start

To start, something that did not do in 50 years

by

This year’s San Diego comic-with has been less striking than that of previous others. After the Marvel Holocaust with the Announcement of the return of Robert Downey Jr.in 2025 there has been neither Marvel, nor Disney, nor almost DC. So the attention has been monitored without problems George Lucas, which has spoken on the last day of the Convention of his collection of 40,000 comics and related articles at home and that he has finally found a way to use them. George Lucas in the house. Yes, George Lucas had never attended the convention in the more than half a century of life of the Comic-Con de San Diego. And no, he did not mention ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Indiana Jones’ at any time, franchises to which Lucas is already linked only pecuniary. Lucas approached the Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center to talk about his comics collection: 40,000 copies that he has decided that he will share with the world. A comic museum. To do this, he announced the Foundation of Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which will open its doors in Los Angeles in 2026. In this presentation they accompanied the director and screenwriter Guillermo del Toro, the production designer of the prequels of ‘Star Wars’, Doug Chiang, and Queen Latifah as a moderator. The museum, which will direct Lucas in the company of his wife Mellody Hobson (with Del Toro participating in the Board of Directors), will include tens of thousands of works that the filmmaker has collected for decades, since he was at the University. Hit Nazis. During the presentation, attendees praised the ninth art in very different ways. Lucas described the “Temple for Popular Art” museum. Chiang said that “when I was a child, the art of the comic did not take seriously. They always told me: ‘Doug, one day it will happen to you.’ And I am very happy that it would not happen.” And Del Toro remembered comics as a propaganda piece advanced to other media: “The comics were the first to hit the Nazis“He said, remembering that they were made before films. Nothing ordinary people. Among the originals that will house the museum are works by authors as prominent as Charles M. Schulz, Jack Kirby, Norman Rockwell, Jessie Willcox Smith, Beatrix Potter or Frida Kahlo. With the museum, these pieces will finally find a place to be exposed, since Lucas refuses to sell them. The museum will also include part of Lucas’s archive linked to his films, with models, props, conceptual art and costumes. Since 2016. The museum has finally found its site in Los Angeles, but the project has been lying down for a while. In 2016, it was planned to be built in Chicago, near Lake Michigan. But an organization of the city, Friends of the Parks, filed a demand for Lucas for construction on private land, so they decided to transfer the project to Los Angeles. In Xataka | Before selling ‘Star Wars’, George Lucas imagined a megalómana series: 10 times more expensive than a saga movie

Europe has realized that the rearme must start on the roads. A Russian invasion would unleash a fatal congestion

by

In 2022 there was already talk of this: having a better army does not help much if it cannot be launched. That year was the beginning of many meetings in Europe with the Russian Ukraine Invasion as a fuse. Then there was talk of rearmebut attention also focused on something that Europe has just elevated in the priority list: the need to prepare roads, railways, ports and airports for the rapid movement of troops and tanks. Background: Russia. European military vulnerability. Had three years ago The political environment that the debate on the real capacity of Europe to resist an eventual Russian attack had put a fundamental aspect that usually is hidden behind rearmament ads: it is not enough to have more tanks or soldiers if the necessary infrastructure To move them quickly. Roads, railroads, ports and airports of the European Union show serious limitations when it comes to supporting the weight and volume of modern armored ones, or absorbing an intense military traffic in times of crisis. The east. As He warned then The American Lieutenant retired Ben Hodges, excommanting of the United States Army in Europe, the problem is aggravated the more advances east: bridges unable to support German, British or American combat cars and mountainous routes that hinder access to key countries such as Romania. In case of emergency, bottlenecks could delay the deployment of allied forces just at the points where they would be needed more urgently, such as the passage of Suwałki between Poland and Lithuania or the routes towards the Black Sea. The first mechanism. To deal with these shortcomings, The EU launched The mechanism connect Europe (CEF), an infrastructure fund that also covers military mobility. However, the budget for this mission was drastically reduced: of the 6,500 million euros initially proposed only 1.7 billionand that money, the commission ended up assigning 340 million to 22 projectsthe majority of small scale and focused on central Europe. Among them They highlighted the improvement of rail links between Antwerp and Germany, the modernization of two airports in Poland and the connection of the Military Tapa base in Estonia. Modest support were also included to large strategic projects Like Rail Balticathe railway corridor of 5.8 billion euros that will connect the Baltic countries with Poland, or Via Baltica, the road that crosses the region, which it received just 60 million of community support. The new warning. Back to the present, he counted this week The Financial Times That the European Transport Commissioner, Apostols Tzitzikostas, has re -launched a warning that shook the foundations of the European defense: the continent It is not prepared For a large -scale war against Russia because its roads, bridges and rail networks are inappropriate for rapid transfer of troops and armored. According to explainedmany bridges are Too closetoo old or directly non -existent, which would prevent the transit of tanks from, for example, 70 tons thought to operate in a matter of hours. In practice, moving military forces from west to east of Europe would take weeks or even months, an unacceptable lag in case of a sudden Russian offensive. The strategy. Solution? To correct this structural weakness, Brussels now work on a 17,000 million plan of euros that provides for the modernization of 500 critical projects along four major military corridors that will cross the continent. It is a design made in coordination with NATO and its military controls, whose details remain classified for security reasons. The idea is that troops and heavy equipment can move in a matter of hoursfar reducing the reaction time to an aggression. In addition to reinforcing bridges and adapting roads, it will be sought Eliminate bureaucratic obstacles To prevent military convoys from being held on European borders by customs protocols that, in times of war, would be a fatal ballast. The context of rearme and Russia. The new plan is enrolled in a broader effort of rearme Continental that We have been counting. The European Union studies a package of up to 800,000 million euros to reinforce its defensive autonomyin part in response to the pressures of Washington and the possibility of a substantial reduction of the US military presence in Europe. To this is added The warning The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, who in June warned that Moscow could attack a member of the Alliance before 2030. The message of Tzitzikostas fits this urgency logic: without the ability to move troops agilely, any European defense plan would be on wet paper in front of Russian military machinery. The budget struggle. Although the European Commission has included military mobility in its proposal for the 2028-2034 budget, diplomats warn that the initial figure of 17,000 million It could be diluted In negotiations. This budget fragility is seen as a dangerous contradiction: While considering the expense in defense 5% of GDP (With 1.5% specifically intended for military infrastructure), some Member States (Spain at the head) They resist to assume the costs of such vast modernization. Tzitzikostas, meanwhile, insists in which Europe cannot afford to continue depending on others or be disarmed by its own bureaucratic slowness. The modernization of bridges, tunnels and railways is not just a matter of civil transport: it has become the backbone of the future European defense. One thing is clear for curator: an invasion would not wait for forms to be resolved or to reinforce a bridge. Image | 7th Army Training, US Army Europe, European Roads In Xataka | If Europe rearma we will find a problem that will affect us all: cars and trains In Xataka | The “rearme” in Europe has encountered an obstacle that neither US imagined: Spain

What do we really know about the Start & Stop system and its use in summer

by

It is not mandatory but manufacturers have made it an essential in recent years and it is usual to find it in any new car that is sold in the market to the point that it is activated every time we enter the vehicle. We talk about the Start & Stop, a system designed to save fuel that manufacturers carry by flag but that does not stop raising controversies. Is it really interesting to use it or is it better to deactivate it to avoid breakdowns? Start & Stop, a controversial system Although the origin of Start & Stop system dates back to the 80sIt was in the 2000s when manufacturers began to popularize. Before increasingly hard emission regulations that have brought us the microhbrid cars, the sailing circulation or the disconnection of cylinders, the marks opted for a drastic solution: turn off the engine. He Start & Stop System directly turn off the engine when we are standing. The theory is simple, if the engine does not work at the idle, the car does not produce polluting emissions and the approved means are lower than usual. Keep in mind that WLTP cycles, for example, contemplate stops in all the scenarios that simulate, from urban circulation to high speed on highway. Savings, according to some experts, is evident. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it ensures that fuel savings is between 4 and 5% compared to that of a car that keeps the engine at the idle. This is especially useful in cars that constantly move by city. In fact, some studies They raise savings to 26.4% When the traffic jams are prolonged. As we said, the system is not really mandatory by any regulations but according to AxiosThe system is mounted by 65% of the cars sold in the United States. In Europe we have not found concrete data but the new car that is sold without said system is rare. The problem is that the system, by default, comes on every time we open the car. To comply with the expected broadcasts, the manufacturer is obliged to make it so. Therefore, it has become a controversial system. In fact, the EPA itself, now led by Trump administration personnel, ensures that it is studying the elimination of the system “that everyone hates”, In the words of Lee Zeldin, its director. Click on the tweet to go to the original image As in the case of the speed alert system, it is something that could be completely deactivated forever from our cars but is not recommended since In the ITV they will soon check that we have made this modification and will suspend us. Until then, it only remains to turn it out manually if we decide. But is it really interesting? The start & stop and the breakdowns As we say, this option to save fuel is something that we have living together a few decades, so the system has been refined. At first it was slow and abrupt but especially since the arrival of microhill with 48 volt batteries has been refined and is now much faster. Despite this, there are still doubts about whether it can affect the reliability of the car. It is what holds one of the Ebenezer workshops mechanics. One of its mechanics explains on its social networks (more than 300,000 followers in Tiktok) that it is advisable to deactivate the system in summer traffic jams since it generates too much stress in mechanics and can cause expensive breakdowns. Click on the image to go to the original publication First, the mechanic offers a purely practical motive. When the car stops the engine, we will continue to receive air because the car fan remains active but we will lose cold air. But, in addition, we play some breakdowns according to their experience. They point out that stopping and starting constantly generates stress in the starter and battery engine. A battery that, as the companions of Motorpasionit is not especially cheap in these systems since the agm or EFB is used that are differentiated “from those of a lifetime” in which “they have a more advanced technology, endure more cycles and have good performance in adverse conditions.” But the matter goes beyond substitutions within minimal maintenance. According to the mechanic, with the active system the temperature increases because if the car is in the idle, the water pump moves, helping the cooling of the car at a time when it does not reach a clean air in motion and the air conditioning system is increasing the temperature. The Start & Stop helps to raise the temperature in these conditions. However, electric water pumps They have mitigated this problem and some others that are mentioned in the mechanic’s video. Over the years, systems are more and more complex to reduce the risk of breakdowns And, now, they can keep the water pump active to guarantee the engine refrigerated but also a concrete position of the cylinders in the off so that when the march is resumed they are already in their ideal position. In spite of everything, there are still reluctance. In Motor.esfor example, they gave the reasons why they recommended to stop the off and ignition system with each stop. The reasons were more or less the same: greater stress, premature substitutions, loss of effectiveness in the air conditioning or greater risk of mechanical breakdowns. But they gave a fact that can help you decide for the shutdown. Although manufacturers use reinforced alternators and starter motors with these systems, some studies suggest that engine lit during the life of the car can pass from 50,000 to 500,000 occasions. To all of the above you have to add a greater concern for the turbo, since this system suffers especially with abrupt stops. That’s why, explain in the same mediumthat Start & Stop systems take into account the motor temperature Before activating and if this is not high enough they do not go … Read more

France needs to cut 40,000 million euros. And he has decided to start for something sacred in Europe: the holidays

by

In France there are officially 11 holidays nationals per year, all established through Code du travail (Labor Code). In Spain, on the other hand, we cannot complain: “We enjoy” up to 14 of this type of day. It happens that the French have come up with an idea to refloat their maltrecha economy: start removing holidays from the labor calendar. That Europe trembles. Delete the party. French Prime Minister François Bayrou has presented One of the most radical and politically risky budgetary proposals of the last decades in France: freezing public spending, cutting pensions and social benefits, suppressing two national holidays and applying a new “solidarity contribution” to the great fortunes. Its objective: prevent the country from succumbing under the weight of a public debt that this year It will devour 62,000 million of euros only in interest, an amount equivalent to the combined expense in defense and education. In an appearance that defined as “the moment of truth”, Bayrou warned that France runs the risk of falling into a debt crisis similar to that of Greece in 2008 if it does not act in decision, and launched a message to the citizens: “We have become addicted to public spending. We must all make an effort.” The cost of two holidays. Among the most controversial measures, the holiday suppression of the Easter Monday And on May 8 (Victory Day), with which the Executive estimates Save 4,200 million of euros. France has 11 national holidays, compared to the eight of the United Kingdom or the 14 of Spain, which according to Bayrou is An incompatible luxury With the current fiscal situation. The measure aims to increase the number of working days as an indirect tool To stimulate economic growth. But beyond immediate savings, the elimination of days of deep historical and cultural burden represents a high -voltage political challenge, one that has aroused a transverse rejection in Parliament and public opinion. The attack on collective memory symbols, in a country where the history of world wars is a national identity pillar, has turned the proposal into an emotional catalyst. Structural austerity. Bayrou’s budget plan includes 44,000 million euros In tax and cuts increases. Among them, a general freezing of public spending by 2026 (which has been called A Année Blanche) without automatic inflation reviews, and without increases in pensions or social protection programs. This single measure would save 7.1 billion euros, the second largest component of the plan. The Rationalization of health expenditureincluding medications and low disease, as well as the unification of multiple social aid in a single payment with a stop, focused on low income. Bayrou also wants Cut the benefits by unemployment and reduce its duration. The only exempt from adjustment is the debt service and the defense budget, which will increase by 10 % (6.5 billion euros) In direct order by Emmanuel Macron, in response to the deterioration of the international environment and Russian threat. Suicidal political bet. He counted The Financial Times that, aware of the rejection that its plan causes throughout the political spectrum, Bayrou has been willing to Apply article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows the budget to be approved without parliamentary vote, although with the risk of facing a motion of censure. This would be the same mechanism that led to the fall of its predecessor, Michel Barnierin 2023, for trying to unlink the pensions of the inflation index, an idea that Bayrou has now resumed. Marine Le Pen, leader of the national regrouping, has not taken long In threatening to censor him If you do not withdraw your proposals, denouncing a plan that “attacks all French, the workers and retirees, instead of ending the waste.” The left considers the project as A “wild austerity” that aggravates inequality and leaves intact the privileges of capital. Mujtaba Rahman, director for Europe of the Eurasia Group analysis group, defined it as “A kamikaze maneuver”: A proposal that has no chance of being approved but puts on the table the magnitude of the fiscal problem. A country on the edge. With a deficit 5.8% of GDP (the third highest in the EU after Romania and Poland) and a debt that is headed towards 115% of GDPFrance is at a critical crossing. If corrective measures are not applied, the cost of the debt could climb to 100,000 million of euros per year in 2029, becoming the largest structural burden of the budget. Bayrou has designed a five -year plan to stabilize that debt/GDP ratio, with the ambition to reduce the 4.6% deficit in 2026 and 3% in 2029. But analysts have warned that such objectives could be “inaccessible” Given the political fragility of the government, parliamentary polarization and the foreseeable social resistance. In Bayrou words: “We know the risks perfectly,” but suggests that giving up the attempt would be even more dangerous. Would it be possible in Spain? In Spain, the possibility of eliminating holidays nationwide is legally possible, but not unilateral or automatic, since it would require a normative reform and institutional negotiation. The reason? It’s not an exclusive competence of the central government and, unlike France, the Spanish system distributes this faculty between the State (fixed 8 days), the autonomous communities (set up to 4 days) and the municipalities (set up to 2 days). Plus: Remember that 14 annual holidays per worker are a right recognized in the Workers Statutebut its concrete distribution is variable. The law allows some holidays to move to Monday, replace them with others or even suppress in specific years, provided that 14 days in total are respected. France and a last act. In the case of France, rather than an economic proposal, Bayrou’s budget plan has acquired the form of a kind of Declaration of principles in front of a fractured country. It is the bet of a veteran politician who seems willing to assume the cost of impopularity to address A structural problem that most of their predecessors have avoided. One thing is clear: parliamentary arithmetic is … Read more

Renfe has exploded the problem of the bird in full start of summer

by

The rail transport has started Julio, a month usually marked by vacation trips, from The worst forms Possible, with considerable chaos in one of its great arteries: the high speed corridor between Madrid and Andalusia. Trains stopped for hours. Delays Suspended services. And a monumental anger among the affected passengers joined to the one already showed in May, when Copper theft He collapsed the bird of Seville. What happened? That in the full start of July, with thousands of people making their bags to enjoy their summer vacation, the Spanish railway sector has encountered a considerable problem in one of its great arteries: the high -speed corridor between Madrid and Andalusia. And it is not the first. In early May the Madrid-Sevilla AVE line has already suffered A collapse which resulted in trains detained for hours, saturated stations and thousands of passengers (there was talk of more than 16,000) affected. Fault in a catenary. The notice jumped yesterday around the afternoon in the province of Toledo, where Adif recorded A fault in a catenary between the Yeles (Toledo) and La Sagra (southwest of the Community of Madrid). The problem, according to detailed in x The administrator of the railway infrastructure caused it a “lack of tension” that directly affected the high -speed trains that Madrid and Toledo connect with Andalusia. Click on the image to go to Tweet. An incidence with hangover. The chronicle of what has happened can be followed by a tweet. About half past nine of the Adif Night confirmed A “breakdown” in the catenaria (without going into details) that led him to mobilize technicians, displace relief locomotives to move the trains stopped outside the stations and even ask for help to the 112 of Castilla-La Mancha to attend affected travelers. At ten o’clock Adif confirmed that he had recovered the tension on one of the roads between the Sagra and Yeles, which partially unlocked the Madrid/Toledo-Andalucía corridor; But that solved only part of the problem. Adif itself acknowledged that the affected trains would continue to suffer delays by having to operate in a single route. Well, enter the morning, at 5.20 hhe chose to cut the tension to focus on the catenary that was still blocked and recover the second way from the yles to Mora. Checking the grill. The result was The suspension of the first -hour trains with origin Atocha and Destinad Andalucía and Toledo. “The difficulty of the rescue of two trains affected by the incidence and prolongation in the work to repair the catenary prevent the trains of the South Corridor with origin/destination Madrid and/or Sevilla circulating until new notice,” needed Almost at nine in the morning. The consequences They let themselves feel Also in long distance connections with Malaga, Granada, Cádiz and Huelva and Trains with Toledo, Puertollano and Ciudad Real. Click on the image to go to Tweet. “Delays can be recorded”. The message confirming that the catenary breakdown was repaired did not reach the eleven of this morning, which opened the door at the end of the trains of Madrid to the south and those that start from Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha direction to the capital. Of course, the administrator of the railway infrastructure was cured in health with a clear warning for the passengers of the corridor: “Delays can be recorded due to the accumulation of trains.” “Absolute abandonment”. So far the Chronicle of Adif. The collapse in the railway corridor, however, left another very different story in networks, the one contributed by the passengers affected by the fault. “What seemed like a simple trip has become a nightmare: we have been trapped in the middle of a plain in Toledo, without electricity, without bathrooms, with an unbearable heat and surrounded by insects,” He denounced this morning An X user, Antonio Regalado, annoyed by the “absolute abandonment” of Renfe 5862. An evacuated octogenarian. “Thirteen trapped hours. This is not a delay, it is an abandonment”, insists Given. According to her testimony, a woman even suffered an arrhythmia and had to be evacuated in ambulance. “There are older people, children and passengers totally abandoned, with anxiety, hunger and without explanations.” 112 Castilla-La Mancha has confirmed In networks that of the five trains of the Madrid-Sevilla line damaged between the provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real, four were able to continue the march during the night. The convoy located in Villaseca de la Sagra ran worse luck, so the 112 operators had to attend them at night. They also had to evacuate an old woman 84, who ended up being transferred to Toledo University Hospital for respiratory failure. The train did not resume its trip to Madrid until 9.30 a.m. Image | Pablo Nieto Abad (Flcikr) In Xataka | China wanted to be the queen of high -speed trains. So he built all the longest bridges in the world

We knew that humanoid robots would reach factories. Nvidia has already chosen where and when to start, according to Reuters

by

When did humanoid robots stop being a spectacle to become a tool? Maybe that’s right there. Sources consulted by Reuters They assure that Nvidia and Foxconn are in conversations to display them in a server manufacturing plant of artificial intelligence in Houston. Nvidia has trusted the Taiwanese giant to lift a new server manufacturing plant in Houston, Texas. The objective: produce the GB300its new AI servers based on architecture Blackwellwithin the ambitious plan for relocate part of its production in US territory. As Reuters has advanced, both companies are in conversations to display humanoid robots in this factory. The intention would be that they begin to operate in the First quarter of 2026. If concrete, it will mark a double milestone: it would be the first time that a NVIDIA product is manufactured with the help of these tools, and also the first use of this technology by Foxconn in a production line of AI servers. Houston is not any factory: something new is prepared here For now, the details are scarce. It is not known how many robots will be used, how will they look or what exact functions they will perform. But there are indications. In an internal presentation of May, Foxconn showed how he was training humanoid robots for tasks such as manipulating objects, inserting cables or making basic assemblies, usual activities in the manufacture of servers. Houston’s choice is not accidental. Being a new plant, spaces are being designed with margin to integrate these technologies From the beginningsomething much more complex to achieve in already operational facilities. According to one of the sources consulted, that design would facilitate the incorporation of humanoid robots in the line. NVIDIA GB300 has a rack scale design That Nvidia bet on humanoid robots in its production chain is not just a logistics movement. It is also a declaration of intentions. Until now, no company product had been manufactured with the help of this type of robots. And Foxconn, the largest manufacturer on the commission of the world, had not used them in a production line dedicated to AI servers. The decision, according to what the sources have told Reuters, would mark the beginning of a new stage for both companies. In the case of Foxconn, it would also serve to show the world the advances in robotics who has been developing with Nvidia, although third -party models such as those of China Ubtech have also been tested. For Nvidia, the movement fits with its broader strategy. The company not only designs chips for AI models training: it also offers A development platform Specific for humanoid robots, with visual, motor and cognitive abilities based on their own architectures. In March, Jensen Huang himself He predicted that The generalized use of humanoid robots in industrial environments would come “in less than five years.” They are not alone: ​​Tesla, Mercedes, BMW, China The idea of ​​incorporating humanoid robots into the assembly lines is no longer a rarity. Although its deployment is still limited and experimental, several manufacturers have been testing this technology for some time in controlled environments or in very specific tasks. Among them BMW stands out, that has made trials in American plants. And it is known that Teslawhich has developed its own humanoid robot called OptimusHe has put at least two units to work in a production line. But interest is not limited to the great western brands. China has converted humanoid robotics into a national strategic priority Within its Made in China 2025 plan. Companies like Ubtech – whose model has also been evaluated by Foxconn – are being driven directly by the government with a view to transforming the country’s industrial fabric. Strategic alliances are part of this mission Like Huawei and Ubtech Specified this year. This possible deployment of humanoid robots in Houston does not occur in a vacuum. Is part of a broader movement, driven by political pressure and the strategic need of Relocate production Technological on American soil. In April, Nvidia announced its intention To manufacture AI infrastructure of up to 500,000 million dollars in the US in the next four years, with partners such as TSMC, Wistron and Foxconn itself. For many companies, automating is a matter of survival. The Houston factory, still under construction, is part of that strategy. But producing locally implies facing at least one new problem: the shortage of labor. And that is where automation would come into play. Perhaps not essentially for these factories, but as a test field for possible future expansions. For many companies, automating is no longer a matter of improvement. It is a matter of survival. Thus, more and more local actors are developing humanoid robots designed specifically for the industry. Tesla, Figure, Apptronik or Agility Robotics They are among the companies that have opted for this new generation of machines. Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, summed up axios The new industrial reality: “This is how it competes today”, so “you have to take advantage of the best available tools.” Humanoid robots lived for years with skepticism: beautiful exhibitions, Little useful in practice. Now, that perception is turning. We are faced with a change that aims to be important, but whose real range we will know only over time. Images | Nvidia | Boliviainteligent In Xataka | The US is willing to do anything for advanced chips not to reach China. And Malaysia is an obstacle

In a desperate attempt to avoid the blackout, Ree tried to start a gas center seven minutes before the disaster

by

The Official reports on the blackout They reveal the maneuvers to counterreloj that the network operator did to try to stabilize the system while rushing into the collapse. T-7 minutes. In the moments of maximum tension (never better) prior to the historic blackout that left the Iberian Peninsula without light on April 28, Red Electric took a desperate measure: he ordered the start of a combined gas cycle center to try to stabilize an electrical system that crumbled at times. The call to the owner of the plant, registered in official reportsthere was just seven minutes before the system collapsed completely at 12:33 at noon. However, the thermal power plant never coupled then The zero of tension It occurred first. It was not a typical morning. That April 28 were the perfect conditions to test the network: a relatively low energy demand, and a very high solar radiation that caused a massive predominance of photovoltaic generation. With a network dominated by the electronics of investors instead of the heavy turbines of the conventional generation, the tension already issued warning signals. At 11:00 in the morning, after a voltage climb, the transformers of two Adif substations in Zaragoza were fired. But the situation became critical from 12:00, with the appearance of strong frequency oscillations that put the stability of the entire network in check. The oscillations. At 12:03, a first 0.6 Hz oscillation was detected, an unusual phenomenon that lasted for almost five minutes, forcing Red Eléctrica to take emergency measures. Among them, reduce electricity exchanges with France and Portugal. It didn’t help much. At 12:19, a new 0.2 Hz oscillation shook the system. Given the seriousness of the situation and the need to “attach more conventional generation” to control the tension, Red Electrico contacted at 12:26 with the head of a combined cycle center in Andalusia to start urgently. The choice was not accidental. The group that could be attached faster in the southern zone was sought, one of the most affected by instability. The chosen central, which had decoupled at 9:00 in the morning, was “hot”, which allowed it a shorter start time: an hour and a half. The goal was to be fully operational at 2:00 p.m. Unfortunately, the system did not have that time. Just seven minutes after the starter order was given, at 12:33, a succession of waterfall generation, mainly due to surgeens, caused the total collapse of the peninsular electrical system. The measure, a last resort to avoid the greatest blackout in the recent history of Spain, “never consummated by the zero of tension.” Image | HRAD (CC by-SA 3.0) In Xataka | Many plants disconnected from the network when the blackout began. The problem is that some renewable did it before

A year ago Catalonia decided to start regulating her rentals. Now it has something that seemed impossible: lower prices

by

In a context marked by the Price climbingrecord rents and a real estate market that Start nonsense With the costs prior to the 2008 brick crisis, Catalonia wanted to break yesterday with the bullish rhetoric. Their rentals are going down. And quite clear in addition. In the region as a whole, the leases cost today, on average, 4.7% less that a year ago, a decrease that reaches 8.9% If we talk about Barcelona. With that data, the Generalitat wants to breastfeed by the First year of price regulation in the 140 tension municipalities in which the Housing Law applies. What happened? That the Generalitat of Catalonia has just done something unusual in real estate information in recent years: to use a negative sign to talk about prices. According to The data broken down By the Minister of Territory and Housing, Sílvia Paneque, the average lease It has been cheaper In the region as a whole and, in a special way, in those municipalities in which the price regulation was applied a year ago under the protection of the state law Housing How much has it dropped? The information handled by paneque is based mainly on the Bail deposits And it shows the “photo” of the Catalan real estate market throughout the first quarter of the year, which allows analyzing how prices have evolved between the beginning of 2024 and 2025. Its first conclusion is that the whole of Catalonia the middle rent has experienced a year -on -year fall of 4.7%. If we look concretely in the 140 municipalities that declared tension markets in March 2024 And in which, therefore, prices were allowed to regulate in certain cases, the descent is somewhat more pronounced: reaches 4.9%. The big surprise leaves her specifically Barcelona. There the average cost of rentals has collapsed several more points, to mark an annual fall of the 8.9%. And how do contracts evolve? That is the second surprise that has left paneque. The counselor ensures that this price drop has not arrived accompanied by a contraction of the Catalan rental market. Moreover, according to your data in the first quarter of 2025, the number of lease contracts in force in the region has increased by 3,112. “It continues to grow, which tells us that the rental park increases,” defended The leader. He release Shared by the Generalitat does not allow, yes, to assess whether the rhythm of the new leases has risen or down the last year. What the counselor clarifies is that “a large part” of the contracts that were already in force have lengthened. Or what is the same, moves are reduced. The country Precise that in the tensioning municipalities the new contracts have decreased by 22%. How do you interpret the data? “We believe that the clarification in the contracts has helped to have these good data that allow us to say that there are 11,807 more homes for rent than a year ago,” celebrate The head of Housing, who points out that the majority (7,865 contracts) are concentrated in the 140 municipalities declared tension in 2024. In the Barcelona case, during the first quarter of 2025 the total number of rental homes has increased by 423. “There are 1,202 more households for rent than a year”, Apostille The Generalitat. Why is it important? Because beyond the implications it has for the Catalan real estate market and, specifically, the landlords and tenants of the region, the data presented by Paneque shows the practical effects of the regulation of rentals and the application of the housing law released to In March of 2024. Generalitat herself wanted to emphasize a message whose interest transcends its borders. After all, Catalonia was The only community that applied the law. “The data are good and show us that containment and legislative and regulatory measures help to guarantee the right to housing on this road until reaching a public park of 15%,” insisted The counselor of the branch. Are the first data known? No. Paneque is not the first to slide that idea. In Marchwhen an exact year of the application of the rental price index in 140 municipalities of Catalonia, Minister Isabel Rodríguez already claimed that the data in the region showed that “the Housing Law works”. By then the fall of the amount of leases in Catalonia it was 3.3%. In the city, the decrease reached 6.4%. Is it all positive? No. On Tuesday, Generalitat himself shared data that show a seasonal rental boom, a formula that is normally agreed for periods below the year and It allows to dodge The norm. If in 2019 it represented just 2.1% Of the rental floors announced in Barcelona, ​​in 2023 it already meant 14.4%. And the information revealed yesterday by Paneque suggests that they have gained weight in the community real estate market. The data handled by the Generalitat shows that 2,242 contracts Temporary of the first quarter of 2024 has passed, during the same period of 2025, to 3,415. In other words: the formula has experienced has increased considerable, from 52%, in just one year, gaining weight among the new contracts. During the first three months of last year, 6.1% of the new agreements signed in Catalonia were adjusted to that temporary modality. At the start of 2025 they already represented 11%. Aware of that accelerated boom, the Generalitat It has been proposed Limit prices in those seasonal rentals that have residential use, a decision that the Generalitat creates more justified than ever. And the rest of the contracts? The counselor He celebrated yesterday That the new regulatory framework and price regulation offer more stability to tenants by now having the great less incentive to get their homes to the rental market. “We are seeing that a large part of the contracts in force are extending their duration, which translates into the reduction of extinguished and, therefore, in greater stabilization,” Highlight. His statement is however some nuances. Shortly after the new regulation in the 140 Catalan municipalities … Read more

The biggest Chinese chips is about to start production at 5 Nm. Your plan is to have the 3 Nm in 2026

by

TO SMIC (Semiconductor manufacturing international corp), The largest Chinese semiconductor manufacturer has cost it more than two years to refine its most advanced integration technology what is necessary to produce integrated 5 Nm circuits. And he has not just traveled this path. Huawei has traveled it from the hand of Huawei. Dr. Kim, an expert in chips manufacturing who has worked in Samsung and currently investigating TSMC in the US, He maintains that SMIC It is about to start the production of 5 Nm chips. It is perfectly credible because, as we have just seen, we know with certainty that this company has been Working in this technology. And, in addition, Dr. Kim is a reliable source. However, this expert has pointed out something crucial that we should not overlook: the performance per wafer that SMIC has currently achieved in its 5 Nm nodes is less than 30%. When semiconductor manufacturers produce a chip wafer, some of those nuclei do not work properly. It is normal. And when they launch a new lithographic node, their performance by wafer usually has a wide margin, but little by little, as engineers refine their integration processes, this parameter improves. A mature lithography can deliver to integrated circuit manufacturers a very high performance, but an incipient technology usually moves in the orbit of 50% performance, so only half of the chips produced work correctly. SMIC 3 and 5 nm chips are possible thanks to the SAQP technique The problem is that for an integration technology to be profitable from an economic point of view, its performance by wafer has to be At least 70%. And, as we have just seen, Dr. Kim argues that the SMIC 5 NM node is below 30%. It is objectively a very poor performance, but we know what this low figure explains: the technique used by this manufacturer to produce these semiconductors. It is known as Multiple patterningand SMIC has used it for more than a year and a half to make 7 NM chips for Huawei and other customers. The 5 Nm chips that SMIC will manufacture for Huawei are possible thanks to a technology known as SAQP This strategy consists in transferring the pattern to the wafer in several passes with the purpose of increasing the resolution of the lithographic process. It works, but is responsible for wafer performance is clearly improvable. However, in all probability the integrated 5 Nm circuits that presumably SMIC will manufacture soon for Huawei are possible Thanks to a technology known as SAQP (Self-alledhed Quadruple Patterning), which is nothing more than a Multiple patterning more aggressive and sophisticated than the one used to manufacture the soc Kirin 9000s of 7 nm and other chips. A report published two days ago by the Taiwanese media Economic Daily News ensures that SMIC will start the manufacture of 3 Nm semiconductors equipped with GAA transistors (Gate-alall-around) For Huawei in 2026. However, this is not all. This article also maintains that this last company has already completed laboratory tests that pursue the manufacture of integrated circuits using carbon nanotubes. Huawei’s plan presumably is to give this innovation to SMIC to adapt it to large -scale production. The enormous effort that Huawei, SMIC and other Chinese companies involved in the design and manufacture of semiconductors are the result of their inability to access the equipment of extreme ultraviolet photolithography (UVE) produced by the Dutch company Asml Because of US sanctions. With these SMIC machines could make 3 and 5 nm chips delivering a performance by wafer similar to that they have achieved TSMC or Samsung. However, the need to produce these integrated circuits using deep ultraviolet equipment (UVP) of ASML, which are less sophisticated, forces them to resort to the SAQP technique. It works, as we have seen, but these companies lose a lot of competitiveness due to the poor performance by wafer and the high cost that this technology entails. More information | Economic Daily News In Xataka | The US has declared the total war on Huawei: he does not want him to sell his chips for the most advanced outside of China

Spain wants to reduce marine pollution and will start in an unsuspected place: the bathroom

by

Spain adds this year 642 beaches with blue flag, four more than last year, According to the Association of Environmental and Consumer Education (Adeac). This badge, which recognizes the environmental quality, security and services of the coast, returns to place the country among world leaders. Even so, the figure represents only 18 % of the more than 3,500 beaches in the country, which shows a pending challenge. To face it, Spain has begun to move. A new plan is brewing. Rather, a new bill with The goal of reducing pollution For single -use plastics, where wet wipe manufacturers will be forced to assume cleaning costs derived from the improper use of these products. In addition, the initiative wants to prohibit citizens from discarding wipes by the toilet and release balloons in the air. With this measure, Spain seeks to align with European standards on single -use plastics and move towards the UN sustainable development objectives. A serious problem. Wet wipes, even those made of natural polymers without chemical modifications, generate an important environmental impact. Its resistance to decomposition causes obstructions in sewerage and purification systems, especially during periods of heavy rains, such as has detailed The Guardian. The microfibers that release reach rivers and seas, aggravating pollution and raising management costs for local authorities. Responsibility. The new law will force companies to take care not only for the cleaning of the waste they generate, but also of information campaigns. To control who should pay, manufacturers will have to officially register. Although biodegradable wipes would be exempt, the Ministry of Environment He has insisted In that it is best not to throw any for the wiper, to protect pipes and the environment. A very economical topic. A awareness campaign of the Spanish Water and Sanitation Supply Association I already estimated Six years ago, the withdrawal of these wipes was an annual cost of 230 million euros. Until now, economic consequences have fallen to public administrations. According to eldiario.esValencia had to invest 10 million euros in 2019 to clean a three -kilometer jam. In Badajoz, a similar athlete was a cost of 200,000 euros. Murcia encrypted in more than 250,000 euros the replacement of a damaged team at a treatment plant, while the repair of pumping equipment amounted to another 200,000 euros. Other countries already have the lead. Four years ago, both France, Germany, Belgium and England They prohibited use of single -use plastic products, following the EU guidelines. In addition, on the one hand, France a year later prohibited the use of plastic To package small fruits and vegetables. On the other hand, Germany and Belgium They have been developing A fund funded by single -use plastics manufacturers, who must contribute according to the amount of plastic they sell. This fund aims to cover the cleaning costs of public spaces and waste management, reinforcing the principle of “who pollutes, pays”. It does not start on the shore. While the bill continues its parliamentary processing, its effectiveness will depend much on the citizen response. Because the care of the beaches does not begin only on the coast, but in the daily habits of those who enjoy them. Image | Pexels and Marco Verch Xataka | If the question is whether there is an “invasion” of moths in Murcia, the answer is that of every year by these dates

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.