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For the first time, BYD has sold more cars outside of China than inside. It’s very bad news for them.

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

Pursue your dreams… outside of China. Beyond Your Dreams are the words hidden behind the acronym BYD. The acronym of the company that sold the most electric cars in the world in 2025. A company that seemed to have meteoric progress but that has stagnated with a local market that is slowing down at a dizzying pace. So much so that it has already sold more cars outside of China than inside. A well-thought-out strategy that arrives ahead of time. A milestone?. The month of February was the first in which BYD has sold more vehicles outside China than in its own market. It is a conditional milestone, since sales in China of the entire market have plummeted and, of course, have hit the country’s largest car manufacturer hard. A general trend. Although in 2025 car sales in China once again set a record with 34.4 million cars sold (a growth of 9.4%, according to the Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers) in figures collected by the media 36krthe market has been experiencing a slowdown for months. In February, car sales in the country fell 15% compared to the same month in 2025, they point out in Reuters. But the problem is worse among individuals, where sales have fallen by 34% as a result of the Chinese New Year festivities and the withdrawal of some purchasing aid. The latter has had a direct impact on sales of “new energy” cars (plug-in hybrids and electric). According to data collected by CNEVPostIn January, 596,000 cars of this type were purchased, compared to 744,052 units in the same month of 2025. A drop of 22.1% that worsened in February, with 464,000 units sold compared to 686,000 units the previous year. It is a year-on-year drop of 32%. The BYD case. This general decline in sales, with more worrying figures among new energy vehicles, has had a direct impact on BYD. Last January, BYD sold 210,051 new energy cars when in the same period of 2025 it placed 300,538 units on the market. In February, the figures were worse with 190,190 units sold compared to last year’s 322,846 units, reported in CNEVPost. That is, so far this year, its sales have fallen by 30% in January and 41% in February, extending a trend of low sales that has been going on since September of last year. BYD sales have not grown in China since June 2025. In July and August they achieved a technical tie in the year-on-year comparison but, since then, they have lost in all one-year comparisons. These falls have caused Geely to surpass BYD in sales in the first two months of the year. Between January and February, Geely has sold 476,327 units, just 1% more than in the same period of the previous year. There are just over 76,000 units than BYD (400,241 vehicles between January and February) thanks to a larger product portfolio and less dependence on “new energy” vehicles. This has avoided a fall due to the withdrawal of state aid, they state in SCMP. More outside than inside. As we said, BYD’s sales have plummeted in China but its exports have skyrocketed abroad. This has meant that the company has sold, for the first time, more cars outside its borders than within its borders, they point out in Electrive. Two factors explain it 41% decrease in sales in China compared to February 2025 Increase in exports of 50.1% compared to February 2025 The company has managed to consolidate sustained growth in its exports. They point out in CarNewsChina which with February now adds up to four consecutive months exporting more than 100,000 units. This has caused them to place outside their borders this month 100,600 units of the 190,190 units which have sold all over the world. That is, more than 50% of its sales have been delivered outside of China. a mirror. BYD has become the best example of what the Chinese market is all about. The country lives in a whirlwind of launches and a suffocating price war. BYD itself, with its new launches at ultra-competitive prices, has caused their own cars become obsolete with months on the market, gathering dust in dealerships. The rest of the companies have also played to lower prices to keep up the pace and release news at a frenetic pace, but that produces some anxiety in the client that sees how what is new today can be left behind very soon. Bad news in a country like China that has been trying for years to promote domestic consumption to put its economy into higher gear. But, in addition, the State has withdrawn some aid to the purchase of electric cars, the most important column in the industry. This has its consequences in the drop in sales among individuals. Before time. That BYD intended to expand outside China was no secret. In fact, his plans happened because half of global sales will be consolidated outside of China in 2030. The expansion plan with the factory Hungarythat of Türkiye and, it is rumored, another in Europe is part of it, without forgetting the Thailand and Brazil. The question is to know if this surprise of sales abroad has arrived too soon and the only thing it confirms is the slowdown that the brand will have to deal with in China. If you want to consolidate yourself as one of the largest global manufacturers (there was talk of reaching 5.5 million units in 2025 but finally they stayed below the 5 million border) it is essential that they expand borders and not depend solely on the internal market. European manufacturers can give BYD some examples of what happens if you base the bulk of your strategy on selling in China. Photo | BYD In Xataka | The year of Chinese consolidation in Spain: MG, Omoda and BYD close a spectacular 2025 and are among the best sellers

a summer with even more tourists

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

If we have learned anything at this point, it is that wars are like dominoes. Once one begins, a series of springs are activated that expand its consequences. In less than two weeks, what began as a bombing by the US and Israel in Iran has ended up escalating to a conflict in the Persian Gulf, has mined the image security that nations such as the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait have built for years and has triggered the price of oilthreatening to infect the rest of the economy until reaching shopping baskets. Now this earthquake could have another unexpected effect: increasing tourist demand in Spain, a country that has been chaining for years record numbers and aspires to surpass the barrier of one hundred million of international visitors. Of wars and travelers. It has little of mystery. When you go on vacation (and pay for it) you look for rest, good food, comfort, landscapes, heritage, beaches, museums… The “menu” may vary from one tourist to another, but what it does not include (usually) are kamikaze drones and the constant threat of attacks by an Islamic regime, which is what is happening now in the Gulf. What began as a US-Israeli offensive in Iran has ended up escalating in a matter of days to affect neighboring countries such as the Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, directly hitting their economies. The example of the Emirates. It is not just that Iran is punishing its Middle Eastern neighbors for their more or less veiled support for the US, it is that Tehran has known how to hit where it hurts most. Your attacks have affected to energy installations and planted the instability in the Strait of Hormuz, turning oil into a weapon of war; but they have also undermined the image of reliability that nations like the UAE have built for themselves (with a checkbook) for decades. The clearest example Dubai probably leaves it. In just one week it went from being the world’s mecca for expats to seeing foreigners paying hundreds of dollars or driving for hours and hours to cross the border with Oman and leave the country. It only took a series of Iranian attacks that forced the operations of the hubs Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports. Less reliable destinations. A few days ago Mabrian, a company dedicated to analyzing tourism markets, asked how the Iran war is impacting the sector and obtained a series of striking conclusions. The main one is that the attractiveness of the Persian Gulf destinations has been seriously affected. Especially in the eyes of travelers from two key markets: Europe and the US. To be more precise, the Perception of Safety Index (PSI) plummeted by 81 points (out of 100) in Bahrain, 56.7 in Oman and 54.9 in Qatar. In all three cases the indicator marked minimums. Although they have come out somewhat better, the scenario is not buoyant for the UAE (-48.3 pts) and Saudi Arabia (-13.6). At least that was the photo at the beginning of March, after the attack that killed Ali Khamenei. A contagious trend. The most curious thing is that not only the countries directly hit by Iran are penalized. Others that are more or less nearby and with powerful tourism sectors do the same. Mabrian appreciate a shock wave that has reached Egypt, Jordan and Türkiye. “Although they are not involved, they experience a ‘contagion’ side effect attributable to their proximity and perceived exposure as part of the conflict’s sphere of influence.” The case of Jordan is especially serious. Barely a month ago his PSI marked 77.6 points out of 100. When Mabrian published his new reportOn March 6, that indicator had plummeted 30.3 points, although with “gradual signs of recovery.” Despite its distance, Türkiye’s PSI had also suffered, losing 25.8 points. In the case of Egypt, which shares a long border with Israel, the perception of security decreased 7.8 points. A turbulent market. That countries like the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Turkey or Egypt lose attractiveness for tourists is curious, but… Could it affect Spain and other European countries in some way? For Mabrian the answer It is clear: yes. A week ago the firm appreciated “the first signs of change in European and American tourist demand”, a “detour” of travelers who choose to look beyond the Middle East. And that directly involves Spain. “The escalation of conflict in this region is beginning to redirect demand from major European markets and American travelers,” comments Mabrianwhich warns that the trend is more pronounced among US travelers. After the attack on February 28, Kuwait’s PSI contracted in that market by 87.3 points, that of the UAE by 79.2 and that of Arabia by 17.8. Even Egypt fell 32.6. The company warns that the short-term outlook is not rosy. Where to travel? That is the question that many tourists will probably ask themselves in the coming weeks. For the company, the answer is clear: customers from crucial source markets, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy or the US, will be “redirected” to various points. Either they will look for destinations closer to their own countries, which would favor Spain especially in the case of Italians and Germans, or they will explore options in Asia. Mabrian warns Yes, this last trend will be conditioned by the price of the flights. Destinations such as Thailand and Sri Lanka have not been immune to the shockwaves of the Gulf War either. Over the last few days, news of European tourists has circulated (including spanish) that have been affected in those destinations. Not because they suffer from the direct impact of the conflict, but because their connections with Spain depended on stopovers at airports in the Middle East (Dubai, Doha…) that have been hit by Iranian forces. Mabrian still appreciates a third possibility and that is that there is some demand that shifts towards “substitute” destinations such as South Africa, Maldives, Peru or Brazil. Canceled trips. Mabrian is not the … Read more

Amazon insisted that its developers use its AI to work. They’re just fixing what AI breaks

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

AI was going to make us work less and better. In the Amazon offices the reality is being very different. According to several employees of the firminternal tools like Kiro are causing a rebound effect: developers spend more time fixing the code defective that generates that tool than writing your own. From Malaga to Malagon. The situation is ironic, because as some engineers indicate, they are trying to get out of a problem caused by AI by using more AI. Dina, a software developer from New York, joined Amazon two years ago and began her job as writing code. However, what I was doing recently was not writing it, but rather fixing the code that Amazon’s programming AI—called Kiro—broke. According to her, this model was misleading and frequently generated bad code. Days after speaking with The Guardian For that report, Dina was fired. Go-go layoffs. The case of Amazon is especially bloody due to the company’s recent wave of massive layoffs. In recent months has cut its workforce by 30,000 people10% of its corporate strength. At Amazon they deny that these layoffs have to do with AI, but the CEO, Andy Jassy, has suggested in internal communications that the efficiency gains raised by the process automation will allow you to operate with tighter equipment. You are contradicting exactly what the company says without fully meaning it. workplace suicide. Many employees interviewed by this means indicated that they felt like a kind of work suicide. His current job is to document processes in detail and correct system errors to, in essence, prepare for his own replacement by machines. These forced training phases are making employees feel like their cycle at Amazon has an expiration date. I don’t need a hammer anyway. We have experienced what is happening at Amazon in the past. The deployment of AI tools has in many cases been chaotic according to the employees interviewed. They have been forced to use “half-baked” tools born of hackathons without adequately evaluating whether they really provided the appropriate solution. An engineer said it clearly: you can’t look at every problem and think how to use the hammer you have for said problem. The first thing is to know if this problem really needs a hammer. Service outages. AI integration issues are also reportedly responsible for Amazon service outages. Internal reports link at least two of those crashes to code changes that were made with AI tools. These changes were not properly supervised, and although the company can blame “human errors” for these problems, the origin is as usual: delegating critical decisions to systems that are not yet 100% reliable. Amazon knows who uses AI. In this adaptation of Amazon to the age of AI there is also another disturbing element: those responsible are monitoring to the millimeter what your employees do with AI. What they were already doing in the warehouses to measure the performance and productivity of these employees now also happens in the offices. There are dashboards where team leaders monitor who uses AI and how often, and in some teams the goal is for at least 80% of the workforce to use these tools weekly, regardless of whether they are useful or not. Promotions. And whether you use AI tools a little or a lot can also be decisive for promoting internally on Amazon. Documents have been detected in which the candidate is explicitly asked how they have used AI to improve their impact. The message is clear: if you do not embrace this technology, even if it is deficient, your chances of moving up become very complicated. Low morale. Among the employees surveyed, the feeling that everyone perceived was the demoralization of the teams. In fact, more than 1,000 workers signed a petition against that aggressive deployment of AI tools. For them, the company culture is changing and what is now required is work more hours with fewer resources with the excuse that external competition is “hungry.” In Xataka | The role of developers of the future was supposed to be to “review” the code that AI wrote. Claude just buried him

An algorithm has hacked their B-2s in Iran, and they have the audio

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

In modern military history there are weapons so sophisticated that for decades they seemed practically impossible to follow or anticipate. However, as satellites, sensors and massive data analysis multiply, the battlefield begins to change. change nature: It is no longer always whoever wins the most advanced plane, but rather whoever is able to interpret before anyone else millions of seemingly unconnected signals. In this new scenario, algorithms begin to play a role that previously only radars had. The bomber that changed war. He B-2 Spirit It is one of the most exclusive and secret pieces of the American arsenal. There are only 20 operational units and each one cost more than 2 billion dollars, making it the most expensive airplane ever built. Its flying wing design eliminates vertical surfaces and reduces to a minimum the signal that bounces off enemy radars. Added to this are radar-absorbing materials, engines hidden within the fuselage and flight profiles designed to remain undetected. The result is a true “bug” capable of penetrating dense air defenses, penetrating deep into enemy territory and attacking strategic objectives. without being seen. For decades, that combination of stealth and range has made the B-2 the silent weapon par excellence from the United States, a platform designed precisely to operate without the adversary even knowing it is there. Epic Fury, the invisible attack on Iran. That capability was tested again when the US Air Force launched four B-2As (identified by the callsigns Petro 41, Petro 42, Petro 43 and Petro 44) to attack Iranian facilities hidden in mountainous complexes during Operation Epic Fury. The mission was part of the coordinated military campaign between Washington and Tel Aviv and was designed to hit high-value targets, including centers linked to the Iranian missile program. The B-2 is designed precisely for those types of operations: fly thousands of kilometers, penetrate advanced air defense systems and launch precision-guided munitions against strategic targets. Its greatest advantage is not speed or firepower, but the stealth. The enemy doesn’t have to intercept it if he doesn’t even know the attack is happening. The Chinese spy: an algorithm. But as we said at the beginning, modern warfare is beginning to introduce a new type of sensor: the software. A Chinese technology company, Jingan Technologyhas announced that its artificial intelligence-based military analysis system (one called Jingqi) detected linked signals to the American deployment weeks before the attack. The system reportedly combines satellite images, flight paths, ship movements, public records and other open sources to reconstruct patterns of military activity. According to the companythis analysis made it possible to identify since January an accumulation of US forces in the Middle East that even exceeded that registered before the Iraq war. The AI would have followed transport aircraft routes, reconnaissance missions and movements of aircraft carrier groups until reconstructing the sequence that led to the military operation. A hole. The most striking statement came after the attack. Jingan assured that his system detected radio communications from the bombers during their return flight, despite the fact that operations of this type are usually carried out under strict silence on radio. The company maintains that it could rebuild the route of the bomber group and even published an audio fragment to support your claim. If this interception is correct, it would imply something much more significant: the weak point would not be in the enemy radar, but in the data ecosystem surrounding the operation. Put another way, the B-2 may be nearly invisible to traditional sensors, but the accumulation of indirect signals (communications, logistics, support movements) can allow trained algorithms to find patterns that previously went unnoticed. Algorithm war. If you like, the episode illustrates the extent to which artificial intelligence is transforming the way to wage war. Analysis systems like the Chinese Jingqi compete with American platforms that also use AI to plan military operations. In the campaign against Iran, Washington used tools like the model Claude by Anthropic and the Maven Smart System developed by Palantir to analyze large data streams and generate attack recommendations. This type of technology makes it possible to reduce in a lot the time needed to identify objectives: processes that could previously take three days are now completed in a matter of hours. The ultimate goal is to compress the entire attack chain (detect, evaluate, hit and re-evaluate) in just minutes. A new front. Plus: artificial intelligence is also altering another front of the conflict, the informative. The proliferation of AI generated videos is starting to make it difficult to distinguish between real and manipulated images on social media. Platforms like X have warned that they will penalize users who share AI-generated war content without warning, after numerous fake videos will begin to circulate during the crisis. Thus, in a scenario like the current one, where algorithms analyze military operationsgenerate propaganda and detect invisible patterns To the human eye, the battlefield is no longer limited to air, sea or land. It is also released in data centers. And in that terrain, even the quietest bomber on the planet can leave traces that no one knew before hear. Image | Jonathan Cutrer, goretexguy In Xataka | The arrival of the B-2s to Iran can only mean one thing: the search for the greatest threat to the United States has begun In Xataka | Iran is planting sea mines in Hormuz. And what threatens to blow up is not ships: it is the world economy

Saudi Arabia wants to invest 38 billion dollars to be the capital of gaming. The Iran war is going to ruin everything

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

First it was footballafter video games. Saudi Arabia wants to become the world capital of entertainment at the stroke of a checkbook (and at the same time whitewash his authoritarian regime). Now their plans are in jeopardy because of the war in Iran. 38,000 million. This is what Saudi Arabia plans Invest to become a gaming powerhouse. However, the conflict in the region and Iran’s attacks have put their plans in check. In an interview during the Game Developers Conference echoed by Bloombergthe CEO of Savvy Games has said that “This escalation clearly does not benefit the region and will likely change or cool the perception of it as a stable and calm place where people want to go.” He hopes that the war will end soon and they can continue with their business plans. Entertainment capital. Savvy Games Group, subsidiary of the Saudi Sovereign Fund (the same as bought Electronic Arts for 50,000 million), has very ambitious plans for the region, such as the esports district in Qiddiya Citya megaproject focused on entertainment where there is giant amusement parksstadiums for video game competitions and much more. Their plans go beyond buying companies, they want to hold events that attract gaming enthusiasts. In 2025, Rihyad hosted the Esports World Cup, an event that lasted seven weeks and featured events related to up to 25 esports. They also want to attract foreign investment and large video game companies to move there. It sounds great, until the threat of Iranian drones appears and the dream is shattered. Vision 2030. All this is part of a long term plan promoted by Prince Mohamed bin Salmán since 2016, whose main objective is to diversify its wealth beyond oil and turn the country into an attractive destination for investors. This serves another purpose: to project a more moderate image beyond its borders. Iran attacks. Iran has targeted key infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, such as the Ras Tanura refinery and the Shaybah sitemilitary bases with American presence such as Prince Sultan and, on the rebound, even residential neighborhoods and diplomatic areas of Riyadh. Several of these attacks were intercepted, but it is clear that Saudi Arabia is a target for Iran. There are other companies concerned, such as Wynn Resorts, which is building the country’s first casino on the artificial island Al Marjan. They had to stop the works a few days ago due to the conflict, but They have already resumed work. Image | Wikipedia In Xataka | The US has turned off the tap on satellite images of the Iran war. A Chinese startup has left it open

The ERE of 750 workers confirms the profitability crisis of delivery in Spain

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

Glovo has opened the consultation period for an Employment Regulation File that will affect a maximum of 750 delivery workers in more than 60 locations throughout Spain: The official reason is that the distribution model with employees is not profitable in a large part of the territory. However, unions like CCOO had months denouncing that the company was already carrying out a “covert ERE” through a continuous trickle of disciplinary dismissals under questionable justifications. Why is it important. This decision comes just eight months after Glovo will complete its adaptation to the Rider Lawregularizing the delivery drivers who until then worked as self-employed. This adjustment shows the platform’s difficulties in sustaining a profitable logistics model once forced to abandon the self-employed scheme and assume the labor costs of the Workers’ Statute. The background. Glovo was the last major platform to comply with the Rider Law, which was approved in 2021, but its effective application was in fits and starts, between fines and institutional pressure. In July 2025, The company regularized its delivery drivers (more than 13,000 throughout Spain) in the face of the imminent threat of criminal proceedings, which opened the door to prison sentences for its leadership for widespread fraud. What Glovo had to give up then is cutting now. Between the lines. The company does not directly blame the Rider Law. It points out that its direct logistics management model, the so-called Gen2, “has proven to be inefficient” in small and medium-sized municipalities, and that it is necessary to move to the Gen1 model, in which Glovo does not assume the delivery operation. Translated: where the volume of orders is not sufficient to cover the costs of having permanent employees, the platform transitions to a model of marketplace (Gen1). That is, Glovo continues to operate the application and collect commissions, but the logistics of delivery are now assumed by the restaurants themselves or subcontracted companies. In figures: 750 delivery workers affected by the ERE. More than 60 locations where service will be reduced or eliminated. And more than 800 cities where Glovo operations continue normally. The big question. Now the underlying debate is not whether Glovo complies with the law or not (now, without a doubt, it complies with it), but whether the delivery whose model he proposes can be sustainable with a workforce of employees in markets where orders do not have the volume that exists in large cities. In addition, COVID triggered home delivery consumption to levels that have since normalized, and platforms have been searching for years for the balance point that allows them to make money without resorting to questionable working conditions. In many corners of Spain, that point has not yet appeared. Yes, but. Yolanda Díaz has responded to the announcement by rejecting any “blackmail” and promising that the Labor Inspection will ensure compliance with the law. You are right that the law must be followed. But the ERE that Glovo has announced does not breach it: reducing activity where there is no business is a legitimate decision. The underlying problem lies in the structural change of the sector: the delivery was born and based its profitability on a model of self-employed workers, a formula that Glovo defended to the end, arguing for the flexibility of the service. Now, the real challenge is to demonstrate whether the business remains economically viable when platforms must assume the structural costs of a salaried workforce, as required by current legislation. Featured image | Nursultan Abakirov In Xataka | The death of cooking at home: inviting to “dinner” is increasingly becoming inviting to order by Glovo

only for Xataka Xtra subscribers

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

The first exclusive draw for Xataka Xtra subscribers is about to end, but you still have time to participate. If you want to renew your living room and take home a television LG QNED evo AI 75 inchyou just have to subscribe to Xataka Xtra. You can do it from just two euros a month and enjoy not only exclusive draws, but a good handful of additional advantages. The giveaway will end today, March 12, at 11:59 p.m. Spanish peninsular timeand the winner will be revealed tomorrow, March 13, at 9:00. The winner will be notified by email and will be published in both the original article and in our exclusive Discord server (another of the advantages included in Xataka Xtra). How to participate in the giveaway This giveaway is exclusive for Xataka Xtra subscribers. If you are already part of the community, participating is as simple as making sure that You have checked the box shown in the image below. You can access it directly by clicking on this link or by displaying the side menu and clicking on “Manage subscription”. You will see the access below or next to the modality to which you have subscribed, depending on whether you are reading Xataka from your computer or from your mobile. Make sure you check that box to automatically participate in the exclusive Xataka Xtra draws | Image: Xataka That’s all. Once you have checked that box you will automatically participate not only in this one, but in all upcoming draws like the one that (spoiler) we will announce next week. The winner will be chosen by selecting one subscriber at random and two alternates. If the winner does not respond within the period stipulated in the legal bases of each draw, the winner will go to the first substitute and, if this does not happen either, to the second. Winning a giveaway does not prevent you from winning in the following ones. You can find the legal bases at this link. In Xataka | Subscribe now to Xataka Xtra

Germany wants to do what Japan did with rare earths in 2010: join forces against China

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

BMW, Rheinmetall and the main German industries are working on the creation of a joint agency to purchase critical mineralsa move that would reduce dependence on China, according to they count from Financial Times. The idea is to pursue the model that Japan proposed a few years ago, and the story behind it explains why it makes sense. The starting point. In 2010, China imposed an embargo on rare earth exports to Japan in the midst of a territorial dispute. Tokyo depended on these materials to manufacture everything from cars to electronics. To alleviate the mess they had gotten themselves into, they decided to build an alternative architecture. They created JOGMEC (Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security), a state agency that collaborates with the country’s main conglomerates to ensure the supply of minerals, oil and gas. With this, Japan significantly reduced its dependence on China for rare earths. What Germany is building now. According to counted In the middle, BMW works together with the VDA automobile lobby and representatives of the German defense industry in order to develop a structure similar to what Japan did at the time. Rheinmetall is also in the talks. The specific idea is to create a kind of large private company that bulk buys critical raw materials (lithium, gallium, germanium, rare earths) on behalf of German industry. Just like share In the middle, the federal government could participate with a minority stake. The figures are not yet finalized, but the total cost of the project could amount to several hundred million euros. Why now. Last year, China imposed export controls on essential materials for batteries, permanent magnets and weapons systems. In November it temporarily suspended some of these restrictions until November 2026, but the scare was already in place. Europe was exposedwithout real alternatives, without negotiating power, nothing to do. And German industry (car manufacturers, defense companies, industrial machinery) realized how fragile its supply chain was. The Japanese model. JOGMEC works because it combines public capital with the agility that its large private companies allow, as they are structures with centuries of history in Japan specialized in industrial supply. Germany already has a raw materials agency, DERA, but sources close to the media recognize that needs a profound reform to fulfill that role. The agency being proposed now would have more muscle, with active financing, investment capacity in mining and recycling projects, and direct presence in the market. The state development bank KfW has already prepared a fund of 1 billion euros to finance mining, processing and recycling projects of critical materials, which would serve as a complement. Diplomacy. Just like account The media, Chancellor Friedrich Merz contacted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi this week, and critical minerals were on the table. And Japan has shown interest in exporting its model abroad. In parallel, this same week the media informed also that the Australian Lynas Rare Earths, the largest producer of rare earths outside China, has closed a supply agreement with Japan with a guaranteed minimum price of $110 per kilogram for neodymium-praseodymium for 12 years. The same price that Washington guaranteed to the American producer MP Materials. The tension with Brussels. The European Commission also works in a centralized body to coordinate strategic purchases and reserves of critical minerals. But from Germany there is skepticism. According to share FT, Germany’s position is that “the industry must make its own decisions” and that governments should limit themselves to managing strategic reserves. In other words, Berlin prefers a model of private initiative with specific state support rather than leaving the strategy in the hands of Brussels. What is at stake. Steel, lithium and rare earths are the backbone of the energy transition and European rearmament. Without neodymium there are no magnets for electric motors or guided missiles. Without gallium and germanium there are no advanced semiconductors. China controls between 60% and 90% of the production chain for most of these materials. Hence many countries are restless. Cover image | Prometheus and Wikimedia Commons In Xataka | The United States knows it has a problem with rare earths from China. And he believes he has an alternative: Mexico

The great battle of the Ebro is not between Murcia and Aragón, it is between the headwaters of the rivers, the large cities and the delta

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

The image is straight out of a movie: a team of divers diving into the cold waters of the Arija reservoir to dredge more than three meters of silt accumulated in front of its floodgates. It’s not a whim, It’s the only way to remove them.: that is, the consequence of having hundreds of infrastructures that have not been thoroughly maintained for decades. But, above all, the most striking symptom of a very deep problem: the sediments are killing, at the same time, the reservoirs and the rivers. Reservoirs due to loss of capacity (Mequinenza has lost since its opening more capacity than the sum of the last three reservoirs put into operation), rivers because deltas need sediment to stay alive. The Ebro, without going any further, needs 1.2 million tons per year. And the authorities know it. In fact, since 2003, the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation has been carrying out controlled floods in the lower section of the river to mobilize sediments towards Tortosa. The problem is that each controlled flood moves about 10,000 tons; that is, two orders of magnitude below what is necessary. It’s like emptying a swimming pool with a coffee spoon. So in the last few months, something has changed. Since November 2024, the CHE began a series of measures to try to fix it. Things like extending the discharge by two days, starting it from much higher up (El Grado in Huesca and Camarasa in Lleida) and draining Ribarroja more than usual to mobilize all the possible sediments. Will it solve the problem? It’s not clear, but it doesn’t seem like it. We have to take into account that, only in the Ebro basin, there are many reservoirs and that is an inevitable brake. Calculations say that of the five million tons that were brought to the Mediterranean before the reservoirs, only between 100,000 and 200,000 now arrive. It would take around 100 floods to reach the appropriate figures. And no, we don’t have enough water for that. So? That is the big problem, seeing what we do. We must not forget that the Ebro delta supports 20,000 hectares of rice fieldstens of thousands of inhabitants and is a biosphere reserve. The loss of wetlands and their salinization have a direct impact on agriculture, fishing and tourism. Come on: the interests are crossed and they confront people hundreds of kilometers away. We are entering a new era of hydrological wars in which we are all against each other. Image | Sinto MQZ In Xataka | The Ebro is filling with brown prawns, an invasive species that we are going to find more and more on our plates.

create subfolders, reorganize, change name or format

March 12, 2026 by usatoday24

Let’s tell you how to sort the files in your folders with AIusing Claude Cowork. This is one of the options Claudewhich is like a AI agent capable of controlling elements of your computer and doing things for you autonomously, although asking for permissions at each step. In this case, what we are going to ask of this function of the artificial intelligence is that you create two subfolders and put photos and screenshots in them, distinguishing what each one is and changing the format. It is an example of what you can do, because you can also ask it to move and manage files of any format. Something you should know is that, for safety, Claude will not delete the original files unless you ask for it. In other words, we are left with two folders with copies of the originals. It will do all this without you having to touch anything, just by asking. Additionally, for security we can make it only touch elements in a specific folder. Another thing you should remember is that Claude Cowork It is a payment option. You will need to have a subscription to one of the Pro versions of Claude to use it. To use it, you will also have to have the Claude desktop application downloaded, because it is the one that manages everything. Manage files and folders with Cowork The first thing you have to do is open the Claude application on your computer. In it, click on the tab cowork that you have at the top. Once in it, first click on Work in a folder to choose a desktop folder where you want to work. With this, you can choose the precise place on your computer where you want Claude to do things, and you prevent the AI from touching files in other folders that you don’t want it to manage. You can choose folders or subfolders, be it the downloads folder, the desktop folder, or any other folder on your hard drive. When you choose one, Claude will ask you for permission to modify the files what’s in it. Here, you can allow it occasionally, only for this task, or do it always if you are going to do many tasks in the same folder. But the safest way to avoid accidents with files is to give it permission only when you are going to do a new action. Once the folder has been chosen, it is time to write the prompt. With it, you will have to ask Claude to make any changes you want. Here, remember that you have to explain everything in detail so that the AI can understand it better. For example, I have written the following: “I want you to sort the images in this folder into two subfolders. One should be called “Photos” and you should save regular photos in it. The other is called “Shots,” and I want you to save screenshots in them. You have to convert all screenshots to jpeg format. You must rename all the images in the two subfolders, using as the name the date and time the images were taken.” Obviously, you can create your own customized prompt to the files you want to manage and what you want to do with them. My prompt is just an example to perform several different tasks so you know it can be done. When you launch the prompt, possibly your operating system will ask you for permission again to allow Claude to make changes to your folder, even if the AI had already asked you to do so before. Now, Claude will take a few minutes to analyze what you have asked of him and do it. In fact, you can start doing other things on the computer and leave it working for you in the background, although if you go to the Claude application you will be able to see all the steps it takes in the process. That’s it. When you finish, you will have everything managed as you asked. In my case, the photos are renamed, formatted, and arranged in the two subfolders I asked Claude to create. He has kept the originals so that I can delete them by hand, a security measure to avoid unintentional deletions of elements on your computer. In Xataka Basics | Claude: 23 functions and some tricks to get the most out of this artificial intelligence

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