world

The most powerful supercomputer in the world is in China. The other part of the story is even more interesting

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The biannual TOP500 list with the most powerful supercomputers on the planet has given a striking surprise in its June 2026 edition. The Chinese LineShine system, installed at the Shenzhen National Supercomputing Center, has debuted directly at number one. It thus displaces the American supercomputer El Capitan, which had dominated the ranking for years. China has not managed to lead this classification since 2017, thus breaking a decade of North American hegemony. Unprecedented raw power. The performance tests used to configure this list leave no doubt: LimeShine has achieved 2,198 exaflops of performance in the benchmark HPLcompared to 1,809 exaflops for its American rival. The Chinese machine is therefore 20% more powerful than the flagship of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. It is a whole new milestone in global supercomputing. Surprise: zero GPUs. The performance is extraordinary, but even more so is the way this supercomputer has been created. Most modern supercomputers rely heavily on GPUs, specialized graphics chips from Nvidia or AMD, for massive data processing. However, LineShine uses CPUs instead of focusing everything on GPUs, something that differentiates this supercomputer from its rivals and makes the feat even more striking. Heart ARM. The fundamental pillar of LineShine It is the LX2 CPU. The data they point because it has been designed by Huawei, and in each of those CPUs we have two dies HBM computing and memory. Each die It has 152 ARMv9 cores that have EVS and EMS supportwhich allows the system to process vectors and matrices in an exceptional way even without GPUs. In total LineShine has 304 of these processors with a total of 13,789,440 cores. Avoiding vetoes. One of the reasons that have undoubtedly contributed to this design decision is the US trade war with China. Tariffs and export bans on hardware and software have made things very complicated, especially when it comes to getting Nvidia GPUs for AI processing. Despite all this, China has once again demonstrated an astonishing ability to advance technologically. Another curiosity: the system has been built without public funds from the Chinese government. Source: TOP500.org AI clusters don’t compete here (but they would “win”). This prestigious list had always offered us that vision of the most powerful computing systems in the world, but today the panorama has changed. It has done so because the AI ​​clusters created by big technology are probably more powerful than any of these systems. As explains Jimmy Goodrich of the University of California, “if hyperscalers competed with their systems, ‘fastest’ in the world wouldn’t even be in the top five.” That phrase, yes, has crumbs. But it’s comparing pears with apples. However, the supercomputers on the TOP500 list and the AI ​​clusters that hyperscalers are building to meet global demand are very different. The root problem is in floating point precision. Classic supercomputers like El Capitan are designed for high-fidelity scientific simulations, where the slightest rounding error can be fatal. That is why they operate under the FP64 standard with which tens of decimals are calculated: it is a slow and expensive process in energy, but extraordinarily precise. AI rounds with joy. In contrast, AI models are very resistant to numerical “noise.” They don’t need perfect precision to recognize patterns or generate text. That allows AI chips to use reduced precision formats like FP16, FP8, or even FP4. By processing much shorter numbers, they multiply their speed and efficiency significantly. So when an AI cluster achieves tens of exaflops, it does so rounding up quite happily. These machines are exceptional for AI tasks, but they do not threaten the future of traditional supercomputers. Europe (and Italy) and supercomputing. If we look in detail at the list, we see great news for European supercomputing. The HPC7 system created by Eni has entered directly at number 6 on the list, while Jupiter Booster (Germany) is at number 5. Europe has four systems in the top 10 of the TOP500 list (two of them, from Italy), and eight in the top 20. Spain is still present on the list thanks to MareNostrum 5which yes, drops from 14th to 16th place. In Xataka | The EU wants to close the gap in the race for AI with 750 million euros. And it is good news for Barcelona

The World Cup has turned bar terraces into the big business of the summer. In Asturias this has opened a thorny debate

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The World Cup is much more than football. Each ‘La Roja’ match is also an event capable of paralyzing the country and a lifeline (wink, wink) for a sector, the hospitality sector, that deals with changes in consumption of alcohol and the growing competition from the merchants. However, bars do not have it equally easy in all cities when it comes to exploiting the World Cup gold medal. Although in much of Spain it is allowed to take TVs out to terraces to broadcast matches, the requirements of the town councils do not always coincide. In fact there are consistories that prohibit the use of screens outdoors. One figure: 30%. Spain is a football country. That is not debatable. When we talk about hospitality, however, football is much more than a sport or a passion: it is above all a powerful economic lever. The employers’ association of the sector calculates that the businesses that broadcast the World Cup will skyrocket their cash between 25 and 30% on match days. What’s more, Hospitality of Spain estimates that if ‘la Roja’ reaches the final it will inject 130 million extra to your billing. Terrace slopes. In view of these figures and in the midst of the dog days, it is easier to understand why bars in a good part of Spain have asked for permission to, exceptionally, put televisions on their terraces. Their proposal is very simple: given the interest aroused by the tournament and how overwhelming crowds in closed venues can be, they want to install screens outside to broadcast ‘La Roja’ matches. More comfort, more income. It’s nothing exceptional. What is striking is that this request has not received the same response in all city councils in Spain. While some councils They have given the green light to the installation of TVs on terraces, imposing only some restrictions, others they have closed in band to that possibility arguing that it would go against noise regulations. There are also town councils that allow the installation of screens outside the bars, but require that all matches be broadcast. no sound. The case of Asturias. Although the topic has generated headlines throughout the country, probably the most interesting case is that of Asturias. There the hotel management association OTEA headed to the town councils requesting permission so that customers of bars and restaurants could follow the World Cup matches from the terraces, through TVs. In cities like Oviedo either Gijon The restaurateurs received the green light (with certain conditions), but other councils have told them no. It is the case of Aviles and Langreowho have decided that the bars’ request clashes with other prioritiessuch as the “right to rest” of the neighbors. “It is not possible to authorize non-compliance with the Law 37/2003of November 17, of noise, since the exemption from compliance with the acoustic emission and reception indicators on terraces (…) would be an action null and void,” states a resolution published by the town of the Nalón region. Click on the image to go to the tweet. The law is made… cheated, as the saying goes. That the local authorities are not convinced by the installation of screens on the terraces does not mean that the hoteliers of Langreo or Avilés have not looked for a way for their clientele to enjoy the games from the terraces without breaking the regulations. So reveals it The New Spainwhich tells how yesterday in Avilés there were bars that placed their screens strategically, next to their windows and facing the street, so that customers sitting on the terraces could follow the game. “We always meet at this bar. What seems incredible to me is the City Council’s rule of not playing loudly,” commented one of the clients who followed the meeting of Spain and Saudi Arabia from outside a bar in Avilés. It is not the first time that an international football tournament is accompanied by controversy in the Asturian hospitality industry. It happened two years agowhen OTEA disgraced the Avilés and Gijón City Councils for their decision to install giant screens in public spaces to follow the Euro Cup final. Beyond the criticism for the loss of customers, in the case of Avilés the hoteliers recalled that shortly before the City Council had prohibited them from doing something similar on their terraces. One dilemma, several answers. The most curious thing is that, although the laws on noise pollution are common to the entire country, not all councils have responded in the same way to the hoteliers’ request. In Toledo, for example, they has given the green lightbut on condition that the equipment works without sound. The only exception is venues licensed for music installations. In Albacete, the City Council has also authorized outdoor screens during ‘la Roja’ matches, the semi-finals and the final on July 19, but with an important fine print: whether or not the matches have ended, the TVs must be silent at midnight and in the Special Acoustic Protection Zone (ZPAE) the devices will not be able to emit sound even in the afternoons. Something similar happens in Salamanca. In any case, for hoteliers these are better conditions than those imposed by Teruel. Over there, COPE chain advancesrestaurants have found a response similar to that of Avilés. World yes, but with control. In general, even the most permissive city councils impose limits on match broadcasts: screens on terraces are usually allowed only for ‘special’ events, such as matches played by Spain, the semi-finals or the final in July, and even in those cases limits on noise and time restrictions apply. In the case of the capital, Hostelería Madrid assures that article 11 of the evening terrace ordinance prevents the installation of televisions outside the premises, which makes it difficult for bars and cafes to make the tournament profitable. Image | Jorge Franganillo-Flickr (Image taken in Lisbon in 2024) In Xataka | 24 years ago Oliver Kahn sued EA and won. Then a new goalkeeper appeared in football games: Jens … Read more

While half the world wonders how to integrate AI into schools, Norway has found the answer: by not doing it

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The artificial intelligence has arrived like a meteorite, impacting practically all sensors and not only destroying the consumer technology segmentbut causing governments work against the clock to implement it in all possible places. Education is something that has not been left outimpacting from primary school to university studiescausing a search for ways to both regulate and coexist with technology. The one who is clear is Norway, which has just slammed the door on artificial intelligence in primary schools. The goal? That generative AI does not affect the early education of its young people. Back to school. This past Friday, the Nordic country advertisement a practically total ban on generative AI tools in schools. This is one of the first countries to impose such severe restrictions on young people and the Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, has detailed a little how the matter will be addressed, alluding that the measure is necessary because they are observing a decrease in grades. Starting with the new course, which will begin at the end of August, AI in the classroom will go at two speeds: Students from first to seventh (ages 6 to 13) will not be able to use AI. Those in lower secondary school (between 14 and 16 years old) can adopt these tools under the supervision of teachers. With nuances. There we talk about primary and the first years of secondary school, but if the question is how young people are going to emerge from their studies “isolated” from this technology, the answer is that at home it will depend on each family and that, in the regulated educational environment, upper secondary students (from 17 to 19 years old) will be guided to learn to use AI appropriately in order to be prepared for higher education and the world of work. Protect children. Støre argues that they have made the decision due to fears that the use of AI will cause children to skip crucial stages in their education. “The most important thing in school is that our children learn to read, write and do mathematics,” commented the prime minister, arguing that “research shows that the disproportionate and uncritical use of generative AI in schools increases the danger of skipping important steps in learning.” At Xataka we have already echoed several studies that put on the table how the use of AI for everything increases the boiled frog syndrome and they can even lead us to a state of cognitive surrender. In fact, the decision seems based on a recent report that revealed that AI tools were being used by three in four primary schools and more than 90% of upper secondary schools. Not just AI. Despite everything, Støre did not present the measures as a frontal opposition to technology, but as something focused on promoting traditional education without an easy search for answers, so that young people do not skip these stages of cognitive evolution. In other areas, the prime minister pointed out that they have “great ambitions regarding the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence”, but that in terms of primary and secondary education, there are other priorities. But, in the end, this frontal opposition to AI in early education is a measure that is in the same bag as the one taken in 2024 when the Government banned phones in schools and, in April of this year, they already commented that they were thinking about plans to prevent those under 16 years of age from accessing social networks. This is something that are studying other countries following the steps of Australia and, most recently, United Kingdom. Other approaches. On the other hand we have China. The Asian giant aims to become the first world power in the short term and, within those plans and the Five-Year Plan roadmap, They consider AI a pillar of the future of education. Instead of banning technology in the classroom, teachers will be trained to find ways to teach children to use language models to solve problems and think critically. The idea is that they know how to question whether the answers are correct, as well as verify information through multiple sources to achieve “AI literacy” from primary school. It is evident that it is another approach, of course, and one that comes not without controversy because the main criticisms focus on the fact that it is a position that will increase the social gap between families with different purchasing power. Image | Jessica Lewis (edited) In Xataka | AI is helping us solve problems. And it’s also reducing our ability to solve them alone.

how to enter this game to fly over any part of the world

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Let’s explain to you how to access the secret Google Earth video gamea flight simulator with which you can fly over any part of the world. This is a flight mode that until recently was exclusive to the desktop version, but now you can also use it in the web version. So that you can explore it, we are going to tell you step by step how to enter this mode through the web version of Google Earth. Then, the game controls are quite simple, you can play with the mouse or the directional keys on your keyboard. Flight mode in Google Earth The first thing you have to do is enter the Google Earth page, with the address earth.google.com. Sometimes a home screen may appear instead of the maps. If so, click Explore Earthand you will directly access the maps website. Now, you have to Click on the down arrow button in the top bar. It is the one that appears on the far right, and is used to display the Google Earth menu bar. Once the toolbar is displayed at the top, you have to click on the tab Tools. This will open a drop-down menu with several options, and in it you must click on the option flight simulator. And that’s it, with this you will open the flight simulator, and you can start flying over the area you want. Remember that The simulator will open in the area you are exploring within the maps, so it is advisable to first go to the area you want to fly over and then open it. Here, the game has controls that can easily get out of control if you have never used it. Just remember that you can crashand if this happens it will simply tell you that you can start again. In Xataka Basics | How to have the maps of your area downloaded on your Android or iPhone and be able to use them without an Internet connection

The world has been searching for the formula against the housing crisis for decades. There are those who believe that the answer is in Vancouver

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When you think about the residential market, price escalation and affordability of housing, more and more cities are looking up. The idea is very simple: build taller buildings and make more use of limited land, especially in the most sought-after neighborhoods. That philosophy is catching on, for example in Basque Countrywhere new apartments are proposed on buildings that already exist, or in Madrid, which aspire too to expedite procedures. In Vancouver (Canada) they have decided to go one step further and create a kind of ‘XL laboratory’ to answer a key question: Would the residential crisis be alleviated if we reduced bureaucracy and were more flexible with buildability? An impossible market. Living in Vancouver is not easy. Not at least if you don’t have a generous salary and you aspire to stay in a (more or less) well-located and (more or less) comfortable home. a study disclosed by Frontier Center shows that the British Columbia city deals with one of the least affordable markets on the planet. Canadian families who want to purchase a property need, on average, to invest the equivalent of 10.8 full years of gross income. And that for a ‘normal’ cost house. Globally, it is only surpassed by Hong Kong, Sydney, San Jose and Adelaide. The situation in Vancouver is actually worse than in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York or any other large conurbation in North America. The rental market does not offer much comfort either. According to Zillow Rentalsthe average income is close to 2,900 dollars and last year it was above 3,000. Against this backdrop, the authorities have set the goal of injecting into the market 83,000 new homes in the coming years. You will find more infographics at Statista And what is the reason? Beyond the imbalance between supply and demand or the arrival of immigrants with an investment mentality, a few days ago, in a column published in The New York TimesBinyamin Appelbaum mentioned another key factor: excessive bureaucratic rigidity and regulatory blockage, a problem that is not exclusive to Canada. “Cities have largely lost the power to approve projects. To prevent officials from acting against the public interest, we have taken away the power to act in its favor,” regrets Appelbaumveteran reporter The New York Times and specialist in economics and business. “We are so committed to justice that we have lost sight of the injustice of inaction.” “Restore affordability”. In his analysis, the expert recalls the construction limitations imposed in coastal cities like Vancouver in the 1960s, the effects of the 2008 financial crisis, the structural housing deficit (in 2023 it was estimated that Canada needed 3.5 million of extra homes by 2031 to “restore affordability”) and tension in the rental market. In the specific case of Vancouver, the geographical limitations of the city are added, constrained between mountains to the north, the ocean to the west and the border with the United States to the south. Also the characteristics of its urban planning, with a large weight of small properties. Houses, gardens… and skyrocketing prices. “The biggest problem is that Vancouver is a city of single-family homes. It has an imposing skyline in the center, but, if we see it from the air, the vast majority of the land is occupied by houses surrounded by grass,” comment Appelbaum. He is not the only one who highlights this peculiarity of the Canadian metropolis. In his chronicle he cites another expert, Alex Hemingway, senior economist at BC Policy Solutions, who questions this use of land in a city with residential m2 skyrocketing and rents through the roof. Appelbaum even cites specific cases in which apartment towers have given way to mansions, which further reduces the housing stock. A laboratory called Senakw. Despite this context, for a few years Vancouver has hosted a special project: in the heart of the city, near English Baythere is a wide strip of land 10.48 acres (just over four hectares) in which large apartment towers are being built. What’s more, the objective is to build one of the residential neighborhoods there with greater density from all over Canada: around 6,000 homes spread across 11 towers. His name is Sen̓áḵw and it is much more than theory or a plan drawn up on paper. The first building of the initial phase (which will encompass 1,049 homes spread over three towers of 27, 32 and 40 floors) is almost ready and the idea was for its first tenants to move in at the end of May. The Realist precise that the promoters want to finish the second block in the summer and the third before 2027. How is it possible? Very easy. Because Senakw is not just another real estate development. In fact (and this is the key) the 4.4 hectares it covers enjoy a special status that free it from the regulatory straitjacket that limits construction in other neighborhoods in Canada. The reason: that land does not depend on the Vancouver authorities, but on the Squamishan indigenous people who occupied the land long before the first Western settlers arrived. The land, located on the south bank of False Creek, was home to one of the 23 ancestral populations of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Stélmexw, but in 1913 the natives residing there were evicted “by force”. Although the British initially recognized the area as a native reserve, the value of the land led the provincial government to pressure their families to leave in the early 20th century. Their offer was very simple: either accept the payments offered or risk be left with nothing. Then the Government burned their homes. That episode gave rise to a decades-long lawsuit that ended in 2003when justice returned 4.4 hectares to the Squamish Nation. “More than buildings”. A decade and a half after that historic ruling, in 2019, the Squamish Nation voted in favor of developing a residential project on the land and thus creating “a legacy” for the next generations of natives. The result is Senakw, an ambitious project of 6,000 homes spread … Read more

Previously, at the G7 meetings, the focus was on world leaders. Now the protagonists are Amodei, Altman and Hassabis

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This week the edition was held number 52 of the G7 summit. Representatives of the seven largest world powers debated Ukraine, the Middle East, or rare earths, as expected. What was not so expected is that the true protagonists of the event were not those world leaders, but the directors of Anthropic, OpenAI, Google or Mistral who participated in the other great debate of our time: the future of AI. Power changes hands (a little). Jessica Brandt, of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)—an American think tank— defined the situation with a powerful phrase: “We are seeing a change in who gets a seat at the table, and a sign of where power lies.” Exceptional guests. This expert commented on how today states need to have AI companies as allies. What has happened with Anthropic and the Pentagon first and with Claude Fable 5 They then demonstrate how AI has become a weapon for country governments. One that no one wants to do without, so the leaders of the main Western AI companies have been invited to contribute to a debate that has become crucial for the future. The courtship of Amodei, Altman and Hassabis. Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI), Dario Amodei (CEO of Anthropic) and Demis Hassabis (CEO of Google DeepMind) were the three great highlights of a group of technology executives that also included Arthur Mensch, CEO of the French startup Mistral or Alexandr Wang, head of AI at Meta. World leaders courted these managers: Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, met with Mensch, for example, and Amodei did it with Macronand Hassabis, Altman and the aforementioned Amodei were part of a working lunch in which Donald Trump or Emmanuel Macron were among others. Technological dependence. The situation reflects a palpable reality: the G7 leaders meet to close all types of geopolitical agreements, but they depend completely on the private infrastructure and the hardware and software of big technology. The top leaders are clear that we must get along with these companies, but the balance of power is certainly delicate: the recent US veto of Fable 5 is a demonstration. Can countries appropriate their companies’ technology and control it? AI as a weapon. Recent announcements of AI models with advanced cybersecurity capabilities such as Claude Mythos Preview and Mythos 5 or GPT-5.5 Cyber ​​have made companies and governments noticeably concerned. Europe, for example, already complained having been set aside when Anthropic allowed some companies to use Mythos Preview. The US goes to its own. Emerson Brooking, a partner at the Atlantic Council, explained on CNBC how export controls on Anthropic models “have changed everything.” And he added that “Several G7 countries have previously alluded to the need for sovereign investments in AI, but it has always been assumed that these would take place in conjunction with access to the US technological stack. Now the US has indicated its willingness to cut off access to its AI technology both to the G7 and even to its treaties with allied powers.” Companies above governments? Advanced AI models are becoming in their own right one of the most desired and desired resources by not only companies, but also governments that are realizing what is at stake. He world geopolitical panorama already faced a similar situation with the development of nuclear weapons: only some countries can manufacture and deploy them. Digital divide on the horizon. AI is more diffuse, because models (especially open ones) are filtered, copied, and derived versions emerge from them. But one thing is certain: the data centers on which these models run are mostly under the control of companies from the US and China. Nuclear power offered deterrence, but AI can create a huge digital divide between those who control it and those who can only hope to use it. In Xataka | Claude Fable 5 has made it very clear what the big problem facing Europe is: AI is a weapon and it has none

In two days on Netflix, the film that last year caused people to riot in cinemas around the world

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When in a movie theater a baby zombie rides a chicken and the entire room, all teenagers, bursts into screams, throwing popcorn and TikTok is flooded with videos corroborating the chaos in the roomssomething has happened that has gone under the radar of industry forecasts. ‘A Minecraft movie‘ was not exactly the critics’ favorite of 2025, but it undoubtedly had one of the best box offices of the year. This weekend you can see why it happened in Netflix. In just two weeks, the film surpassed $550 million in worldwide receipts. It ended up close to a billion. A true phenomenon that revitalized the industry’s interest in video games, already highlighted by the success of ‘Super Mario Bros. The Movie’ in 2023 with its more than $1.36 billion at the box office. With Sonic, Mario and ‘Mortal Kombat’ having several sequels and a second part of ‘A Minecraft Movie’ scheduled for 2027, it remains to be seen if we are facing a momentary impact or a true trend. The movie does a good job in transforming the almost abstract original game into a story with minimal coherence: Steve (Jack Black) is a doorknob salesman with the dream of working in a mine and discovers a portal that transports him to the Overworld, the cubic world of Minecraft, where he is captured by Malgosha, a pig sorceress who seeks to dominate that world. Some time later he will join four strangers from the real world (including Jason Momoa) to find his way back home. The film’s impact not only translates into box office success, but also into a revitalization of the brand: by April 2025, ‘Minecraft’ had sold more than 350 million copies worldwide, consolidating its position as the most popular video game of all time. Following the film’s release, console and mobile sales of the original game grew by 35% and daily active users on console increased by 41%. A true phenomenon that demonstrates, once again, that while adults point to the moon with a solemn gesture, young people do, essentially, whatever they want. In Xataka | The latest from the director of ‘Longlegs’, streaming tomorrow: almost no one has seen it, but it is the most disturbing of the year

Fernando Sáenz, one of the best ice cream makers in the world, puts the dots over the i’s, “Mercadona has modified the palate of the Spanish people”

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A few days ago, Fernando Sáenz, one of the best ice cream makers in Spain (and, quite possibly, the world) gave an interview that left everyone confused. It’s not just that Mercadona “has its clientele totally dedicated,” it’s that they have “modified the palate of the Spanish.” Coming from an ice cream maker famous for its strange gourmet flavors like ‘fig shade’, one might think this is a typical “elitist chef vs. super normie” outburst. And it is possible, yes; but what if it’s true? Can a single chain shape what a country eats? Who Fernando Saenz? An ice cream authority: the head behind sellaSera, in Logroño and one of the key suppliers of the best elite restaurants in the country (from Mugaritz to El Celler de Can Roca through Quique Dacosta or Eneko Atxa). Best Pastry Chef in Spain from the Royal Academy of Gastronomy, Best Sweet Space in Madrid Fusion and Prix ​​Chef Pâtissier 2025 of the International Academy of Gastronomy. In other words, not only is he someone who knows the world of ice cream deeply, he is someone who thinks about it deeply. Therefore, such a harsh statement is worth examining. Because Mercadona has a lot of power. After all, almost one euro out of every three spent in supermarkets she takes it. Not only that, between 2018 and 2023, the manufacturer brand references on their shelves fell 45%. Increasingly, Mercadona is judge and party in what is sold or not: its size allows it to do something that almost no competitor achieves and that is to convert each assortment decision into a change in habits on a national scale. And how does that change the “taste” of an entire country? It doesn’t just happen with ice cream, of course. But the sustained strategy of “short assortment and dominated by own brand” reduces the number of flavors, formats and recipes to which the regular buyer ends up being exposed. It’s not so much that ‘taste’ gets worse, as that the frame of reference becomes narrower and more homogeneous. In fact, some experts such as Howard Moskowitz talks about “hijacked palate” due to industrial dynamics. Can’t we do anything? We are trying to do it, in fact. In recent years the National Reformulation Plan has managed to reduce sugar, salt and saturated fat in most packaging categories, according to a study from the CEU San Pablo University; and Mercadona has reformulated its own products downwards. Ironically, Saénz puts his finger on the sore spot because one of the few categories where reformulation has not yet worked is ice cream. A palate at two speeds. The reduction in assortments is causing the industry to begin to concentrate on two levels: large stores and specialty stores. The “middle class” is dead and the problem may come in the long term: a generation raised on a narrow menu sets expectations that are difficult to move. Image | Fernando Saenz | DAP In Xataka | Spain’s favorite ice creams are from Mercadona and have no “brand”. And there is a Valencian company making gold with them

The biggest mystery of the World Cup is why all the boots are pink: the answer is very simple to understand

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When the referee started a Spain-Curaçao match that should have been a mere formality, nine of Spain’s eleven players were wearing pink boots. Yesterday, as Harry Kane appeared to skate across the Dallas turf, ten of England’s eleven players were wearing pink boots. Shortly after, whoever had the courage to stay to watch the Ghana-Panama game at dawn will have seen that eleven of the eleven Panama players were wearing pink boots. The original and striking become the most standard decision possible. When Mateo Kovacic jumped onto the field to try to build a retaining wall for Kane’s England, a short shot was enough to catch our attention: the boots were black. Complete. What was once the norm has become a countercultural exercise. The feeling of “here we have someone who knows everything.” Without expecting it, Mateo Kovacic became the player who stood out the most on the entire field. In Xataka "It’s a golden cage, the World Cup is being hijacked": Hydration breaks have turned football into a new sport From original to irrelevance The issue of boots in this 2026 World Cup reminds me of wooden bow ties. For some reason still unknown, there was a day when the wooden bow tie became fashionable. At a wedding, a friend showed up with one. Evidently, it was the center of attention at that time when one seems to be facing a fashion show before the first beers begin to flow. At the next wedding the scene was repeated with another protagonist. A couple of years later, up to four people coincided at the event with one of these wooden bow ties. It’s not that the percentage was very high but it was clear that something had broken. The one who thought looked in the mirror before leaving the house to reaffirm that today he was the different one, he had fallen into the trap. He was no longer unique. Not at all. You could almost read the sarcasm in those of us who were witnessing the collapse of a fashion that should never have achieved that status. When Alfonso Pérez Muñoz appeared with white bootsin the late 90s, caused a stir. It was Joma, a Spanish brand, that dared. In a few years, the world’s greatest figures were already combining the classic black with red or blue touches in the mythical and precious Zinedine Zidane’s Adidas Predator. The norm was blown up with the Nike Total 90. The silver and blue of Luis Figo, the white and gold of Wayne Ronney and even the silver and dark gray of Lionel Messi who debuted at FC Barcelona, ​​before moving to Adidas. In the 2000s, almost all schemes regarding the use of color in boots were broken. All that was left was to wear one boot of each color. Spoiler: was also done. In Xataka In Spain-Cape Verde, a small town in Galicia had its heart broken in half: Burela That is why it has attracted so much attention that almost all the World Cup players wear pink boots. Alejandro Mendo, specialist in soccer fashion and creator of the substack Pieces of Fabriccollects the premises of why pink has become the new black. In this thread of X realize that Nike, Adidas or Puma (and even the Skechers that Harry Kane wears) are pink because the marketing message suggests that footballers feel more encouraged and confident in themselves if they wear bright colors that reinforce their personality. But, above all, point to the simple: studies show that the color that looks best on the screen over the green of the grass is pink. Simply put, the companies that dress the players have realized which color stands out the most. And along the way, fashion has become the standard. The pink boot is the new wooden bow tie. Click on the image to go to the original tweet In BBC They point out that it is a mixture of what Alejandro Mendo commented and market studies. They explain that sports brands, like any fashion company, request reports up to two seasons in advance from their trusted consultants to know “what will be worn” in a specific season. And they have all fallen into a pink with a similar tone. Brands like Puma have played to add nuancesas gradients with other colors such as yellow or blue that, in addition, They are independent for each boot (Puma was the first to propose this). Adidas has also played with similar formulas, adding touches of white on the rear. In both cases, from afar the feeling is that we are looking at the same old pink boots. The most curious thing is that this standardization around pink has helped define the campaign of the most special boots since some players stand out from the others for the simple fact of wearing footwear that should be less striking on camera. Click on the image to go to the original tweet We have already talked about Mateo Kovacic but a much rarer case is that of Michael Olise. The France striker has built a story very far from the stereotype of a footballer. A free verse that, in fact, He doesn’t even have a signed sponsorship contract.simply choose boots based on your personal preferences for comfort and your team’s attire. At the moment, we have been able to see him wearing pristine black Nikes. Wear black bootsIn this case, it helps create an image of a differential player that the brands themselves continue to promote. Lionel Messi wears Adidas Último Tango that are reserved exclusively for hima tribute from the German firm to which, we assume, will be the Argentine’s last presence in a World Cup. Of course, Messi doesn’t wear pink boots either and his combination of white and blue shines especially brightly in a tide of bright colors. In Xataka Sneakers have become delicate luxury products, so they have generated a new business: laundry laundries. "sneakers" It is an old strategy among these companies. … Read more

The world is preparing to harvest 36% fewer pistachios. This is great news for Spanish farmers

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2025 is not being an easy year for the pistachio. TO the effects of the Iran war, the closure of Hormuz and the swings The price of the fruit now adds a more than likely puncture in the global harvest. This is what at least the main producer organization, the INC, expects, which foresees a drop of 36% in the amount of fruit harvested worldwide. Although it’s not strange that crops rise and fall, conditioned by the climate or the cycles of the trees, the sector’s estimate is interesting for another reason: it confirms that Spain is reinforcing assumption. And everything indicates that it will gain ground this campaign. What has happened? That the International Nuts and Dehydrated Fruits Council (INC) has recognized that the 2026/2027 campaign does not look particularly good for pistachio. At least if we talk about production. Although the sector expects an increase in the cultivation of walnuts, hazelnuts or raisins, in the case of pistachios it anticipates a ‘puncture’ of 36% on a global scale. Translated into tons, that means that production would go from 1.1 million harvested during the 2025/2026 campaign to 701,050 t in the 2026/2027 campaign. Country Campaign 2025/2026 (tons) Campaign 2026/2027 (tons) USA 722,670 350,000 Türkiye 114,600 156,400 Iran 225,000 130,000 Syria 13,350 35,000 Spain 9,500 11,500 Greece 6,500 8,500 Australia 3,000 5,500 Afghanistan 2,600 2,700 Italy 4,700 1,000 China 320 450 World production 1,101,740 701,050 What is the reason? Although a drop of 36% may seem alarming, the data should be handled with caution. Pistachio cultivation is conditioned by the vecería, which means that there are campaigns in which the trees are loaded with fruit and others in which the harvests are much scarcer. It is one of the handicaps with which the sector plays. Hence there are voices, like that of Juan Gallegofrom Ibero Pistacho, who ensure that a drop of 36% “is within the norm.” Nor is it strange that part of the harvests are saved from one year to the next precisely to compensate for the ‘puncture’ of the years highly marked by the harvest. Does only that factor influence? No. The INC data, advanced by the EFE agency, allow us to focus more and observe the great differences that exist between producing countries, each conditioned by its own challenges. For example, in California, the world capital For pistachio, a 52% drop in the harvest is expected due to flowering problems. The ‘photo’ is not good in Iran either, which is suffering the consequences of the high temperatures of the previous campaign and expects its production to be reduced by another 42%. And what happens in Spain? Here the panorama is somewhat different. Although our production is light years away Compared to the US or Türkiye, the INC estimates that in Spain the 2026/2027 campaign will close with 21% more fruit harvested. In practice, this would mean going from 9,500 tons in the 2025/2026 financial year to 11,500 in the 2026/2027 campaign. The data is interesting because it not only consolidates Spain as the fifth world producer, it also allows it to dream of closing the gap on the podium. The forecast of the INC shows a decline in crops in the US and Iran, the first and third producers on a global scale. And although a priori Türkiye (the second supplier) will see its harvest increase by 36%, it remains to be seen if the strong storm that suffered in May has damaged the trees and will reduce the harvest. How is that possible? That the Spanish crop grows while it declines in other countries with large pistachio plantations, such as the US, Türkiye or Iran, is actually little surprising. Spanish farmers They have been increasing for years the number of hectares dedicated to this crop, especially in Castile-La Manchawhich concentrates a large part of the national production and 77% of the surface. The growth of the harvest in Spain during the next campaign (2026/2027) is only a reflection of that bet. The data from the Ministry of Agriculture show that the planted area in Spain has skyrocketed in recent years to exceed 85,800 hectares in the 2024/2025 campaign and that production has grown by more than 70% in just a few years. Looking ahead to the 2026/2027 season, the INC expects a harvest of 11,500 tons. Not all sources agree on this information (in the sector there are those raises it to 16,000 t), but in any case the background photo is always the same: Spanish production is increasing. What to expect now? The million dollar question. For now, and beyond the short-term fall in harvests due to the rainy season, both the US and Iran they hope to increase its production thanks to the increase in plantations. Specifically, California hopes to boost its average capacity by 40% in the coming campaigns and Iran and Türkiye are already considering approaching 300,000 tons in the medium term. Regarding the price of the fruit and whether or not prices will be altered by the 36% drop in production, there are different opinions in the sector. The Italian analysis company Areté warns of a market with “strong tensions on supply and prices” given that the demand for pistachios has been growing for years. Others, like Gallego, acknowledge that “there may be a small increase in cents,” but clarifies: “All of us who are in this sector are interested in the product remaining stable and being consumed.” Not only the generosity of the crops comes into play. The price is also affected by other factorssuch as instability in Iran, the closure of Hormuz or the influence of war on the cost of inputs such as fuel. Images | Brenan Greene (Unsplash), Brad Spry (Flickr) and USDA In Xataka | Fruit seems like the perfect summer dinner. The problem is that it is not as good an idea as it seems.

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