you are looking to renew your old smartphone without leaving your salary, PcComponentes has this Motorola Edge 70 Fusion 5G at historical minimum price: 324.99 euros. Motorola edge 70 fusion 5G 8GB 256GB 6.78″ Black Snapdragon processor The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A mobile with a cinema screen and balanced power The first thing that enters the eyes of this Motorola Edge 70 Fusion It is its aesthetic section. Inheriting the design lines of its older brothers, this device relies on an extremely thin body, softened edges and a 6.78 inch pOLED curved screen with Full HD+ resolution. But this mobile phone is not just a pretty face, it also has a 120Hz refresh ratewhich guarantees absolute fluidity when scrolling on social networks or playing games. Additionally, the screen is compatible with HDR10+so you can enjoy Netflix series and movies with the best color interpretation. Inside, there is a processor Snapdragon 7s Gen 3accompanied by 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB internal storagemore than enough space to forget about constantly deleting photos, videos or apps. In the photographic section, Motorola has not messed around with infill sensors for this model. We find a 50 MP high resolution main camera signed by Sony and supported by Artificial Intelligence to capture clear night shots, and an ultra wide angle that more than meets the requirements in landscapes and group photos. Although if there is something in which it also stands out compared to its rivals, it is its layer of customization: MyUX. With it, Motorola offers a cleaner, purer and more fluid Android experience, without bloatware (pre-installed junk apps) and with smart gestures that facilitate daily use (for example, shake your phone to turn on the flashlight). Its huge battery with capacity of 7,000 mAh It is another of its hallmarks. Although it not only stands out for this number, but also for its 68 W Turbo Power fast charging technology. This is perfect for those who want to charge their smartphone quickly before leaving the house, while getting dressed and having breakfast, for example. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: offer for the motorola edge 70 fusion smartphone ✅ THE BEST Design and ergonomics: It is an extremely thin, light and aesthetic phone. The curved screen and the rear finishes make it look like an 800 euro mobile phone instead of a mid-range one. pOLED screen: It is clear that Motorola panels are superb. The 120 Hz refresh rate combined with pOLED technology offers vibrant colors, pure blacks and excellent brightness for outdoors. ❌ THE WORST Fair power for gaming: The processor is designed for energy efficiency and everyday fluidity (social networks, multitasking, streaming). If you are looking for a mobile phone to play extremely demanding titles in 3D graphics at a competitive level, you will notice that it lacks a little oomph. Curved screen fragility: Visually it is beautiful, but curved screens are more prone to breaking in case of side falls and finding a good tempered glass protector that fits perfectly is more complicated. 💡 BUY IT IF… You prioritize design and comfort. If you hate cell phones that look like heavy bricks in your pocket and you are looking for something elegant, slim and that attracts attention, this is your cell phone. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… The camera is your only measure when buying a mobile phone and you usually take a lot of photos in dark interiors or at parties at night, a Google Pixel from the “A” series will give you better results in photographic processing. Accessories that may interest you for this mobile FDHYFGDY Magnetic Case for Motorola Edge 70 Fusion The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Motorola Moto Buds: Wireless headphones 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 | Pepu Ricca (Xataka) and Motorola In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best wireless headphones. Which one to buy and 21 models from 15 euros to 470 euros

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz chokes the Chinese economy. Its only energy solution is a historic pact with Putin

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“一日不见，如隔三秋” (A day without seeing you is like three autumns). Using the Russian translation of this ancient Chinese proverb, President Vladimir Putin wanted to begin his meeting with Xi Jinping. The gesture of extreme closeness was not accidental. Tiananmen Square was dressed up with a 21-gun salute, a military band and dozens of children waving flags to welcome the Russian president. On the face of it, Beijing displayed the same diplomatic theatrics and pageantry it had offered to US President Donald Trump just days earlier, as detailed Bloomberg. However, the background was diametrically opposite: if with Trump the red carpet sought to appease and choreograph stability with a volatile rival, with Putin the authority and support for a cornered partner was staged. The Chinese leader addressed his counterpart as an “old friend,” a term unusually reserved in the Party bureaucracy for highly regarded foreigners. The visit, which marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the friendship treaty between both countries and represents Putin’s 25th trip to China, represents a vital alliance at the most critical moment of the decade. Behind the walks through the imperial gardens and the closed-door meetings, there is a suffocating urgency. The global board is burning due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz derived from the war between the United States and Iran, a blockade that has cut off Asia’s energy arteries and has turned this summit into a geopolitical lifeline. The Siberian lifeguard. The response to the crisis has a clear name on the agenda of both leaders: the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. According to the estimatesOnce completed, this colossal 2,600-kilometer-long infrastructure will transport up to 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas per year from the Russian Arctic fields of Yamal to northern China, passing through Mongolia. Moscow and Beijing have already reached a “general understanding” on the project, encompassing consensus on the layout and construction methods, as stated Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov told journalists and spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed. Additionally, both governments have signed a legally binding supply memorandum to boost construction. But all that glitters is not gold. As newspapers such as he Financial Times and CNBCthe agreement has been stumbling over the same rock for years: the price, financing and delivery schedule. China, aware of its position of strength, demands that the rate for the new gas pipeline be equal to the price of the heavily subsidized Russian domestic market (between $120 and $130 per 1,000 cubic meters), conditions that would drastically reduce the profit margins for the Russian state giant Gazprom. Furthermore, secrecy and caution reign in Beijing: as pointed out Reuterswhen Gazprom announced the memorandum last September, China did not issue any official statement on the matter. And even if the agreement is closed now, Russian salvation will not be immediate; from the research unit of China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) has already has warned that gas projects of this magnitude require at least eight to ten years for their construction. The Hormuz factor: a geopolitical accelerator. If the gas pipeline had been on the drawing board for years, the Third Gulf War has stepped on the accelerator. The de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused a real cataclysm in the Indo-Pacific region. This maritime blockade has suddenly interrupted the arrival of half of China’s oil imports and almost a third of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply. The consequences they have been immediate: The Asian giant has already reported a rebound in inflation and an abrupt weakening of its domestic economic activity during the month of April. Faced with maritime vulnerability, securing a land supply route is vital for Beijing’s survival. As experts in German Welleinstability in the Gulf has triggered China’s desire for a pipelined energy flow that is immune to Western sanctions or American naval blockades. Still, China faces this crisis with homework done. Far from improvising, Beijing took advantage of the previous years to buy heavily sanctioned crude oil from countries such as Russia, Venezuela and Iran. Thanks to this, China today has colossal strategic reserves, also supported by a fleet of Iranian oil tankers that function as a floating warehouse off its coasts. A deeply strained and asymmetrical relationship. Although official statements speak of “mutual respect” and a “limitless” partnership, economic reality depicts a deeply unequal relationship. President Putin himself has declared that Russia and China want to be equal partners, but the gap is evident: the Chinese economy is almost eight times larger and much more technologically advanced. Without China’s money and technology, the very survival of the Russian regime would be in question. The data is devastating. According to him Financial TimesRussia has suffered a 38% year-on-year drop in its energy export revenues. To survive Western isolation, Moscow has turned China into its lifeline. At the end of last year, more than 99% of bilateral trade was settled in rubles and yuan to circumvent the SWIFT system, and Beijing currently supplies 90% of imports of sanctioned Russian technology, including semiconductors, microelectronics and dual-use goods, essential for its war machine. For his part, Xi Jinping carries out a delicate diplomatic balancing act. His meeting with Putin comes just days after his summit with Donald Trump. This synchronicity allows Russia a key tactical move: as reported EuronewsPutin’s trip serves to receive direct information and exchange views with Beijing on recent negotiations with Washington. Simultaneously, China does not hesitate to invoke its “Blocking Rules” to order its domestic refiners to ignore US sanctions and continue buying Iranian crude. But at the same time, as the newspaper highlights Asahi Shimbunthe Chinese Ministry of Commerce confirmed the purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft just after Trump’s visit, in a clear gesture to stabilize its economic ties with the West. A new world epicenter. The current crisis and the negotiations in Beijing certify an irreversible paradigm shift. The entry into operation of “Power of Siberia 2” is not just a commercial agreement, it is the chronicle of an announced breakup. … Read more

PcComponentes knocks down the price (to reach a historic low) of this Samsung OLED TV

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Until a few years ago, if you wanted to enjoy Samsung’s best panel technology (OLED) you had to buy a 55-inch TV or larger. This left anyone looking for a screen for a smaller room out of the game. But this has been until the arrival of the Samsung QE48S90F that you can now get at the lowest historical price in PcComponentes: 816.57 euros compared to the 1,699 euros that it has as a recommended RRP. Samsung 48″ S90F OLED TV – 4K The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A TV with Pantone certification and great for gaming The S90F series is not an entry range. We are talking about an OLED panel that stands out for offering us a infinite contrast. This means that each pixel is completely turned off, eliminating the annoying grayish halo in dark scenes that other cheaper technologies offer. Another thing that this TV stands out for is having Pantone certificationthus guaranteeing that the colors you see are exactly what the film director (or the creator of the game, since it is also a good TV for gaming) imagined. Its refresh rate is 100Hzalthough if you choose gaming mode, the refresh rate increases to 144 Hz, so you can enjoy greater fluidity in more demanding games. As far as games are concerned, it can also be noted that it incorporates four ports HDMI 2.1 and VRR and ALLM technologies, as well as Gaming Hub, so you have direct access to cloud games without the need for a console. This TV is compatible with HDR10+ (in image) and Dolby Atmos (in audio). Its speakers offer a power of 40 W, which is more than the average of TVs on the market, although to maximize this section, the ideal is that you connect a sound bar. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: offer for the Samsung QE48S90FAEXXH smart TV today ✅ THE BEST Unbeatable image quality: The contrast of the Samsung OLED is excellent. The colors are more vivid than in traditional OLED panels from the competition. Versatile size: 48 inches is the perfect size for those who want a cinema experience in small living rooms (or even the bedroom) or a giant monitor for productivity and gaming. ❌ THE WORST Brightness in brightly lit rooms… Although they have improved a lot, OLED panels still suffer a little more than MiniLED if you have a window with direct sun right in front of you. Without Dolby Vision… As is usual with Samsung, they are betting on HDR10+, leaving out the Dolby standard, although for most users it is a subtle difference. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are a movie buff with limited space, since if you have a bedroom or a small living room where a 55-inch TV would be overkill, but you don’t want to give up watching movies with the black quality of a movie theater, this TV is a good investment. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You are a Dolby Vision purist and you have a huge collection of Blu-rays in this format and you are very demanding about it, this is not your TV. Samsung will disappoint you because it only supports HDR10+. Some sound bars that may interest you for this TV LG DS60T – Sound Bar, Bluetooth, 340W, 3.1 Channels The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense HS2100 – Sound Bar 2.1, 240W 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 Samsung In Xataka | Best televisions in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended 4K smart TVs In Xataka | Best sound bars in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended models from 140 euros

The good news is that the Ebro reservoirs are at a historic 85% water level. The bad thing is that we are going to spend it in a short time.

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There are 6,640 hm3 of water in the Ebro basin. The reservoirs are at 85.1% of its total capacity at what is its highest level (for this date) of the decade. And yet, the fact that there is a lot of water is not news. All of Spain is the same (83.3%). The news is that we are going to spend it. A structural problem called ‘Mediterranean’. Every year, the pressure of the Mediterranean summer and the irrigation campaign empty the reservoirs very quickly. AND, as history has shown usthere is never too much water: “each dry period has served to implement emergency measures for agriculture that were not eliminated when the rains returned, they were used to expand irrigation, aggravating the problem in the following drought”, said Ana Tudela and Antonio Delgado. And that, precisely that, is what we are about to see. The complete image. Seeing the figures for the reservoirs can lead us to forget that, just three years ago, 85% of the basin’s surface was in “prolonged drought“and 45% of them declared themselves in shortage emergency. Mequinenza, the largest swamp, reached historic lows. It was a catastrophe not only in water terms, but also in energy terms. Now, however, all that is in the past. And Say’s Law lurks in the dark. What the old French economist Jean-Baptiste Say argued at the end of the 19th century is that “every supply creates its own demand“and, translated into this situation, this means that the fact that there is more water generates all the incentives in the world for there to be more irrigation. As soon as we do it, this becomes clear. After all, not all of the basin’s storage capacity is enough for a full year of agricultural demand. Without the annual rainfall and the melting of snow, we could already consider all its reserves exhausted. March is the key month. The irrigation campaign runs from April to September and that means that March is the key month for planning the year. It is true that the thaw has not yet begun (which this year is going to be very intense), but it helps us estimate what quantities of water are really available. All irrigated agriculture in the valley depends on the water we are able to store during the spring. The question from now on becomes: how do we conserve as much water as possible before we once again enter a situation of risk? And the problem is that we don’t have answers. Especially in a regulatory context in which are not foreseen widespread restrictions on irrigation. Economic, social and institutional incentives tell us that we are not yet prepared, as a country, to address the really important question: we do not have a water problem, we have a consumption problem. There is still room for improvement in management, yes. But that won’t solve the problem: it only postpones it. And that 85% of reservoir water has given us unbeatable weather, we just have to hope that we can take advantage of it. Image | Manuel Torres Garcia In Xataka | The great battle of the Ebro is not between Murcia and Aragón, it is between the headwaters of the rivers, the large cities and the delta

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