Predicting a drought six months in advance was a utopia. The UPV has achieved this with a system that uses AI

by

In recent years drought episodes have intensified in some regions and fear of a global drought flies over the environment. In this scenario, a team of researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia have created a system that can predict whether there will be a drought six months in advance. The system. The work has been carried out by the team from the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA) of the UPV and has been published in the journal Earth Systems and Environment. The method integrates predictions from four reference climate systems (ECMWF-SEAS5, Météo-France System8, DWD-GCF2.1 and CMCC-SPSv3.5) and are processed using artificial intelligence techniques. From this data, the team calculated two of the most important international drought indices (the Standardized Precipitation Index and the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index), using data windows of 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. The method has been applied in the Júcar River basin, which usually goes through stages of recurrent and quite intense droughts. Why is it important. The novelty of this system is that it is not limited to using a single climate model or index, but rather it merges three pieces that are usually used separately and adds AI processing to correct biases and adapt the models to a regional scale. This allows the prediction to be more reliable since it does not depend on a single model. Furthermore, all of this has been integrated into an operational web toolintended to be used in water management and not only as an academic exercise. Results. The system is correct with a reliability of 90% when the prediction is made for that same month. If they want to obtain predictions three months in advance, the reliability is 60%, while for longer periods (12, 18 and 24 months) they do not give a percentage, but they affirm that the model is still useful for predicting what will happen up to six months in advance. Héctor Macián, co-author of the study, states that “The results confirm that the system is especially effective in reinforcing early warning of droughts, a fundamental aspect to anticipate management measures, reduce socioeconomic impacts and increase resilience to climate change.” Action window. As we said, the methodology has been developed in the Júcar river basin, which is a semi-arid area with long, dry and very hot summers, although researchers highlight that it is transferable to other drought-prone areas. Being able to foresee these episodes with up to six months of margin opens a window to implement the drought management plans much more in advance and thus be able to mitigate the effects. Image | UPV In Xataka | The remains of an ancient Mayan city leave us lessons for the future: an amazing system against drought

has skyrocketed its production and is about to say goodbye to imports

by

Although officially the war that is grabbing all the headlines these days is the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iranthe reality is that global geopolitics is such a hornet’s nest that the whole world is rearming itself. And while Europe discovers that it is missing essential things as ammunition opqualified personnel to manufacture themChina reaches this critical moment in an almost unbeatable position: the army of its great rival depends more and more of the Asian giant and is also just a breath away from being self-sufficient. The document of “Trends in international arms transfers, 2025” published a few days ago by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, collects the trends, changes and main actors in the global trade in heavy weapons between the periods 2016-20 and 2021-25 and makes one thing clear: in weapons, China cooks it and China eats it. China’s change. While the global volume of arms transfers has grown by 9.2% in the 2021-25 period, China has remained the fifth largest exporter in the world (with 5.6% of the global share). But his way of interacting with the market has changed radically: he now sells more and buys much less. 10 years ago China was the fifth largest arms importer in the world and today it barely appears in 21st place: it has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 1991. It is not that it has disarmed by any means. In fact, is producing fighters as if there were no tomorrow and that’s it has surpassed the United States in the production of nuclear submarines. The thing is that you no longer have to buy what you make at home abroad. This is how global arms imports are distributed: the 10 largest importers and the rest. China is in that rest. SIPRI Why is it important. Because China is the second military power in the world in spending (according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies) and that a country of its size and investment stops depending on the foreign market is further confirmation of the maturity of its industry. And reduce his Achilles heel: if he does not depend on anyone for weapons, there is no pressure to try to cut off his supply. Without going any further, one of China’s first measures in the tug of war over tariffs was to tighten its control framework for rare earths, essential for weapons. On the other hand, China’s influence is not only measured by its borders, but by who depends on it: we have already seen how it is essential in the United States supply chain, but the SIPRI report highlights how it stands as the pillar of Pakistan’s defense, is the largest supplier of weapons to Sub-Saharan Africa and is opening new markets in Europe (Serbia). Global context. The SIPRI document places this change in a context of global rearmament, especially in Europe (where there are 210% more imports) and direct competition from the United States. According to the report, the US arms export policy towards Asia and Oceania is partly determined by its objective of containing the influence of China, highlighting key recipients such as Japan, Australia and South Korea. From ‘Made in Russia’ to ‘Made in China’. China has reduced its imports between 2016 and 2025 by 72%. Historically, the Asian giant was dependent on Russian technology, but not anymore. Of course, Russia continues to be its main supplier: it accounts for 66% of the total imported. After the end of the Cold War, Beijing continued to depend on Moscow and its technology, but throughout the 1990s there were key moments for this turning point in Chinese strategy, such as Yinhe’s trauma in the Malacca Strait either the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1996 in which American military superiority and the need to build its own defense industry were evident. China is rearming. Beijing already has the largest navy in the world in terms of number of ships, according to the US Department of Defense and has established itself as the reference in the deployment of hypersonic missiles. At the strategic level, the Pentagon plans that China will have more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. If We analyze your most recent budgetwhich grew by 7.2%, technological self-sufficiency and scientific innovation in defense appear as the absolute priority to break any external dependence. What it means for the rest of the world. For Russia it obviously means losing its largest and most loyal historical client. According to SIPRI data, the fall in Chinese purchases has dragged Russian exports to historic lows, aggravating the crisis in its defense industry. For the United States it is a poisoned candy: while Washington tries to reinforce its allies in the Pacific, it faces a rival that sets a pace of industrial and technological production that today is difficult for them to follow. For figures like Pete Hegseth, China is no longer just a competitor, it is the pacing threat: the threat that sets the pace and scale to which the rest of the world must try to adapt. Countries geographically close to China are also accelerating their purchases, driven both by US reinforcement plans and their own fear. The question is how long they will be able to sustain this pulse, because, in terms of industrial mass and speed, today no one seems capable of keeping up with China. In Xataka | The US has a problem in its military career: China has “infiltrated” its army’s supply chain In Xataka | The US has a very serious problem with its F-35s: China is producing fighter jets beyond its capabilities Cover | CCTV, SteKrueBe

We haven’t colonized Mars yet and we already know how to build bricks to live there: with urine and bacteria

by

Humanity has between an eyebrow and an eyebrow to reach Mars and eventually plant a colony there. Missions like NASA’s Curiosity rover have been scanning its surface for years for signs of past habitability (with promising findings that leave big unknowns) and the program Artemis II It is the technological springboard towards the first manned mission to Mars. Sooner or later there will come a day when humanity sets foot on Mars and the conditions to inhabit it are met (or manufactured). So the next question will be: how do we make a house there? It’s not so much a question of design, but of survival. A research team is already working on it and believes they have the solution, which they have published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. The concept. The research work from Politecnico di Milano, the University of Central Florida and Jiangsu University consists of using two bacteria that work together: one is capable of surviving in extreme conditions and produces oxygen and the other that turns human urine into stone. This promising duo is capable of manufacturing bricks directly from the Martian soil, without the need for kilns, factories or bringing materials from Earth. Why it is important. Because from an engineering point of view, moving materials and machinery over long distances (as long as going to Mars) makes the cost skyrocket and becomes technically unfeasible. Furthermore, building them with the materials available on Mars is not (yet) an option. So this concept solves those two problems and some others, such as energy consumption. According to the paperbiocementation consumes up to 7 times less energy than melting soil with microwaves and almost 50 times less than thermal sintering. Finally, because it is convenient: it converts human metabolic waste into construction material, thus solving the logistical problem of what to do with that waste. Context. Because the different space agencies have the arrival to Mars in the 2030-2040 decade on their roadmap. Biocementation (microbiologically induced calcium carbonate precipitation) has been under study for two decades for uses such as stabilize soils, stop desertification either build with less carbon dioxide. This research transfers this knowledge to space and has its applications on Earth in the form of more sustainable construction, soil repair or self-healing concrete. chow they did it. This point is essential because the research team has neither built anything on Mars nor in the laboratory, using real regolith. This is a perspective paper, reviewing the known knowledge about this technique to provide a concept analyzing the Martian regolith from data from robotic missions. From that point and after identifying the deficiency of calcium oxide with respect to terrestrial cement, they have studied what biological routes can compensate for it. That’s where your proposal comes from, with the combination of Chroococcidiopsis + Sporosarcina pasteurii as the most promising, which is accompanied by a conceptual design of a bioreactor and 3D printing nozzle integrated with autonomous robotics. Yes, but. The previous point makes the first handicap clear: this combination of batteries has never been tested, neither on Mars nor in the laboratory. And on Mars the scenario is tricky: the reduced gravity weakens the microstructure of the resulting material (at least, conventional cement) and the perchlorates in the Martian soil are toxic to organisms. As if that were not enough, the temperature range in which bacteria can operate is narrow. Additionally, the water required may not be suitable. There is also no long-term stability data for this crop. If we talk about technological maturity, this project is in a primitive phase: a concept on paper financed with a long road ahead. In Xataka | China has found a “vital” element to colonize Mars: it resists in lethal conditions for other forms of life In Xataka | We have a serious problem in our plans to colonize Mars: the astronauts’ blood is mutating Cover | Rain Morales and Planet Volumes

this is the megaproject to link the large airports of Istanbul

by

Türkiye is geographically and historically the link that unites Asia and Europe and if we talk about airports, Istanbul is immense and strategic for transportation from the West to the East. However, the Ottoman city of 15 million people is literally split into two continents because of the Bosphorus. A strait of just 700 meters that generates a colossal and chronic demand for mobility that no existing infrastructure has completely satisfied. Until now. Türkiye has just closed agreements with six of the world’s largest development banks to finance the most ambitious work in its modern railway history: a train line of 125 kilometers and 8,119 million dollars to join both shores. The project. It is called the Northern Ring Railway and it is a 125 kilometer long train line that will run through the north of Istanbul from Halkalı, on the European side, to Gebze in the Asian industrial zone. You will do so by crossing the Bosphorus through the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge. It is a high-capacity train with double electrified track designed to transport both people and heavy goods: on the passenger sections it will reach 160 km/h and on the freight section 120 km/h, as collects the World Bank technical document. In addition to connecting both sides of the city, it will also link the city’s two major airports by rail for the first time: Istanbul Airport in Europe and Sabiha Gökçen in Asia. Why is it important. Because Istanbul is the geographical hinge between Europe and Asia and this railway will become part of one of the great international logistics corridors: it is more than a train that unites the city, it is geopolitical infrastructure. According to the Minister of TransportAccording to Abdulkadir Uraloglu, the line could transport 33 million passengers and 30 million tons of cargo per year, which would greatly change the country’s transportation landscape. Finally, and from an airport point of view, connecting its two international airports by train would solve an unthinkable mobility deficit in large cities like London. Context. Istanbul already has a railway crossing under the Bosphorus: the tunnel Marmarayinaugurated in 2013. At the time it was an engineering milestone, but today it is not enough: it works as an urban freight train and its capacity to move goods is marginal (only at night and with restrictions). The rest of the crossings between the continent within Ottoman territory are made by road (the three great bridges of the Bosphorus), with the logistical, traffic congestion and environmental cost that this entails. Alleviating this burden and making it more efficient has been a pending issue for Türkiye for decades. In figures. We have already been breaking down some of the figures in which the operation will be closed, still in its initial phase: Secured financing: 6,750 million dollars of the total (8,119 million dollars) from six international financial entities. Forecast of 33 million passengers and 30 million tons of goods per year. Total length of the line: 125 kilometers. With 44 tunnels and 42 bridges. How are they going to do it?. The line will use the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the city’s third major bridge, as a Bosphorus crossing point. The interior layout is resolved with 44 tunnels (more than 59 kilometers underground) and 42 bridges that add another 22 kilometers in height. That approximately 65% ​​of its route takes place in structure gives an idea of the technical difficulty and cost what it means to build in such a complex orographically urban environment. Thus, the north of Istanbul is a terrain full of hills, ravines and seismic activity that invite you to avoid filling and clearing as much as possible. Regarding financing, the six entities committed They cover practically all the relevant geopolitical blocs: the West with the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Asian with the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and OPEC, from the Middle East. The contribution of all of them amounts to 6,750 million and the other remaining 1,400 million must presumably be covered with the Turkish State’s own funds. The roadmap. The project is still in an early stage, preparing for the construction competition. The Ottoman government’s idea is to deliver the site before the year, at which time the works will begin. In addition, the banking agreements are still preliminary, so the negotiation and signing process still remains. Although the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey plans to start the works before the end of 2026, the international financial organizations that support the project place the operational completion of the infrastructure on the horizon of December 2032 given the complexity of the undertaking. Yes, but. Although the project is of capital importance for the country and global logistics, as evidenced by the international financial support, its initial stage is one of its main handicaps: it is subject to negotiations and delays that can complicate everything. And even if it does materialize, the cost can skyrocket. The World Bank Environmental Impact Assessment classifies the environmental and social risk of the project as “Substantial” due to the great seismic risk (Istanbul is on the North Anatolian Fault) of its route, which crosses the green lungs of the city (so it will affect critical water basins and habitats) or the risks to citizens in terms of annoyances such as noise or vibrations. In Xataka | 20 kilometers, 22 months and a gigantic challenge: connecting China and Mongolia by train through a brutal desert In Xataka | From the Atlantic to the Pacific in less than seven hours: Mexico wants to build its own “Panama Canal” Cover | Astronaut photograph ISS008-E-21752 – NASA Earth Observatory, Public domain and Büşra Salkım

Japan has been cloning the same mouse continuously for 20 years. In the 58th generation, biology has said “enough”

by

When we talk about cloning living beings, many of us may think of the famous experiment. with Dolly the sheep. But he was not the only one, since in Japan a biologist has spent the last two decades taking life to its most extreme limit, since since 2005 his team has set itself a major challenge: serially cloning mice from a single original female donor. 20 years and more than 1,000 mice later, the experiment has collided with biology. A collapse. The results of this great cloning experiment were published recently in Nature and reveal the definitive collapse of the genetic line in generation number 58. A very important finding that not only demonstrates that the continued asexual reproduction of mammals is unsustainable, but also shows us why evolution opted so strongly for sexual reproduction and the constant renewal of DNA in our species. His story. The experiment by Japanese researcher Wakayama is a milestone in reproductive biology. In 2013, the team had already managed to clone up to 25 generations, as was then published in Cell Stem Cell; yesHowever, what seemed like a theoretically infinite process began to show serious cracks from generation 25-27. As the generations progressed, birth rates began to plummet, to the point where we are now, where he points out in his latest article that the incessant accumulation of genetic mutations was a constant. Here it was seen how the animals began to have serious genetic alterations with complete losses of chromosomes with a probability three times higher than natural sexual reproduction. Its consequences. That an animal sees its genetic material altered is not harmless, because these alterations were seen to directly affect embryonic development and the placenta, making each new generation more difficult to obtain than the previous one. But the critical point came in generation 58 of the mice, where the model finally collapsed. And the culprit of this collapse was none other than these genetic alterations, which curiously did not alter the physique of the individuals, who seemed completely healthy, but the weight of the genetic damage made it impossible to continue the chain. The impressions. From the Spanish countryside, Lluís Montoliu, CSIC researcher, has qualified this “heroic” experiment, since it suggests that this test would be impossible to do in Europe due to ethical standards and animal welfare that exist. But he sees it as important, since it proves the evolutionary superiority of sexual reproduction. The other side of the coin. Big questions arise here, since if serial cloning fails due to DNA fragmentation and damage… How is biology protected when it uses sexual reproduction? Here the answer is to have a constant renewal of the interior of our cells. Paradoxically, while science shows that copying the same DNA over and over again leads to genetic disaster, new clinical studies on human fertility are revealing that, to maintain the highest quality in male genetic material, frequent renewal is key. But in addition, it also makes it clear that we are still quite far from being able to clone humans to have two identical people, because in the end it is something that can go really wrong. Images | digitale.de In Xataka | A team of experts wants to resurrect extinct bison. There are many reasons to be skeptical

We already know what AI contributed to the US economy in 2025: “basically zero”

by

In 2025, in the US, 410 billion were invested in AI and the plan Big technology is to spend about 650,000 million in 2026 (thousand up, thousand down). The promise behind this madness is that AI is synonymous with wealth; With AI we are more productive, we do more and faster, and companies can spend less on staff. Economists have something to say. Zero. It is the impact that investment in AI has had on the United States economy and It was said by none other than Jan Hatziusthe chief economist at Goldman Sachs, a global leader in investment banking. According to Hatzius, there is a lot of misinformation about the impact that AI investment is having on the US GDP and it comes from the error of assuming that because you invest a lot, you gain a lot. As they point out in FuturismGoldman Sachs’ rhetoric has been hardening; First they were subtle warnings about the dangers of investing so wildly in AI and now they directly say that in 2025 the contribution was insignificant or, in their words, “basically zero.” Debate. During 2025, speeches were circulating that placed AI as responsible for a large part of the country’s GDP growth, some with figures as optimistic as 92%. The economist Hanna Rubinton conducted an analysis somewhat more restrained, but also optimistic, in which he stated that spending on AI had contributed 39% to economic growth during the first nine months of 2025. However, he recognizes that it includes spending on software and computers that was not necessarily linked to AI, so the figure could be inflated. Goldman Sachs has not been the only bank to pour cold water on AI enthusiasts, Economists from JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley agree in which the real figure is closer to zero. Distorting the economy. That there is such a variety of analyzes has largely to do with the difficulty of knowing the true impact that AI is having on the economy. Already in November of last year, in Reuters They reported that the investment boom in AI was distorting the figures and making it very difficult to read the true situation of the country’s economy. On the one hand, the GDP registered a growth of 4%, but layoffs increased, perhaps partly due to AI. They called it the “bifurcated economy.” The geographical problem. In his invention, Jan Hatzius pointed out a fact that often goes unnoticed: to build the infrastructure that drives AI, many GPUs, memories and components are needed that are imported from other countries. “A lot of the investment in AI that we are seeing in the US actually adds to the GDP of Taiwan or Korea, but not really that much to the GDP of the US,” he said. The problem of productivity. It is the great promise of AI, that thanks to it we become more productive. However, the speed, quality or quantity of work produced are intangible aspects that do not always translate into an immediate economic return, much less one that has an impact on the global economy, but rather the improvements remain “trapped” within the companies. What is coming. If the 2025 investment was already truly crazy, the forecasts for 2026 are even crazier. The combined capex of large technology companies amounts to around $650 billion, which would be the equivalent of spending $1.2 million per minute for an entire year. There are those who think that the AI ​​bubble does not existbut of course the economic return on this tremendous investment is, at the very least, debatable. Image | Unsplashedited In Xataka | Investing in data centers for AI is insane, and it’s going to get worse. much worse

A comedian has explained what the song from ‘The Lion King’ means in Zulu. It was fake and could cost you 27 million

by

A Zimbabwean comedian went viral last month after claiming on a podcast that the Zulu phrase that opens the legendary theme song of ‘The Lion King’, ‘Circle of Life’ meant, simply and plainly, “Look, there’s a lion.” However, it was a joke: a false translation. Now the original composer, the South African Lebo M, is demanding $27 million from him in a federal court in Los Angeles. Aaaaa stork. Since 1994, millions of people have hummed “Nants ingonyama bagithi baba” without having the slightest idea of ​​its meaning. The phrase opens ‘Circle of Life’, the song with which ‘The Lion King’and is written in isiZulu and isiXhosa, two of the twelve official languages ​​of South Africa. The official translation used by Disney says: “Everyone hails the king, we bow before his presence.” It’s a Praise Imbongia form of oral royal praise poetry rooted in South African cultural tradition. Author, author. The song composed and performed by Lebohang Morakeknown artistically as Lebo M. Morake lived in exile in Los Angeles during apartheid. Hans Zimmer asked him to contribute his voice and his knowledge of African music to ‘The Lion King’ and the result was that initial scream that, as dawn broke on the savanna and the Disney logo rose, made the hairs on the back of the viewers of the time stand on end. The song was nominated for an Oscar for best original song and a Grammy, although it lost both to another piece from the same film, ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’. The false translation. In February, Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, known as Learnmore Jonasi, appeared on the ‘One54’ podcast. The presenters began to sing the phrase from memory, like every neighbor’s son does. Jonasi stopped them: “That’s not how you sing, don’t destroy our language.” He then offered his translation: “Look, there’s a lion! Oh my God!” When one of the incredulous drivers asked him if he was serious, Jonasi insisted: “That’s exactly what it means.” The clip went viral in a matter of days. The song that seemed like an epic proclamation was actually just pointing to an animal. The demand de Morake acknowledges that “ingonyama” can be literally translated as “lion” in Zulu, but argues that in the context of the Praise Imbongi The word functions as a metaphor for royalty and ancestral authority. Jonasi’s translation would be, in the words of Morake’s lawyers, “a manufactured and trivializing distortion, intended as a crude joke for personal gain.” According to the same legal document, Jonasi has been making this joke in his repertoire for eight years. Who is Jonasi? The comedian, born in Zimbabwe and based in Pittsburgh, rose to fame in 2024 when he placed fifth in that year’s edition of ‘America’s Got Talent’. His comedy usually revolves around the contrasts between his life in Africa and American culture, and part of his regular repertoire includes criticism of the representation of Africa in Hollywood, such as the lions in ‘The Lion King’ having American accents or the baboon Rafiki speaking English with a South African accent. The joke was, in that sense, consistent with his usual discourse of questioning how Disney had treated African culture. Can a joke cost 27 million? The legal key to the whole matter lies in a well-established principle in American law: the First Amendment protects parody and artistic satire, but not false statements presented as true, even if said in a comedic context. Morake’s lawyers argue precisely that: that Jonasi did not present his translation as a joke but “as authoritative fact.” The lawsuit also cites: Jonasi’s attempt to monetize virality through merchandising. The amount requested amounts to more than $20 million in actual damages, plus $7 million in punitive damages. It is alleged to justify it that the viral is directly damaging Lebo M’s professional relationship with Disney and reducing his income from royalties. Disney has not made any statements on the matter. The answer. Jonasi launched a GoFundMe campaign titled ‘Help Learnmore Fight an Unjust Lawsuit‘ with which he has raised more than 16,000 of the 20,000 dollars he asks for. There he says that he never intended to cause harm and that he needs support to “protect his right to speak and tell jokes.” Before that, posted a video on Instagram in which he declared himself a fan of Lebo M’s work and proposed making a video together explaining the real meaning of the song. In networks, the composer responded that Jonasi “crossed a line by insulting African culture and spreading colonialist propaganda.” In Xataka | We all assumed that ‘The Simpsons’ would never end. Now, its showrunner has just confirmed it

opinions, first contact and photos

by

In June 2025, we had the opportunity to take control of the Omoda 9 SHS. After a Omoda 5 called to carve out a niche in the entry range that, in 2026, is also elbowing its way in among non-plug-in hybrids (it is already among the 10 best sellers so far this year), the Chery Group showed us what they aspire to be one of their flagship models. The Omoda 9 SHS burst onto the market with the clear objective of attacking the premium range for a fraction of its price. Plug-in hybridization, more than 100 kilometers of electric range, endless equipment and more than 500 HP were its arguments. At the moment, it is another car that is already among the 10 best-selling vehicles with this technology in Spain. We tell all this because Chery now presents us with the Jaecoo 8 SHS. A car that wants to be more than just another brother of the Omoda 9 SHS. A car that seeks its own identity. And he gets it. Jaecoo 8 SHS technical sheet Jaecoo 8 SHS BODY TYPE. Five-seater D-SUV MEASUREMENTS AND WEIGHT. 4.82 meters long, 1.93 meters wide, 1.71 meters high. Wheelbase of 2.82 meters. 2,304 kg weight. TRUNK. Five seats: 730 liters measured to the roof. Seven seats: 700 liters measured to the roof. MAXIMUM POWER. 428 HP WLTP CONSUMPTION. 2.1 l/100 km 134 km of electric range ENVIRONMENTAL DISTINCTIVE. Zero emissions. DRIVING AIDS (ADAS). 20 ADAS driving aids, including adaptive cruise control. Camera with 360º projection. OTHERS. Own software compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. 50W wireless charging for mobile phone. Electric, heated, ventilated seats with speaker (driver’s seat). Double 12.3-inch screen and Head-Up Display. ELECTRIC HYBRID. No. Plug-in HYBRID. Yeah. A 1.5 turbo combustion engine and three electric motors. Two electric ones on the front axle of 102 and 129 HP and one rear of 238 HP. Together they produce 428 HP of power. electric No. price and release Now available from 54,990 euros before aid from the Auto+ Plan. Advertised price with aid and discounts from 44,490 euros. The challenge is to be different When someone asks me about the impact of Chinese cars in our country, I am clear. There are two spaces they can conquer. One is the low range, with MG leading the way by putting cars on the market that are below the price of Dacia. And they are raising their perception of interior quality. The second is the plug-in hybrid. These cars do not pay the tariff that electric cars do have to pay, which limits their possibilities to play on price. But that doesn’t happen with this technology.. And the result is evident: ultra-competitive prices. They can enter the fight at the floor price of this technology with very complete equipment. Or they can do like Chery with the Omoda 9 SHS and the Jaecoo 8 SHS, cars with a high quality perceptionengines that advertise outrageous powers and relatively high prices. But prices that have no comparison with European ones. Neither by size, nor by equipment, nor by power. The challenge of the Jaecoo 8 SHS is to have its own personality and separate itself from its Omoda brother to simply attract two different audiences instead of cannibalizing itself. In fact, during the presentation of the product, Francesco Colonnese, Vice President of Omoda & Jaecoo, already told us that they do not conceive the strategy as two different companies. They simply hope that the potential customer arrives at the dealership and stays with the aspect of the product that interests them most. If you bet on design, Omoda. If you bet on functionality, Jaecoo. That is why the Jaecoo 8 SHS has been given that character to work with the design. The car has an image clearly focused on pleasing those who like more off-road vehicles than SUVs. The huge grill confirms this, as do its square shapes. Inside, the possibility of being able to order it with seven seats and, despite everything, maintaining 700 liters of trunk space (measured to the roof) speaks volumes about that practicality. The five-seater option increases capacity by another 30 liters. As with its smaller brothers, Jaecoo clearly focuses its marketing strategy on customers in rural areas. They seek to please those who, for some reason, they seek to get off the asphalt at specific moments. The car has a mechanical rear differential that is activated from the central screen. Of course, the ground clearance is 18 centimeters so it is not a car to get into trouble on offroad. During the presentation we went out on some tracks without much difficulty but we found that it moves with ease and confidence when the terrain gets a little complicated. In addition, the good quality of the cameras is a good point in these terrains and the hill descent system works very well. That is, the car is not intended to replace a Toyota Land Cruiser or a Jeep Wrangler or Defender. It is also no competition for a Suzuki Jimny. But it is a very good idea so that he has to leave the asphalt with some regularity on easy paths, I think of ranchers, farmers or those who fish or hike as a hobby. If things get complicated, the car comes standard with specific driving modes for Sand, Snow or an Off-Road mode (in addition to the classic Eco, Comfort and Sport). All of them act on the suspension, which is adaptive, and on the steering. The car is, therefore, a very interesting option for that rural environment where it is easy to have access to a domestic outlet. It has an electric range of 134 kilometers that come from its CATL 34.5 kWh LMFP type battery (manganese is added to classic lithium and iron phosphate to improve density) which allows alternating current charges of up to 6.6 kW and 70 kW direct current. On the move, the car feels comfortable and well settled. It uses the … Read more

American refrigerator or 70 cm Combi? Be careful with making mistakes when buying liters that you may not be able to use

by

I don’t know about you, but when I go to the grocery store, it often feels like I’m preparing for a catastrophe. Many of us live at home and I don’t like going shopping every other day, so I try to put in the cart what I need for at least a week. What’s happening? Then you need space at home to store it.. I have plenty of cabinets and drawers, but my kitchen refrigerator doesn’t have as much space as I would like. Even though I don’t have a kitchenettethis whole situation has made me consider more than once about jumping into an American refrigerator (you know, the ones with two doors with a left-right distribution). But, Is it really worth it compared to a wide combi? Let’s see which one can fit best in your kitchen and your needs. Bespoke AI American Refrigerator 178cm 659L Class E Inox RS70F65QETEF The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Choosing an American refrigerator If you start browsing stores looking for an American refrigerator, you will see that they all have a very large capacity measured in liters. This is something that cannot take us by surprise, although it has a certain “trick”, since it adds the space of the refrigerator to the freezer. What not many people notice is that, although these refrigerators are very large, the reality is that they are also narrow. And that’s where it comes in the pizza box test. There’s not much science to it, it’s just what you think: since the shelves are narrower, a pizza box does not fit horizontally. This is the most visual example, but you can take it to other everyday things that you are more likely to keep in your refrigerator. There we can include food trays, cakes, large tupperware or even watermelons if they are large. Now, what you lose in width you gain in height. This is ideal if you are one of those who practices batch cooking and you cook in one sitting for several days, so you can stack the tupperware without any problem. In addition, you can also take advantage of the more vertical distribution of the refrigerator to your advantage, placing the things you use most at the top and the things you use least at the bottom. More things to keep in mind about these refrigerators. First, the best thing they have: the freezer. The left-right distribution means that we have plenty of room to freeze things of all kinds and have them very well organized. Not only that, but its more vertical distribution also means that we can have a lot of space at eye level and not have to bend down every time we want to check what we have frozen. All this has a price (and never better said), since American refrigerators have higher energy consumption. There is also the issue of the water and/or ice dispenser that these types of refrigerators normally come with. It depends on the model, but there are those that need a water intake to make this workalthough there are others that have a tank that we can fill without the need for installation. And, speaking of installation, be careful with American refrigerators: they are deeper. This can make them stand out from the line of the furniture, something that aesthetically does not look very good. Choose a wide combi The vast majority of vans in stores are about 60 centimeters wide. We would not put one of these to compete in capacity with an American, but things change if we add 10 centimeters to the formula. It seems like very little difference, but from 70 centimeters wide, the combi gains a lot more capacity. And, of course, without taking up as much space in the kitchen as an American refrigerator. These pass the pizza box test without breaking a sweat, since its shelves are much wider. Now, the extra total capacity they gain is not enough to beat the American refrigerators. Not through the refrigerator, but through the freezer. There they clearly lose out, so if you have a freezer full of food, it may not be worth it to go for a combi. There is also the issue of consumption. It will depend a lot on the model we choose, but as a general rule, one of these wide combis It will consume less energy than an American refrigerator. It will not be a consumption figure large enough for us to rule out the Americans, but it will be something to take into account. The good and the bad of both options, face to face American refrigerator wide combi THE GOOD 🟢 Plenty of space to freeze and stack tupperware in the fridge You can have frozen products at eye level so you don’t have to bend down all the time Much more horizontal capacity for large containers and takes up less space Less electricity consumption THE BAD 🔴 Uses more light and has less horizontal space to store large things The “aisles” of the refrigerator are narrow, so if you put something bulky you won’t see what’s behind it Your freezer doesn’t do much, so you may have to juggle if you freeze a lot of food. Ideal for: Kitchens with a lot of space and for large families who need a huge freezer Smaller kitchens and for storing very wide trays or containers without a problem In summary: 👉 Choose an American refrigerator if: You have plenty of space and if you prioritize maximum capacity in your freezer. 👉 Choose a wide van Yeah: You prefer to have wide shelves and you want a large refrigerator, but not gigantic. Recommended models American refrigerator: Bespoke AI RS70F65QETEF As an American refrigerator option, we have this one from Samsung. Here we are talking about a refrigerator with a total capacity of 659 litersdivided into 239 liters for the freezer and 420 liters for the refrigerator. The refrigerators from this … Read more

They are essential for the defense of the country

by

Finland has learned to live on alert throughout its history. During the Cold War, until flying trees were invented to mislead the Soviets. And since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in 2022, the threat of an eventual Russian invasion has once again flown over the horizon. In December 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned to the allies (the EU) in the face of a possible attack by Russia in the next five years. Faced with a Russian incursion into Europe, Finland is on the front line. The Nordic country knows it: It has been involving the entire population in defense for decades. Not even supermarkets are spared. The Nordic total defense. Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark have been applying a model in which the military and civil sectors operate in combination for decades: the total defense. In short, defense is the responsibility of the entire society, not just the army. This model is also not limited to times of war, but is always active, with courses, drills and contingency plans. And it does not only contemplate a traditional war, but also any threat, such as cyberattacks or sabotage. Of all the Nordic countries, Finland has the most developed system (and Denmark dismantled it almost completely): it did not lower its guard with the end of the cold war and your last update describes comprehensive security as the foundation of resilience in Finnish society. What happens in supermarkets. A practical example of how total defense reaches all levels is in supermarkets: they have the obligation to maintain strategic reserves of essential products, such as flour, sugar or oil; which they keep in cellars or underground bunkers with emergency generators. Thus, no matter what happens, supply to the population is guaranteed. The BBC collects the example of Group S and Kesko, the two largest supermarket chains in the Nordic country: together exceed 80% quota of food retail trade). In addition, they participate in preparation committees alongside administration officials and undergo drills. Why it is important. Because preparing for war in times of war is normal (there is no choice), but doing so and maintaining it in times of peace is more complicated. The Nordic plan requires a social assembly between civil and military society that moves in difficult terrain: can a democratic and market society function as a cohesive defense system without falling into authoritarianism? Considering the Finnish reality, it seems so. Of course, psychologist Jennifer De Paola from the University of Helsinki explains for the English medium that there are two pillars on which this total security is based and makes it unviable for other states: trust in institutions and a high level of social equality. The level of corruption in Finland is very low: it ranks second (out of 182 countries) in the Corruption Perception Index. Spain ranks 49 55. Since childhood. Thinking about a war looming in the future is a frightening possibility because of everything it implies, so this permanent alert mode could potentially be a problem for the emotional stability of the population. It’s no secret that preparing for the worst creates anxiety. Paola tells something curious: when asking children between 10 and 12 years old to draw happy people, I expected to find drawings related to fun. What he found was that they associate happiness with security and unhappiness with insecurity. It is no coincidence: it is the result of decades of socialization in a culture where collective security is a value internalized since childhood. In Xataka | Now that Europe has sent its troops to Greenland, a question emerges that no one wants to ask: what happens if the US invades it? In Xataka | When the USSR declared war, Finland decided to protect its roads in a peculiar way: with flying trees Cover | András Rátonyi and Tara Clark

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.