longer

Microsoft no longer sells software: it sells inevitability

by

OpenAI is no longer an entity with hybrid control and is now a fully fledged company. That is, for profit. Microsoft, which had special rights and a seat on its board, give up that position in exchange for something more stable: Guaranteed and perpetual access to OpenAI models (current and future). Freedom to create your own foundational models without restrictions. Gain independence without losing technology. Why is it important. This does not make Microsoft the owner of OpenAI, but rather the platform that turns its AI into a mass product. OpenAI can continue investigating, but Microsoft remains the one who controls access to users and companies. Distribution defines power today, even above invention. The general overview. Microsoft has been transforming its business from selling licenses to selling continuous dependency for more than a decade: Office 365 eliminated or relegated the option to purchase the software only once. Windows 10 introduced mandatory updates that turned the operating system into permanent service. Azure has tied enterprise infrastructure to its cloud. The pattern is consistent: turning tools into platforms, products into subscriptions, and options into inevitabilities. The agreement with OpenAI is not an exception, it is the culmination. In detail. Microsoft maintains something that no other actor has: Direct integration of Copilot in Office, Teams, Outlook and Windows. Large-scale business contracts that turn AI into the structural cost of digital work. Control over the point of entry: the place where millions of people work every day. The new agreement ensures that OpenAI cannot turn off the tap, and that Microsoft can expand or replace its models without depending on third parties. The strategic background. Until now, Microsoft could not develop its own AGI. Now yes. This allows you two parallel routes: Use OpenAI models in your ecosystem. Develop your own (or integrate with others) if OpenAI gets sidetracked or delayed. Gain technological freedom and commercial stability. But above all, you gain something more valuable: the certainty that AI will not be optional in your software. Between the lines. The move consolidates Microsoft as the main consumer channel for AI at work. Not by contract, but by market position. Millions of users already pay for Copilot without expressly choosing it. Companies assume it as part of the normal cost of productivity. There is no real alternative: if you work in Word, you use Copilot. If you manage emails in Outlook, you use Copilot. If you coordinate teams in Teams, you use Copilot. Yes, but. This is not the traditional technological domain. Microsoft doesn’t need to have the best AI. You just need to have the most integrated one. OpenAI can be brighter, Google can be faster, Meta can be more open (or not so open). It doesn’t matter, because none of them are inside the software where the work is done. AI is no longer an add-on. It becomes invisible infrastructure. The contrast. Other technological giants continue to bet on the excellence of the model: Everyone competes to have the best technology, but Microsoft competes for something else: to be the place where that technology is used, regardless of who created it. In summary: OpenAI is freed to grow as a company. Microsoft makes sure that no matter what happens, AI runs through its software. The rest of the industry competes to invent. Microsoft has won by distributing. Does not sell AI. Sell ​​inevitability. In Xataka | AI works better if you are edge Featured image | Microsoft

Spain no longer knows what to do with its surplus of renewables. So he is going to build a huge electric bridge with Ireland

by

Spain shines with sun and wind, but is drowning in its own green electricity. Solar and wind farms break generation recordsbut a good part of that energy is wasted due to lack of network, storage and connections with Europe. While the country operates in “reinforced mode”has found a possible solution to dispose of its renewable surplus. An electric bridge. On this path of releasing its excess energy, Spain has found in Ireland the best matches to connect. Irish Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment, Darragh O’Brien, advertisement After a meeting with the Spanish Secretary of State Joan Groizard, both countries are working on the construction of an underwater electrical interconnector between Ireland and Spain. Speaking to RTÉ NewsIrish Minister Darragh O’Brien announced that the project will seek to be co-financed with European funds and be completed in the mid-2030s. It will not be a minor project: the cable, he explained, will allow the buying and selling of electricity between both countries, balancing generation peaks. O’Brien acknowledged that, for now, “Spain is more likely to export energy to Ireland,” because the country usually has a surplus of renewable power that it cannot always take advantage of. We’re going to a wedding. The idea of ​​joining Spain and Ireland with an electric cable may sound eccentric, but it responds to continental logic: countries that produce green energy need to sell it, and those that are isolated need to receive it. In this context, our country is a clear example of the first group. The country has one of the largest renewable capacities in Europe —more than 40GW new since 2019—, but its level of international interconnection it barely reaches 2.8%well below the European target of 15% set for 2030. On the other hand, Ireland belongs to the second group. Its system depends almost entirely on the United Kingdom and France, and the country is, along with Spain and Finland, among the most exposed to blackouts due to lack of interconnections. according to a study by the consulting firm Ember. The analysis warns that 55% of the European electricity system has limits on importing electricity, which increases the risk of supply failures. How will the new cable work? It will be a high-voltage underwater interconnector (HVDC), the same system already used to move clean electricity over long distances between countries. The project is inspired by the Celtic Interconnectorthe Ireland-France link that will open in 2027, and will allow gigawatts of renewable energy to be transported under the Atlantic. There is still no closed route, but the Bay of Biscay appears as the most likely option: there it is already another cable advances between Spain and France, co-financed by the European Investment Bank. The political objective is clear: integrate the networks of the European periphery into an interconnected continental system, less vulnerable to blackouts and more efficient in the use of green energy. Furthermore, both countries recently led a meeting in Luxembourg of the “Friends of Renewables” group, together with 15 Member States and the European Commission. At that meeting, the new European Electricity Grids Package was presented, considered “one of the key pillars to facilitate affordable, safe and clean renewable energy.” Everything starts from the cables. The challenge is not only in producing more, but in transporting and storing energy. Spain invest only 30 cents in the network For every euro allocated to renewables, half of the European average. In this way, the cable with Ireland would fit into a map of projects that aims to break the energy isolation of the Iberian Peninsula. In addition to the Bay of Biscay link, are underway the Navarra–Landes and Aragón–Marsillón connections with France, a third interconnection with Morocco and new links between islands and the continent. If all these cables materialize, Spain will go from being “an energy island” to becoming an energy node between Europe and Africa, capable of exporting its renewable surpluses at competitive prices. The next great leap in European energy could start here: an electrical wire under the sea that connects the Spanish sun with Irish houses. Image | Jules Verne Times Two Xataka | When an undersea cable breaks in Africa, there is only one solution: call the only ship that has been repairing them for more than a decade

The price of chocolate is rising so much that chocolate bars are no longer legally chocolate bars.

by

Imagine for a moment that Nocilla, the famous Spanish spread, reduced the chocolate in its recipe so much that they could not use its famous ditty about “milk, cocoa, hazelnuts and sugar” without incurring fraud. Imagine the shock, the controversy, the disbelief. Well, something very similar to that. just happened in the uk and, honestly, it is a warning of the future of chocolate. What has happened? For decades, McVitie’s tried to become in the UK’s quintessential chocolate cookie: “If you like your cookies with lots of chocolate, join our club,” has been their advertising slogan all this time. But that’s over: Pladis, the parent company (one of the country’s largest producers of cookies, sweets and salty snacks), has so limited the chocolate in the recipe for its Club cookies and Penguin bars that, legally, they are no longer chocolate cookies. Now They only have a chocolate ‘flavor’. But why? The explanation is simple: cocoa prices have risen so much (especially, in 2024 and early 2025) and skyrocketing production costs. As we have been warning for months, this pressure was wreaking havoc on the world of chocolate. Manufacturers very quickly realized that they could not transfer all the increases to final prices: demand was going to be savagely reduced. The reduflation and countless other strategies to contain prices. And as both in the United Kingdom and in the European Union, the regulation requires that at least 20% of the product are “cocoa solids”crossing that line requires a change of name. And what does all this imply? Although it may seem strange, the consequences of all this in October 2025 are that although consumption falls due to price, business improves. Although chocolate is 13% more expensive today than at the beginning of the year and almost 19% more than just a year ago; the sector has been able to generate more than 80 million profit than last year. However, the future is uncertain. In a recent report, Produlce (the sector’s employers’ association) recognized that consumption fell last year (according to their calculations, by 8.6%), although spending per person increased by 5.5%. But that is something worrying: because, despite the fact that cocoa is giving some rest, the price is still double what is usual. And everything suggests that will continue to rise in the medium term. Image | Ubcule | Monika Guzikowska In Xataka | A chocolate bar filled with pistachio has become the most desired viral on TikTok: the “Dubai chocolate”

the time change is no longer useful

by

Twice a year we repeat the same ritual: moving the hands of the clock, checking the microwave, setting the alarm clock. A small gesture that changes our routine and that, for decades, they said promised savings that almost no one sees anymore. Although this year could be one of the last. Pedro Sanchez has announced that the Government will propose to the European Union to eliminate the seasonal time change for next year. But the question that concerns us here is: does it really help to save energy? Boating soon. According to an analysis prepared by Papernestthe time change barely moves the electricity consumption needle. The report, based on data from Red Eléctrica de España (REE) between 2020 and 2024, reveals that the time adjustment today has an almost imperceptible effect on light demand. “The time change no longer has a clear effect on electricity consumption. In several years an increase has even been observed during the afternoons,” states the report to which we have had access. More in depth. The analysis compares the week before and the week after each time change for five consecutive autumns. The results show very small variations – between -6% and +2% – and without any pattern. In three of those five years, consumption in the period of greatest domestic activity (from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) even increased between 0.3% and 2.4%. Only in 2022 was a significant drop in consumption recorded, close to 6%, although analysts attribute this to the exceptional energy context of that autumn: record electricity priceslower general demand and a more moderate use of heating. A specific decrease that, according to the report, is not directly related to the time change. Source: Papernest (2025), with data from Red Eléctrica de España (REE). In summary, Spanish homes consume practically the same electricity before and after the change. Neither natural light nor temperatures seem to have an appreciable influence. “This reflects that the impact of the time change on the electricity consumption of current homes is practically insignificant,” concludes Papernest. New habits dilute the supposed savings. If decades ago the time change served to make better use of daylight and reduce spending, today the structure of electricity consumption has completely changed. The report points to several factors: teleworking, electric heatingconnected devices and continued use of household appliances that previously only worked in certain strips. In other words, consumption is no longer concentrated only in daylight hours. Electrical activity has been “delocalized” within the day, and the idea that turning the clock back or forward an hour can make a notable difference is no longer true. Furthermore, the document itself highlights that the small variations between weeks cannot be attributed to changes in temperature or solar radiation: there is no consistent correlation between meteorological conditions and demand oscillations. And in the pocket? Neither. Papernest calculates that the average savings per household barely reaches 1.4 euros per year, even in the most optimistic scenario. The calculation is based on the average annual consumption per home in Spain (3,487 kWh, according to Iberdrola), an average reduction of 1.4% after the time change and an average price of €0.132 per kWh. “Even in this optimistic scenario, the economic effect of the time change is practically insignificant compared to the annual electricity bill,” the report summarizes. Translated into an understandable figure, the time adjustment saves about €0.12 per week, or the equivalent of one hour of an LED bulb on. It is a symbolic gesture rather than a measure of efficiency. With savings out of the equation, the debate has moved to another area: that of the body and mind. The energy argument has become obsolete. So what reasons remain to maintain or eliminate the time change? The focus on health and well-being. The consensus between specialists from the Spanish Sleep Society (SES) and other scientific institutions it’s clear: winter time – the one now adopted in October – is the most appropriate from a biological point of view. International studies support this idea: maintaining winter time promotes rest, reduces fatigue and improves morning safety. On the contrary, permanent daylight saving time can generate constant “social jet lag”, especially in the westernmost areas of the country, where sunrises would be delayed until after half past nine in December. The clock no longer changes anything. Five years of data and the same result: changing the time does not save energy, money, or effort. The human being is an animal of habit, which is why it has survived the change of time due to the inertia of the symbolic gesture. Currently, electricity consumption depends more on our routines, climate and technology than on the sun coming through the window. Perhaps, as my colleague titled: “The country that never tires of hurting itself: the truth about the time change is that it is a controversy in which we can only lose.” This weekend we will turn the clocks backbut the time that really counts—that of consumption and rest—no longer moves. And it may literally be time to stop moving it. Image | FreePik and Unsplash Xataka | Without knowing it, Pedro Sánchez has also reopened the other great melon of the hour in Spain: whether Galicia is in his zone or not

Rosalía paralyzed the center of Madrid yesterday by surprise because she is no longer promoting an album: she is selling a great event

by

Beyond her music, which in these cases always takes a backseat, it is clear that when we talk about Rosalía’s ability to sell her stuff, we are dealing with an artist who is one step ahead of her compatriots. In fact, in a certain sense Rosalía plays in a league of teasers, previews and management of expectations that places her closer to Taylor Swift either bts that together with Van Gogh’s Ear. What happened. Rosalia paralyzed the center of Madrid last night with a presentation as brief as it was chaotic of their new album ‘Lux’, turned into an unexpected act of performance urban: at 8:45 p.m., Rosalía began a live on TikTok in which he announced that something would happen at 10:00 p.m. in the Plaza de Callao. Thousands of fans turned out within minutes, drawn by the promise of a performance. The artist, who was personally driving a white car through Madrid while it was being recorded live, briefly appeared running along Gran Vía before taking refuge in the Capitol Hotel.​ Make yourself Lux. Shortly after, all the screens in Callao and the theaters in the area faded to black to finally show the cover of ‘Lux’: Rosalía dressed in white, with a kind of straitjacket and veil, golden lips and a blue background with the title of the album in the center, and with visual reminiscences (the posture of a certain serenity, the headdress, the title of the album) that clearly recall a nun. The album will be officially released on November 7, it is the artist’s fourth studio after ‘Motomami’ and comes preceded by some visual clues in recent days, such as the artist’s presence in Times Square or the enigmatic presentation a few days ago of a score. Not Kings, but a queen. The launch of Rosalía’s new album, Lux, began with a great promotional action in Times Squarein New York, on October 19, 2025, where his image and the title of the album occupied the iconic light screens of the place.​ There the images that we ended up seeing in Callao were shown for the first time in the chaotic (but very studied) presentation yesterday. About the sheet music. More enigmatic was the publication in your newsletter of some scores apparently titled ‘Berghain’ (which suggested a musical turn towards string arrangements, apparently opposed to the electronic spirit of the Berlin club with the same name as the scores). Thousands of fans began to interpret the score with different instruments and upload their versions to TikTok and X, turning the enigma into a collective experience of musical creation. This phenomenon is reminiscent of the way in which, before the release of ‘Desphá’Rosalía already showed for the first time her ability to play with expectations and not follow the hitherto immovable rules of marketing, all based on leaks and direct and apparently improvised communication with fans. New narratives. Rosalía is a good example of a new way of promoting albums, which have ceased to be isolated musical works and have become a constant call for attention. Taylor Swift is the ultimate example: months before the launch of her ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ we have had promotion on social networks, a wedding announcement and a successful documentary. Rosalía already is giving interviews in which he talks about a personal turn in recent years that will be reflected, of course, in the new album. The personal and the professional blur, with clues that the album could have religious content, anticipating an intimate and profound transformation. And very profitable. In Xataka | Rosalía released a statement to avoid the controversy about Gaza. There are those who think that it has not been clear enough

US soybean silos are bursting because China no longer buys them. The threat to the US is used oil

by

The trade war and the exchange of tariffs between the US and China is having repercussions at many levels and agriculture is one of the sectors that is suffering the most from the consequences. Due to its size, China is one of the main importers of food products and is using this advantage to punish its rival. They are doing it with beef and also with soybeans. Now Trump has a threat to China. What has happened? China was the main US customer in the soybean business, but the trade war is reconfiguring the game board and soybeans are being one of China’s main weapons in this tug of war. The decision to stop buying soy is wreaking havoc in the US and now Trump pushes to stop buying another product from them: used cooking oil. The president has used your social network Thruth to describe China’s move with soybeans as “an act of economic hostility” and has assured that “we can easily produce cooking oil ourselves, we do not need to buy it from China.” Why it is important. The used cooking oil market moved 6.9 billion dollars in 2024. This oil is used to create biofuels, and with increased recycling and sustainability initiatives, the figure is expected to double by 2032. The United States is the world’s largest buyer of used oil and China is its largest supplier. According to data from the Department of Agriculture American, in 2024 the United States bought 43% of all the used oil produced by China. The soy problem. China was the US’s main customer in the soybean business. Until not long ago, they bought 40% of all production from them, a figure that was reduced to 20% in 2024. Despite the reduction, it was still a lot: 27 million tons and a value of 12.8 billion dollars. In 2025 only about 16 million tons have been imported until July, but this was just the beginning. Currently, China has further reduced imports of US soybeans, which aim to be practically zero in the last quarter of the year. Instead, China is doing business with other countries: Brazil and Argentina. Consequences. American farmers’ silos are bursting with soybeans. They count in the New York Times that states like North Dakota sold more than 70% of their production to China and now find that their best customer no longer buys from them. It is an enormous amount to be able to place before production goes to waste. The damage to the agriculture sector is enormous, with farms projecting losses of up to $400,000 this year. Tensions. A few days ago we learned of Beijing’s decision to consolidate its dominance over rare earthsa strategic sector in which they are the key player. The United States responded with a 100% tariff which is accumulated to those already imposed previously. Trump exploded on social Thruth against the measure, but in one of his usual changes of position, days later posted another message in which he lowered his tone: “Don’t worry about China, everything will be fine. The highly respected President Xi has only had a bad time.” The threat to stop buying used oil represents a new escalation of tension, although there are voices like that of Rush Doshi, Biden’s former security adviser, They believe that it will not have great consequences and in Beijing it will be seen as a sign of weakness. Image | Pexels 1, 2In Xataka | Holland has just declared war on China in the most important battle of the century: control of semiconductors

Clean energy has made the electricity market cheaper. But what we pay for is no longer energy: it is stability

by

Spain is a unique case in Europe: it has managed to ensure that gas and coal barely influence the wholesale price of electricity – only 19% of the hours this year, compared to 75% in 2019. according to a report by Ember. Thanks to this, the average Spanish wholesale price was 32% lower than the European one. However, something does not add up: the consumer still paying an expensive billwhy doesn’t the receipt go down? Let’s go in parts. Since 2019, Spain has added more than 40 GW of new solar and wind capacity, doubling its renewable power. In the first half of this year, 46% of the electricity generated was clean. But on April 28, 2025 came the blow of reality: the great blackout. A concatenation of electrical failures and lack of operating margin left much of the country in the dark for hours. The ENTSO-E preliminary report discarded that renewables were the direct cause, but it did reveal a structural problem: the Spanish network was not prepared for so much intermittent generation without sufficient flexibility. Since then, Red Eléctrica operates the system in “reinforced mode”activating more combined gas cycles to stabilize the voltage. According to Emberthat strategy has come at a high cost: in May, gas-based network services represented 57% of the final price of electricity, compared to the usual 14% before the blackout. The underlying problem. Spain produces more clean electricity than ever, but cannot fully take advantage of it. The lack of grid, storage and interconnections is leaving thousands of solar and wind megawatts unused. Although there is now a plan in place to reinforce those connections that act as a bottleneckthe reality is that when there is excess clean energy and it cannot be exported, it is “thrown away”. He curtailment (wasted renewable energy) has tripled since the blackout, going from 1.8% to 7.2%, according to Ember. Furthermore, the country continues to lag behind in flexibility. Regarding investment in batteries, it arrives late: Spain is placed in fourth position in the electricity market, but it is thirteenth in batteries, with only 120 MW installed. Despite to have planned a total of 16,000 MW planned for 2030. The reason for these problems is structural and can be understood with the investment made in networks of such only 30 cents For every euro allocated to renewables, half the European average. In other words, we have more sun than cables. The cost of fear. The problem is not only technical, but economic. As the analyst Javier Blas recalledoperate in reinforced modeeither since April it has cost consumers an additional billion dollars. And that is just the beginning: the approval of the new re-reinforced mode could add another 3,000 million euros and open the door to increases in fixed rates by the marketers, as the UNEF has detailed in statements to El Español. The cost of keeping the network “in tension” is transferred directly to the invoices, even if the wholesale price is low. Ember’s own report points out that the wholesale market price It only covers approximately half of the electricity bill, the so-called “energy component.” The rest – networks, tolls, taxes, stability of the system – does not decrease even if electricity becomes cheaper at source. Therefore, falling wholesale prices do not automatically translate into lower bills. The ghost of the blackout again. Six months have been enough for another feared blackout to return. Red Eléctrica warned of “sudden voltage variations” in the peninsular system, so serious that it asked the CNMC for permission to urgently modify several operating procedures. Among the measures: more room for maneuver to act before the operating day begins and stricter control of reactive voltage. An express adjustment of the country’s electrical operations to contain the ups and downs of voltage, just as my partner described. The REE itself insisted that “there is no imminent risk of a blackout,” but the truth is that no one is calm. “The grid operator has been operating in reinforced mode since April 29, activating gas plants with greater intensity and reducing solar and wind energy,” Blas pointed out. Every day that passes in these conditions adds costs that end up being passed on to customers. The ghost of the blackout is still there: less visible, but more expensive. From patches to clean flexibility. After the blackout a reform package was approved (Royal Decree-Law 7/2025) with measures to strengthen the network and promote storage. Although the decree was rejected in Congress, many of its provisions are being applied in other ways. Among them, the installation of eight synchronous compensators stands out—devices that stabilize voltage without using fossil fuels—and a portfolio of 2,600 MW of batteries, of which 340 MW already have permission. From Ember has been calculated that the compensators will involve an investment of 750 million euros, but will save 200 million a year by reducing the use of gas for network services. The objective is clear: to move from gas as a crutch to clean flexibility as the basis of the system. The Spanish paradox. Spain is Europe’s energy laboratory: the country where renewables have shown that they can reduce the wholesale price, but also where it is clearer to see how expensive it is to sustain this transition without robust networks. As explains Ember’s reportaround 50% of the Spanish electricity bill corresponds to the energy component, which has become cheaper. The rest are system costs and from there, although the megawatt-hour does not cost less, the final bill barely goes down. A major challenge. Spain has shown that it can have the cheapest electricity in Europe and, at the same time, one of the highest bills.Because the energy transition is not measured only in megawatts or solar panels, but in cables, stability and trust. The challenge now is not to produce more clean energy, but to make it arrive—and be paid for—fairly. Image | Unsplash Xataka | A ghost haunts Spain: the ghost of another massive blackout caused by network tension problems

the cities are no longer yellow

by

Astronauts who have been lucky enough to travel to space more than once in the last decade are privileged witnesses of a chromatic change on a planetary scale. From their vantage point 400 kilometers high, they have been able to see that the cities, previously faint spots of amber, now shine with an intense white light. It’s not a metaphor. It is the visible trace of one of the most rapid and widespread infrastructure transformations in recent history: the great replacement of public lighting. We have retired the old sodium vapor streetlights and massively embraced LED. This change, driven by regulation in favor of energy efficiency, has redrawn the night map of the Earth, a phenomenon that can be seen more clearly from space. The invention that earned a Nobel Prize in Physics. Old sodium vapor lamps, especially low-pressure ones, were monochromatic in nature. They emitted light in a very narrow band of the spectrum, resulting in that characteristic and ubiquitous yellow-orange hue that tinted our streets and skies. LED lights work in a completely different way. His breakthrough, which earned Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physicswas the invention of the high-efficiency blue LED. By combining this blue LED with a phosphor coating, it was finally possible to generate a bright and affordable white light. This diode is not only more efficient (exceeding 300 lumens per watt, compared to 16 for an incandescent bulb), but it offers a much broader spectrum. Southern Europe in 2025 from the International Space Station. Image: Don Pettit The cities changed color. To the eyes of a night observer in space, cities have gone from being yellow to glowing bluish white. Milan is the paradigmatic case: it completed its transition to LED in 2015, and appears in an ESA comparison with before and after photos taken by astronauts André Kuipers and Samantha Cristoforetti. But it is by no means the only case. Los Angeles was a pioneering city: it ordered the replacement of 140,000 streetlights in 2009. Buenos Aires modernized its lighting with smart LED streetlights between 2013 and 2016. New York finished replacing 500,000 bulbs in 2023. Barcelona plans total remote management of public lighting by 2028. But India is the country that carries out the largest replacement in the world, with more than 13 million LED streetlights already installed. The b side of this transformation. Like any revolution, the LED has a dark side. Light is cheaper, so cities are not only replacing old streetlights, but also increasing the number of light points or their intensity. The result is that we are leaving a brighter planet, where it is most difficult to escape of light pollution. The statistics indicated otherwise, but it must be taken into account that light pollution is measured by satellites, and satellites are partially blind to blue light. This means that the actual increase in light pollution, especially that perceived by human beingsis much higher than official figures indicate. To make matters worse, blue light is the one that interferes the most with our biological clock, and can affect the quality of sleep, in the same way that disorients migratory birds and the moths. The future is adjustable. The solution is not to go back to sodium. The efficiency of the LED is indisputable. The key, as with any technology, is in its application. The next phase of this transition is not about changing light bulbs, but about installing smart streetlights. It is estimated that almost one in four streetlights will be smart by 2030. When connected, they can regulate their intensity depending on the time or traffic, detect faults in real time and collect environmental data. This remote management will allow one of the new lighting maxims to be applied: using only the necessary light, when and where it is needed. In parallel, other solutions have emerged to protect biodiversity, such as red light streetlights being tested in Nordic cities so as not to disturb the bats. and the idea of ​​bioluminescence as an organic way of generating light without any electrical consumption and with minimal environmental impact. Image | The Iberian Peninsula in 2012, by astronaut Don Pettit In Xataka | Why sunlight doesn’t illuminate space: solving the question a child sent to the ISS

As of October 9, transfers in the EU will no longer be the same. A new bank verification enters into force

by

You open the bank’s app, choose “Transfer,” you go, you write the name of the recipient and confirm. Today, October 7, 2025, if that name does not match the holder of the account, the usual thing is that the payment is executed without alerts. As of October 9, that everyday gesture changes. In the EU, starting with the entities of the euro area, the bank must check if the name you enter with that of the IBA before authorizing the shipment. The idea is simple, that money reaches who owes. Until now, European banks were not obliged to verify whether the beneficiary’s name coincided with the IBA before executing a transfer. The system was based only on the account number, which allowed payments to be processed even if the name was not correct. Some countries, such as the Netherlands, had developed verification mechanisms such as the “Iran-Naam Check”, but there was no common norm. The new European regulation corrects that disparity and establishes a uniform procedure for the entire union. Three possible messages. When the bank taught the name and the Iban, the answer may be one of three. Total coincidence. If the data fully coincide, the transfer will be validated without additional notices. Partial coincidence. If there are slight differences (a changed letter, an absent tilde or an abbreviated name) an alert will appear indicating partial coincidence. In that case, the user may review the data or continue under their responsibility. Without coincidence. If there is no coincidence, the system will warn that the data does not quote, without showing the real name of the holder for privacy reasons. WARNING, DO NOT BLOCK. Receiving an alert does not mean that the payment is blocked. The system is designed to inform, not to prevent the operation. Even if the name and the IBAN do not coincide, the user will be able to move forward with the transfer under their own responsibility. What changes is the transparency of the process. Before it was not known if the data fit; Now the bank will show you before executing the shipment. The final decision will remain yours. People and companies. The verification is based on the identification data of the account holder. If the beneficiary is a natural person, the system will compare its name and surname as it appears in the receiving bank. In the case of a legal person (for example, a company or association), the verification will focus on the company name or the commercial name. The usual errors, such as tildes, abbreviations or second denominations, can generate partial coincidences, but will not prevent the transfer, as we mentioned above. Standard, immediate and periodic. Verification will apply to both standard and immediate transfers, without additional cost for the user. One of the payment entities that have detailed how the process will work is Nickel. As explainedperiodic transfers scheduled before October 9, 2025 will not be subject to the beneficiary’s verification, although its execution is subsequent. Only the coincidence in the new orders created from that date and once, at the time of configuring them, will be verified. Absence of verification. As Nickel also explains, it can happen that the system fails to check the name with the Iban. This ruling, the company points out, may be due to communication problems between banks or specific technical limitations. In that case, the entity indicates that it will also proceed with the transfer, without the system confirming the coincidence of the beneficiary. Nickel herself advises to cancel the operation if there are doubts about the recipient, especially when it comes to high amounts or unusual accounts. The origin of the measure is in the rebound of bank fraud in the last decade. The European institutions, headed by the Commission and the ECB, considered that the system knows a mechanism for verifying the beneficiary to prevent erroneous payments and identity robberies. With the new standard, each transfer will include an automatic verification that acts as an informative filter. It does not delay shipping, but offers a warning that did not exist before. Vishing, Smishing, Romance and BEC. Behind the regulatory change are the fraud that proliferate in Europe and that banks try to stop new verification tools. He Vishingfor example, use false phone calls to impersonate bank employees or authorities. He SMISHING It arrives by SMS with messages that simulate being from the bank or a shipping company. They have also extended The romantic scamswhere the victim’s trust is gained before asking for money, and the CEO fraudin which an alleged manager orders urgent and confidential transfers. Beyond the differences between modalities, almost all bank scams share the same pattern. They use psychological manipulation techniques to generate urgency, fear or trust, and rely on identity supplant to seem legitimate. In most cases, they seek to make the user a bank transfer, taking advantage of emotions such as concern, empathy or hierarchical pressure. The verification of the beneficiary does not eliminate these risks, but it can act as a pause that allows to detect the deception in time. Before clicking “Send.” Stop for a few seconds can make a difference. Before confirming a transfer, it is convenient to calmly review the name and I went from the recipient, especially if it is a new account or a recent change. If the bank notice indicates a partial or without coincidence, the most prudent is to verify the data by a different channel (a direct call or an official website). And, given the minimal suspicion, canceling is always better than regretting. The new system also reaches companies and professionals who make frequent payments. Each transfer will require confirming the coincidence between the name of the beneficiary and the IBAN, which will add a small step to the usual process. For companies, it can be an opportunity to reinforce their treasury controls and detect internal fraud attempts or supplier supplant. It is not a lock, but a filter of verification. What banks, what countries, what deadlines. The … Read more

China has just tested the Fujian with three different aircraft. Electromagnetic catapult is no longer theory, it is practical

by

The cover of an aircraft carrier has always been a tension scenario: each takeoff is a millimeter choreography that combines steel and noise. For more than six decades, that scene was dominated by steam. Now, with him Fujianthat script is also written with electricity. We do not talk about an experiment behind closed doors, but of a public demonstration on deck with several different aircraft, the type of test that records that the electromagnetic catapult is operating in real conditions. The demonstration was not accidental. Coincided with the acts by the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War against Japan and World War IIwhere prominence also passed through the sea. According to the Ministry of Defensethe Fujian served as a platform for three different models: the J-15T and J-35 and the KJ-600 early alert plane. The three performed cares assisted by catapult and land cable landings, marking a new chapter in their preparation. What was tested. According to Xinhuathe training phase served to check the interaction between the electromagnetic catapult, the braking system and different types of aircraft. The Navy explained that the exercises confirmed the “good compatibility” of the teams and that the Fujian already has the capacity of “full initial deck.” In practice it means that you can organize launch and recovery operations sequenced, preparing the land for a broader integration of its embarked wing. From steam to electromagnetism: For a long time, the steam catapults marked the take -off routine on the aircraft carriers. The EMALS American system introduced a paradigm shift: instead of pressure steam, it uses accumulated electric power and converted into a launch force. It is already installed in the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), first aircraft carrier to incorporate it. The US Navy ensures that It offers greater acceleration control, less wear on airplanes and cover and ability to boost light drones to heavy fighters. The transition reduces maintenance and opens the operational range. Three aircraft, three mission. The J-15T is the evolution of a veteran naval hunting, adapted to operate with catapults. Its role is to ensure the continuity of the aviation embarked while more advanced models arrive. The J-35, on the other hand, represents the jump to the fifth generation: a furtive hunt with greater scope and modern sensors. The KJ-600 trio completes, an early alert plane designed to expand the combat group and coordinate operations to hundreds of kilometers. Where is the Fujian today. The aircraft carrier began its sea tests in May 2024 and, since then, it has followed a progressive calendar. Systems and stability check settings have been made, while rehearsing cover operations. The latest exercises show that the ship has an initial capacity to operate with different aircraft, but has not yet reached the level of full operability required by an aeronaval group in long -range missions. Only two with Catapult EM. To date, only two armed ones have managed to integrate electromagnetic catapults into service aircraft carriers. As we point out above, the United States operates electromagnetic catapults in the Gerald R. Ford and China class has demonstrated its operation in the Fujian. These experiences place both armed in a high technological category, while the rest of the countries continue to use steam systems or lack catapults. It is a milestone that reflects the investment and industrial development scale necessary to get here. What changes on deck. Electromagnetic catapult opens a range of possibilities that were previously more limited. It allows drones or light aircraft with the same security as a great tonnage, and does so with less vibration and mechanical stress. For the crew, the work environment is quieter and less hot. In practice, it means that the aircraft carriers can sustain a greater number of daily exits with less maintenance between operations. Of the test at the service. The maneuvers carried out this month do not yet equate to have a fully operational aircraft carrier. The Fujian is still in an early phase: he needs to accumulate many more hours of sea and certify maneuvers in diverse conditions before being able to hold a embedded wing in the campaign. The Ministry of Defense speaks of a milestone, but also recognizes that it is missing. The transition from the demonstration to real capacity will be gradual and will depend on how systems respond in more demanding scenarios. The Fujian has gone from being a project wrapped in speculation to an aircraft carrier that shows on deck how its electromagnetic catapult works. The achieved this month is a visible milestone, although still partial. China thus enters a small club in which each electric takeoff is much more than a technical gesture: it is a declaration of intentions. The future will say how long it takes to convert these maneuvers into the routine of a fleet capable of operating with continuity on the high seas. Images | Ministry of National Defense (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) | In Xataka | For years the Airbus A380 symbolized European power against Boeing. Today it survives as a colossus without the kingdom

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.