victim

the price will be a victim of RAMageddon

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Steam Machine, Valve’s new machine, should already be on the market. However, a few weeks ago something curious happened: Valve appeared at GDC asking for ‘help’ to be able to buy RAM memory. Because not even the company that dominates PC gaming is safe from the component crisis. Meanwhile, Microsoft is preparing the new Xbox, the one known as Project Helixand the CEO of Microsoft Gaming is already heating up the ground. It’s going to be expensive. Project Helix. It’s not a secret that Xbox is quite out of the competition hardware at the moment. With Xbox Series they jumped into the pool with two models (Series X for enthusiasts and S Series for those who didn’t need so much) and the strategy has not worked (added to other decisions of the company in which everything is an Xbox, so… why buy an Xbox?). With Project Helix they want to target another user: the one who wants a consolidated PC. Steam Deck has paved the way for many and the Steam Machine is still that: a PC, but in console format. Nothing is officially known about the machine, but it will be “a console for playing great games, including PC games,” in the words of the new CEO, Asha Sharma. There are rumors of all kinds such as the opening to Steam to be able to use third-party stores and even that they will not use a custom APU, but rather one from AMD available to anyone who wants to buy a PC. And the price, obviously, is something that is on the table. The notice. At Xataka we have not echoed the rumors in this regard for two reasons. The first is because you have to wait for confirmation. The second is because the rumors can come to nothing considering how the component crisis is going. In fact, the fork that is being shuffling It is between 1,200 and 3,000 dollars, clearly excessive and, as we say, without official basis. But what we can do is pay attention to what Sharma said in a podcast recorded with Game File. When asked about the current memory shortage situation, the board commented: “All of those things are in the equation. Memory prices will affect the price of the machine, but also availability. We’re looking at where we need to be, but we’re not ready to share a roadmap for the launch of Project Helix yet. My approach is to focus on what’s within our control: building a great console to play great games, including PC games.” No one escapes RAMageddon. Since Helix began to be talked about as a premium product, expectations about the price began to fly. There was hope, that a company with the potential of Microsoft would cushion the blow (I had that hope in the Steam Machine and Everything indicates that it will not be). However, the fact that Asha confirms so boldly that the current situation will affect both price and availability does not advance a situation in which we have a price more similar to that of a console than that of a PC. As always, we will have to wait because everything is in the very early stages of the conversation, but it is evident that the situation of the RAM and the data centers is disrupting the plans of companies like Valve, Microsoft and even Sony with its PlayStation 6. In fact, it is already disrupting the current stock. There are the Steam Deck as an example, with a Valve alluding to stock outages for the current situation. Very active. Before we mentioned the “everything is an Xbox” strategy that the company pushed for a time. The result was a loss of identity that, now, they seem to want to recover. Sharma is pushing for a new emblem”We are Xbox“, wallpapering the office walls with the “return of Xbox” and taking some measures like the price drop for Game Pass Ultimate (leaving ‘Call of Duty’ out, yes). Although was put under the magnifying glass Coming from one of Microsoft’s AI divisions, the new CEO has not taken long to begin to show that she has different ideas for the brand and undertaking different actions to win back her audience. The problem is that it will have to deal with a diffuse hardware launch that points to a price to which the console market is not accustomed. They are expected to begin shipping development kits to developers early next year and Project Helix will go on sale by the end of 2027. A lot can change in a year, but Nobody knows very well if something is better or worse.. In Xataka | A few days ago a man bought an Xbox 360 for five euros at a flea market. Inside was a treasure called ‘GTA IV Beta’

Japan has plunged into a crazy spiral of aging that is claiming an unexpected victim: the yakuza

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the yakuza it’s news in Japan. And not because of his coups, a particularly successful police raid or a change in policy by the Government of Sanae Takaichi to combat the criminal network that takes centuries filtering into Japanese society. No. The yakuza is in the news because after several years of seeing its ranks decimated, it has reached an all-time low. According to police statistics, in 2025 their criminal groups numbered about 17,600 people (among members and allies), far from the more than 80,000 just a decade and a half ago. This loss of strength is explained by the control of the police and a turn in the underworld towards new criminal networksbut also because of a trend that affects the rest of the country: the yakuza ages, just like society ages Japanese. The yakuza is shrinking. These are not good times for the yakuza. Not at least as far as follow-up is concerned. Statistics from the National Police Agency show that Japan’s quintessential criminal institution (and one of the best-known in the world) has seen its member and affiliate base fall to a minimum. In 2025 They totaled 17,6001,200 less than the previous year. If we look only at the hard core, the full members, the figure is even more devastating: it remains at 9,400, the lowest since there are records. Is the data so bad? Yes. The problem is not that 2025 has been a particularly bad year for the yakuza, but that it maintains a trend that goes back a long time. Nippon explains that the institution has been seeing its ranks thinning little by little for at least 21 years, tracing a negative curve that has no signs of improving. For reference, the newspaper recalls that until 2009 the yakuza had more than 80,000 people spread throughout the country. If we go back to the 1960s, that support base was considerably higher. The crisis also seems to be affecting (to a greater or lesser extent) the different organizations that make up the yakuza. Nippon appointment half a dozen entities that have either stagnated their social mass or have lost members. The worst stop is Sixth Yamaguchi-gumiwhich in 2025 remained at 3,100 members and 3,200 affiliates. They are 200 and 400 less respectively than a year before. Curious yes, new no. The 2025 data is revealing, but will probably surprise few people in Japan. The country takes years reading headlines that report the gradual loss of base of organized crime networks. In 2022 the Police Agency already revealed that the number of members and associates of mafia groups had fallen to 24,100, the lowest figure since at least 1958, the first year with statistics. Only a few years later the ranks of the yakuza fell below the 20,000 barrier, a new low. What is the reason? As is often the case with all social phenomena, whether related to crime or not, this trend is explained by a combination of factors. In the case of Japanese bands, however, there is one particularly interesting one: age. The Japan Times reveals that one of the theories that the authorities use to explain this decline is the aging suffered by organized groups. The yakuza is getting older, just like japan. In 2022, the Japanese police estimated that 30.8% of members They were between 50 and 59 years old, making it the largest cohort. People between 60 and 69 years old represented 12.5% ​​and septuagenarians 11.6%. More than 50% were 50 or older. In general, the average age of the members was 54.2 years, seven more than a decade before. Members between 40 and 30 years old accounted for 12.9% and those in their twenties did not exceed 5.4%. An increasingly aging country. That the ranks of the yakuza are aging can be explained for several reasons. A key one is that Japan in general is getting older. The country has been immersed in a serious demographic crisis which has plunged its birth rate and raised the average age of the population. According to the records According to Statista, in 1950 this indicator marked 21.3 years, in the mid-90s it had already risen to 39 years and in 2020 it was close to 48. Their forecasts assume that at the end of this century the average will comfortably exceed 50 years. The result of that drift? Japan presents one of the worst percentages of population over 65 years of age: represents more than 29%. Click on the image to go to the tweet. One word: tokuryū. There is, however, another factor that explains why the organizations that make up the yakuza are increasingly aging. It is not that crime is fading in Japan, rather it is transforming and it is doing so by leaning towards a new format: the tokuryūcriminal networks that flee from hierarchical and well-structured models, such as the yakuza. The tokuryū (the word is the sum of tokumeik“anonymous” and ryūdo“fluid”) often operate as groups of criminals who form for coups, without structure, codes, organizational rigidity or bonds. That nature deprives them of some of the advantages of the yakuza, but it also has its strengths. The police find it difficult to deal with such loosely knit groups. And they also seem to offer an attractive model for younger offenders. The Japan Times assures that last year 12,178 people related to tokuryū were arrested, 2,073 more than in 2024. Many of them were under 40 years old or even in their twenties, which gives another clue about the changes that the underworld world is experiencing. “The younger generations’ aversion to yakuza organizations, with strict codes of conduct and hierarchies, is a contributing factor to their decline,” precise the diary Sankei Shimbun. Fighting crime. When explaining the bleeding of the yakuza, the authorities point to another factor: the work of legislators and police. Specifically, they point to greater application of the law and ordinances that complicate the participation of companies and individuals in organized crime. To combat crime the … Read more

Iran has just crossed the great energy red line. Türkiye is the first victim of a blackout that is already looking at Europe

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We had been holding our breath for weeks, accepting the logistical tension in the Strait of Hormuz as the new normal. However, the war has crossed an irreversible red line. We have gone from a trade blockade to the physical destruction of the world’s energy engine, and the consequences are already being felt in the global economy. The impact was so immediate that the price of natural gas in Europe skyrocketed by 35%. Global interdependence has caused the first major domino to fall to be thousands of kilometers from the epicenter: Turkey has become the first country to suffer a gas supply cut, marking the beginning of a chain reaction. The blow to the energetic heart. It is not just any objective. As explained Deutsche Welle, South Pars is the largest natural gas reserve in the world – shared with Qatar, which calls its part North Dome – and contains enough gas to supply the world’s needs for 13 years. It is the basis of Iran’s energy survival. The response from Tehran was withering and expansive. As detailed in the Wall Street JournalIran did not limit itself to responding to Israel, but attacked vital infrastructure in neighboring countries, launching missiles against the gigantic Ras Laffan industrial complex in Qatar (the largest liquefied natural gas facility in the world) and refineries in Saudi Arabia. In the midst of this war chaos, Iran turned off the tap: Tehran suddenly paralyzed its natural gas exports to Türkiye. Türkiye in the eye of the hurricane. The cutoff to Türkiye is not an anecdote, it is the symptom of a systemic crisis. According to the data provided by BloombergLast year, Ankara imported around 13% or 14% of its total gas needs (about 7 billion cubic meters) from Iran. To the gallery, the Turkish government tries to project calm. How to collect ReutersTurkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has categorically assured that “there are no supply problems” and that the country’s storage facilities are at 71% of their capacity. Furthermore, the minister insists that oil dependence of the Middle East is a “manageable 10%” and they are already accelerating diversification agreements with giants such as TotalEnergies, Exxon and Shell. The markets are not optimistic. The experts consulted by Middle East eye They point out that Turkey has alternatives – such as increasing the flow from Russia or Azerbaijan – but the closing of the Iranian tap will force Ankara to compete fiercely in the international market for emergency shipments of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Panic reaches Europe. And this is where the domino effect hits us directly. As Türkiye goes on a desperate hunt for LNG ships, the pressure on prices becomes unsustainable for the Old Continent. The day after the start of the conflict, the price of gas rose 55%. However, in the midst of this European chaos, one country is resisting the challenge much better than its neighbors: Spain. Thanks to a massive deployment of solar and wind energy, our country manages to cushion the initial blow by sinking prices during daylight hours. But the transition is painfully incomplete and we are not invulnerable. As analyst Antonio Aceituno, from Tempos Energía, warns, the Spanish balance is broken when evening falls. When the sun disappears, gas combined cycles begin to cover demand, returning tension to prices. It is empirical proof that, without massive batteries to guard the sun, at eight in the afternoon we are still at the mercy of what happens in the Strait of Hormuz. As the expert Gerard Reid reflects in Euronewsit is preferable to depend on China to import a solar panel once every 25 years, than to depend on gas from the Persian Gulf every day. Broken diplomacy. Arab governments are “furious” because they feel the US-Israeli strategy has put a target on their backs. For its part, Qatar has called the attacks on its facilities a “dangerous and irresponsible step” and a direct threat to its national security. In the midst of this powder keg, Washington’s role is erratic. President Donald Trump took to social media to deny prior knowledge of the Israeli attack on South Pars. However, Trump did not hesitate to issue a brutal ultimatum to Tehran: if it attacks Qatar again, the United States will “massively blow up the entire” Iranian oilfield. The scars of a systemic war. As my colleague Miguel Jorge analyzes well,the dynamic that has been activated is dangerously reminiscent of the 1991 Gulf War. It is no longer about destroying military capabilities or political pressure; We are facing a war against the very infrastructure that supports the states. The apparent lightness with which this conflict has developed has dragged us into a dead end. Iran has shown that it does not need to win a conventional military war; It is enough for him to set the energetic heart of the planet on fire. Even if a ceasefire were signed tomorrow, the material reality is inescapable. Charred refineries and dry pipelines to Türkiye are not rebuilt with signatures on a piece of paper. The scar on the world’s infrastructure will take years to heal, and the crisis that we had been avoiding for months has already detonated irreversibly. Image | Hamed Malekpour Xataka | The red lines are ceasing to exist: the fear of the US and Qatar in the face of Iran’s attacks on basic infrastructure

There is an unexpected victim of the rise in RAM memory prices: the very modern connected cars

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Which what’s happening with the RAM memories is making one thing clear: the best time to buy memory modules is yesterday. The price increase is so extraordinary which is already affecting other classic components of our PCs such as SSD units or graphics cards. However, the crisis that these components are generating goes further. Much further. Data centers devour memory. The AI ​​fever, we already know very well, has generated a voracious hunger not only for cutting-edge AI chips, but also for RAM and HBM memories that accompany these chips. As indicated in The Wall Street Journaldata centers (both conventional and those dedicated to AI) will consume more than 70% of the high-end memory chips that manufacturers produce in 2026. And if they could take more, they would take them. This is not (only) about PCs or mobiles. It is evident that the first affected by this problem are conventional desktop and laptop computers, as well as our mobile devices. Hundreds of millions of them are sold every year and they all have a certain amount of RAM that is now more expensive than ever. The shock wave is already causing other components such as SSD drives or graphics cards affected, but in reality memory chips are everywhere. And above all, in one. From TV to car. The frenetic rise in memory prices is certainly going to affect other segments that we had not thought about soon. Of course it will do so on other consumer electronic devices, and this certainly includes Smart TVs, which They have their own processor, memory and storage to offer us its functions. But the problem may be even more critical for cars, which for years were already computers with wheels and which are now even better and more powerful computers (and with more memory) with wheels. Memories of all kinds. Although car electronic systems have traditionally used RAM, the latest in most cases was not needed. But that was in the cars of a few years ago, because the arrival especially of the electric car and the fever for screens in our vehicles has made these needs different. Now our cars need various types of memory, but in some cases those modules are as good (or better) than the ones we have in our cell phones and computers. The ECUs. A modern car makes use of so-called ECUs (Electronic Control Units) for issues such as controlling the transmission, the airbag system or the engine itself. It is normal for them to have between 50 and 150 of these control units or microcontrollers, and almost all of them contain RAM for temporary data and a ROM for firmware and software. Infotainment systems. The most obvious component that surely comes to mind as that “car computer” is the infotainment system, which usually consists of a touch screen, navigation functions, support for CarPlay and Android Auto systems, and voice assistants. Although in many cars these systems use 1 GB or 2 GB of DRAM memory, there are more modern cars that They reach 4 GB and even 8 GB of LPDDR4 memory. And if we talk about some manufacturers like BYD or NIO, there are models in which They use 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory. The Ford SYNC 5 system, for example, is based on a Qualcomm SoC with 16 GB of RAM. Driving assistance requires memory. In addition to these components, there are others that also require the use of RAM. Advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) allow you to activate functions such as adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, automatic emergency braking or parking assistant. And to achieve this they use RAM with high bandwidth, which allows working with real-time images and processing of sensor signals. Samsung knows this well and in fact manufactures modules specifically oriented to this market. Tesla’s well-known autopilot hardware, Hardware 4 (currently used) makes use of 16 GB of RAMFor example. Micron already warned. In December 2023 Micron already indicated that “a car needs more memory than a (space) rocket.” The firm, an absolute protagonist in the field of RAM memory module manufacturing, indicated how in 2023 the average vehicle used 90 GB between RAM and NAND, but in 2026 that figure was estimated to be 278 GB and would reach 2 TB in high-end vehicles. That was good news for it and other manufacturers, and even then it pointed to how “generative AI is transforming automotive.” What they probably didn’t realize is that this revolution was going to need many data centers, and those data centers were going to need a lot of memory. And this is where we are. In Xataka | “Not a phone, it’s a car”: Volkswagen believes that screens in cars are going too far

When Disney canceled Kimmel for comments about Trump, the greatest victim was another: his streaming service

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Last week was frantic to Jimmy Kimmel: In just a few days, a joke about the Charlie Kirk murder He caused his dismissal, generated protests throughout the country and returned to the program. And, apparently unrelated, Disney raised prices of its streaming platform. Everything was connected in a process that may have cost the company more than she expected. What happened. Although reality bifurcó in multiple ways, summarizing, Late Night’s presenter Jimmy Kimmel was suspended on September 17 by Disney after jokes about the murder of Charlie Kirk in which accused the government of instrumentalizing his death. The dismissal generated immediate criticisms for alleged political censorship under pressure from the Trump administration and the Federal Communications Commission of the United States after the suspension were the pressures of the latter to companies that were waiting for the granting of permits for mergers. Kimmel returned on September 23after they accentuated The protests that accused the government of pressing private entities against political enemies. How much it cost Disney. The Boicot public ads by stars and Influencers They did Bag to Bag to Disneywith a cost of about 5,000 million dollars in stock value. The casualties were estimated around a million, but journalist Marisa Kabas has obtained more precise informationwhich has echoed media such as discussing film or engadget: they became 1.7 million subscribers who canceled their service between September 17 and 23, 436% above the usual cancellation rate. But the thing had to get worse, because Disney was about to make an unexpected ad. A climb. Kabas herself also advanced Monday night to the official announcement: Disney was about to announce an increase in prices of her services of streamingand possible, that could have accelerated the decision of ABC (property of Disney) to return the program to Kimmel. They are ups between two and three dollars for the different Disney+ and Hulu packages, and obviously, it was planned long before the death of Charlie Kirk: the avalanche of cancellations due to the problem with Kimmel was only an addition to those that the company would already foresee when announcing the increases. Too much for a single company, which has rushed to return the presenter as an emergency measure. The question is … why didn’t they delay the announcement of the climbs? Throw forward. There is talk of several possible reasons to, despite the image crisis, continue with the ads, most of the Disney category as a great corporation with hardly any waist to quickly react to these viral phenomena. On the one hand, Disney traditionally announces this type of increase in Octoberwith the beginning of his new fiscal year. This calendar has been respecting for years, it is a rigid program that does not fit for image crisis. On the other hand, it was possibly notified of clients and interested parties, without contemplating postponements. Finally, there is the most important thing: it is a calculated risk, and Disney needs money. Despite the cancellations, the company decided to maintain the increase in the hope of stabilizing income. In addition, he avoided setting a dangerous precedent, to give in external pressures. Disney, Annus horribilis. It is not being a good year for Disney’s finances. Kimmel is only the last disaster (and all the fall remains) of a 2025 that started with a couple of powerful cinematographic failures: ‘Captain America: Brave New World’with lower performance than expected, and ‘Snow White‘, A critical and box office puncture that has even led to rethinking the future of some remakes of real image classics. Neither ‘Thunderbolts‘He has won the expected. And Pixar and Star Wars, the other powerful franchises of the house, go through a popular pothole. Of course, not everything has been disasters: ‘Lilo & Stitch‘It has been one of the box office pumps of the year and a good 2026 is expected, with the new deliveries of’Avatar‘(which arrives in December this year) and’Avengers‘(already for December that comes). Header | Anthony Quintano In Xataka | The streaming economy is completely broken and things will only get worse within the coming years

China is drowning rare earth supply and in six weeks there will be a victim: European electric cars

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China has completely stopped The export of rare criticisms. In fact, during the last year and a half this Asian country has used its dominance over rare earths as A pressure tool on your rivals. On December 21, 2023, the administration led by Xi Jinping decided to restrict the export of some of its rare earth processing technologies, and this was only the tip of the iceberg. The last kick linked to these important metals was given by China to the US on April 4. Just 24 hours after Donald Trump announced the taxes that he was going to apply to the importation of most products from abroad, the administration led by Xi Jinping replied. And he did it with forcefulness. In early December 2024 He chose to prohibit The export of some critical minerals to the US, among which were three essential metals: gallium, Germanio and antimony. The European electric car can suffer if China continues with the hand brake This story does not end here. At the beginning of last April the Chinese government added two more critical metals to its list of export restrictions: Scandio and Disposio. These chemical elements are probably less known than metals prohibited by China previously, such as Gallium or Germanio, but are at least as important as the latter because they have a fundamental role in the industries of integrated circuits, telecommunications and the manufacture of storage devices. And just two weeks later, in mid -April, the administration led by Xi Jinping did not hesitate to take another step forward with the purpose of putting in check, in addition to the industries that I just mentioned, those of electric cars, aeronautics and advanced armament. And is that, according to The New York Times, has effectively suspendedin addition to the export of the most valuable rare earths, that of the elements involved in the manufacture of high -power magnets that have a critical role in the industries that I have cited in this same paragraph. Chinese authorities are taking the high -power magnets acquired by electric cars manufacturers throughout the country Chinese authorities are retaining in ports throughout the country not only rare earths, but also high -power magnets acquired by electric cars manufacturers throughout the planet, aerospace companies, chip factories and armament companies. Many of these organizations have high -power magnet reserves made with rare earths, but possibly only allow them to subsist a few months. For many years China has produced More than 90% of rare earths. Australia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Canada, Brazil, Tanzania or the US, among other countries, also produce these metals, but the largest deposits located so far of these elements reside in China. And, curiously, the country led by Xi Jinping too The processing industry dominates to which it is necessary to submit rare earth so that they can be used. So much so that its quota if we stick to the global processing industry amounts to 90%. China’s export controls are directed mainly to the US, but Europe is not unscathed. At least for the moment. In fact, in Germany, which as we all know is the heart of the European car industry, There are already experts who assure that if China continues to retain rare earths and electric motors some essential parts of the electric cars production chain They will stop in no more than six weeks. For the European car industry this blow would be very difficult to fit. However, while still having some reservations Europe has the opportunity to negotiate with China to avoid this very difficult situation. Everything is not lost yet. Image | Xataka More information | Automobilwoche In Xataka | China is about to have the ability to make 5 Nm chips, although it faces a difficult solution problem

The tariff war is causing Chinese consumers to buy Chinese brands. And the first victim is Apple

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A nationalist wind travels Electronics stores in China and is affecting foreign brand mobile sales. In March, foreign mobile distributions were reduced to almost half of one year to another, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) cited by Reuters. This contraction has relegated Apple to fifth position in the Chinese market, with a 14.1 % share. Less than two years ago he was leader. Meanwhile, national manufacturers – vivo, oppo, xiaomi and, Above all, Huawei– They continue to register double digit growth, gaining ground both in the mid -range segment. Samsung’s decline, in perspective Samsung controlled almost 20% of the Chinese market in 2013a figure similar to its global participation. By 2023, that quota had fallen to 0.8%. This collapse was gradual but unstoppable: the South Korean brand went from being a dominant contender to an almost testimonial presence. Apple has resisted better than Samsung, but The decline is undeniable. Its distributions in China maintain a 14.1 % share in the first quarter of this year, which places it in fifth place behind the four large stores. To try to stop the trend He started offering discounts on the iPhone before serving one year in storesomething suspiciously unusual in its commercial policy. Little has to do with China’s ranking … … with the global: Especially in their kings. The phenomenon goes beyond technical characteristics or price. It is rooted in the change in consumption habits of Chinese citizens, increasingly inclined to support their own. Since 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) proposed a subsidy program for terminals below 6,000 yuan (about 830 euros), structurally favoring local manufacturers, who handle prices just below that barrier. To this is added the impact of the commercial war with the United States. Tariffs imposed by Trump and Technological War They have reinforced nationalist bias: The consumer perceives the foreign product as less desirable. A similar case occurred with Samsung after The deployment of the Thaad antimisile system In South Korea in 2015. Then, the Anticorean feeling triggered the rejection of its products in China. Now try to return to the Chinese market with His galaxy c (The ‘C’ is for ‘China’), but it seems a complicated return. Huawei, with his turn towards self -sufficiency and not only towards competition against the rest, is a perfect example of the materialization of Xi Jinping’s technological doctrine. Huawei resurfaced from the ashes of US sanctions, not only recovering market share but Building its parallel ecosystem. Apple and Samsung, the two world leaders of mobile telephony, have a problem of difficult solution in China. It is not only to scratch market share, but to articulate a credible value proposal in an environment where the foreign brand condition is, today, competitive disadvantage. Its price strategy, alliances with operators and product adaptation will be key to a possible reconquest. In Xataka | Just when the batteries were breaking all the records came the ultra-infinity mobiles. China has a lesson for them Outstanding image | ABODI VESAKARAN in UnspashXataka

The United States seems determined to break its monopolies. And he has an obvious victim between eyebrow and eyebrow: Google

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The judicial and regulatory offensive of the United States against Google marks a new turning point between that country and its great technological ones. The Department of Justice not only seeks symbolic measures, and here it seeks to reconfigure the rules of the game, turning Google into its main objective and an example for the rest of the sector. The vicious circle of Google. As they point out in The Verge, David Dahlquist, a lawyer of the DOJ, showed in his presentation of the facts how Google benefited from his “vicious circle.” Pay billions of dollars to be the default search engine on virtually everywhere. That leads her to receive more search requests, to have more data, to improve their results, to earn more money and in the end allow to pay more money to further increase that privilege position. Threats for Google. For the DOJ that is a nightmare, and in the antitrust trial against Google it will be seen whether or not these arguments have consequences for the company. At the moment the government is asking for three important things that could impact Radically on the Google business. No agreements to place Google by default. The first request of the DOJ is to prevent Google from reaching those agreements to place its search engine as a default option. The clear example of those agreements is the one with Apple, which it supposedly pays of the order of 20,000 million dollars a year so that all iPhone, iPad or Mac have it as a default search engine in Safari. That would turn Apple into a collateral victim of this case of monopoly. Sell ​​Chrome. It is also considered to force Google to get rid of its browser, Chrome, and sell it. According to Dahlquist, this application represents 35% of search requests and has 4,000 million estimated users. Google states that it is not a business in itself, but to put on sale, it would be a clear objective for other companies. OpenAi has already shown his interestfor example, and It hasn’t been the only. The Duckdugogo responsible assure that Chrome’s value It could be around The 50,000 million dollars. Bachelor data. The third and final request is especially delicate: it would force Google to license all your search data, from its search index to its results. That would allow anyone to use them to “build their own search engine”, a kind of Google fork. One of Google’s lawyers, John Schmidtlein, explained that this would allow anyone to “cut and paste Google search results and show them as if they were yours.” This lawyer also warned that this could also affect the privacy and safety of users. Yield years. That would mean that Google would have to give up (putting on sale) that data, which can be seen as something unfair: they have a quarter of a century tracking and organizing the web information, and now they have to license that work? That would open the doors to a brutal competition with companies that could take advantage of all that filtered knowledge by paying for it. Historical Framework. Although the European Union has been the traditional Némesis of the Big Tech Tech, the United States has also closely watched its large companies. Dismantled The standard oil in 1911 and tried to do the same with Microsoft Two decades ago. Elizabeth Warren, senator who was Presidential candidate In 2020, it has been advocating by Break in pieces to the great American technology companies and made that in part of their presidential campaign. He made an explicit reference to Amazon, Google and Facebook. The courts, parapet of the pressures. While in the regulatory or legislative areas, the lobby – corporate pressure groups – of the Big Tech can exert their influence more clearly, the thing changes in the judicial field, less permeable to these pressures. In the case of Google, the DOJ even proposes the creation of a technical committee that supervises the fulfillment of the decisions it makes, which would further limit the company’s ability to overcome the restrictions. In Xataka | Joshua Hoehne | Alex doubt In Xataka | Desperate for competing with Chatgpt, Google has a plan for Gemini to be everywhere: pulling wallet

The commercial war between the United States and China is having an unexpected victim: Christmas trees

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At the doors of Holy Week and with half a pending country, in Spain almost no one (Neither Abel Caballero) Think of Christmas. In China The thing is different. There the factories that are dedicated to manufacturing the ornaments and trees that decorate the US households every December should be receiving orders that do not just arrive. And in the industry there are little doubt what the reason is: the Commercial War raised 145% (If you take into account 20% applied by the export of fentanyl precursors) the rates to Chinese imports. What is less clear is … What will happen at Christmas? Where are the orders? That is the question that Chinese companies are being asked that are dedicated to manufacturing Christmas ornaments and trees. Yes, we are still in early April; but under normal conditions they should be receiving orders from their US clients. And it is not so. The news The Reuters agency advanced yesterday, which has spoken with the administrator of a Jinhua Christmas tree factory that has even seen how one of its partners on the other side of the Pacific suspended an order worth $ 400,000. And that the Chinese company has already invested $ 54,000 in materials. His great fear is now that the commission is annulled. “No request”. Jinhua is not an isolated case. Nor unique. Reuters He has spoken with other Chinese Christmas manufacturers that point in a similar direction. “We are concerned that US orders decrease,” explains the owner of another factory dedicated to Shaoxing Christmas decoration. The person responsible for a third company admits that at least the situation breaks with the experience of past years. “In mid -April all orders are usually finished, but now … it is difficult to know if any will come,” The manager tells from Jinhua. So far they have not registered “any request” from the US. And what is the cause? For China manufacturers there are few doubts. Or none. If 2025 is being an anomalous exercise for them is basically The commercial war unleashed on the other side of the ocean and that has been climbing. “Of course it is the tariffs,” assumes one of the entrepreneurs in the sector. After all, the tariff war may have intensified over the last days, after The act starring Trump in the Rosaleda de la Casa White with his already famous tariff table by countries and regions; But the word tariff (the favorite of the Republican) has been grabbing headlines for months. And one of the countries that He has always been In the focus is China, as was already happening in His first mandate. A figure: 145%. The result is that in the middle of April the Trump policy and the resurgence of the commercial war between Beijing and Washington (which has resulted in a mutual exchange of attacks and counterattacks tariffs) threatens to have an unexpected victim: Christmas. For now, Chinese merchandise to the US faces a tariff rise in the 125%percentage to which another 20% applied by the commercialization of fentanyl precursors. If we talk about Christmas ornament, USA and China maintain a more than prominent relationship. According to Reuters calculations 87% of the supply of American retailers dedicated to Christmas decoration comes from the factories of the Asian giant, which in turn half of their production to the US. “My colleagues and I depend on American orders to survive,” assumes Jessica Guo, administrator of a Christmas tree factory. Christmas decoration (and something else). At stake there is more than the Christmas ornament or that the US halls have more or less garlands, foams and artificial trees this year. That the sector goes well or badly translates into employment. And in millions of dollars. Two data arrives to get an idea. The merchandise acquired by American retailers in China reaches a value of 4,000 million of dollars. As for employment, only in Jinhua there is a factory of artificial trees of almost 11,000 m2 that normally uses 140 people, a template that can be elevated to 200 employees during the months of greater activity. Except for surprise, everything indicates that in 2025 it will not be necessary. Is there alternative? That is the other big question. And twice. Does China have an alternative market with which to compensate in a puncture of the American demand? And do the US companies have to the Asian giant to stock up on figurines and trees with lights? None will have it easy. In China, domestic demand for Christmas decoration is low and there are already businesses thinking about strengthening their efforts in Russia, Europe or Southeast Asia, which are an important part of the sales cake. Yet, days ago A local businessman shared with Reuters his “concern.” The situation in the US. The US can also look at other suppliers, but without getting rid of the elongated shadow of tariffs. Another country with some weight in the production of Christmas ornaments is Cambod 49% to imports from that country. From the sector they also question that manufacturing ends up moving to the US, as the Republican leader aspires. “There is no technology or labor market,” They recognize To the agency. Result: Ten months seen worries since those who want to decorate their houses face a price increase. Images | Frames for Your Heart (UNSPLASH), Gage Skidmore (Flickr) and Trong Khiem Nguyen (Flickr) In Xataka | In the middle of the largest commercial chaos, olive oil seems immune thanks to a factor: consumption in Spain

Tariffs are already being charged to their first great victim of the global economy: the price of oil

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In this tariff war, China He has decided to get back to the United States with tariffs of 84% to all imports. A blunt response of the Asian giant, which has charged its first victim by crossfire: oil. Price drop. The price of barrels is below Los 60 dollars and going down. As He explained Energy expert Javier Blas, the oil market is going through a perfect storm: on the one hand, the fall in global demand as a direct consequence of the tariff war, and on the other hand, The answer a few days ago of the OPEC+ to continue producing more, which causes the offer to continue increasing. If this situation extends, it could evolve towards a real supply shock affecting two giants. The matter is more complex. OPEC+ decided to increase its oil production despite the fall in prices due to tariffs and concerns of a global economic slowdown. The organization I was looking to recover the market share I had lost due to the previous cuts. In addition, the growing production of non -member countries and Failurers of the rules to raise the offer. It will be very expensive. In all this situation, Saudi Arabia is one of the affected giants because in its recent projects it is diversifying its economy with the initiative, Vision 2030. It is betting on an economic model that is disconnected from oil, but It is still your currency To continue financing their mega -structures, such as Neom. As have indicated from Reutersthe fall in prices threatens to cut tens of billions of state dollars, as is already being seen in the stock market of the state oil company, Saudi Aramco. The impact is capital, since Riad can be forced to increase his indebtedness or postpone large infrastructure projects. In fact, according to the same news agency, the International Monetary Fund has estimated that Saudi Arabia needs prices greater than $ 90 per barrel to square its accounts. The other giant. The fall in prices takes with him another great economy ahead: Russia. As He has warned for Reutersthe governor of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, that the escalation of tariff wars represents a clear risk for Russia due to the fall in crude oil prices. In his words, the continuity of the commercial conflict reduces global trade, slows down the world economy and, consequently, decreases the demand for Russian energy resources. In fact, with the current situation of war, the dependence of Moscow of oil and gas is key, but the data is showing how in March 17% fell and it is expected that in April it will continue to descend. From Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov has acknowledged that the oil market is going through an “extremely turbulent” situation, derived from commercial tension caused by the United States. Meanwhile, the price of raw Urals, the Russian referent barrel, is dangerously approaching to the threshold of 50 dollars By barrel, the lowest level in almost two years. As Oilprice has had accessRussian authorities have indicated that a technical fiscal rule will help mitigate the effects on the budget, but oil prices are in free fall. Forecasts. The price of oil can continue down with all the situation that is being experienced: wars, sanctions and territorial instability. All this affects perception Investor risk and without a clear OPEC+ response the price falls without brakes. Image | Javier Colmenero Xataka | For great technological tariffs are an existential threat: their empires depend on the “world system”

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