continent

If you do not protect your technological ones, they will leave the old continent

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Christophe Fouquet, the general director of ASML, has a huge challenge ahead. Like its predecessor at the head of this Dutch company, Peter Wennink, has the obligation to Defend your company’s interests. And currently the tension held by the US and China does not make it easy. The sanctions that They have deployed US and the Netherlands They prevent Asml selling Your most advanced lithography teams To its Chinese clients. And neither can some maintenance and after -sales services services provide. In 2022 the sales of this company in China amounted to 2.9 billion euros, which represented 13.8% of its annual sales. At that time Taiwan was a more important market for Asml than China. In fact, in 2023 the clients of the island bought lithography equipment for a total value of 8,100 million euros, while its Chinese clients disbursed 7.3 billion euros. And, curiously, in 2024 China was consolidated as The largest market for ASML with total sales of 10.2 billion euros. Christophe Fouquet’s warning does not concern Asml In the Netherlands 2024 will be remembered as the year in which the strap between ASML and the Dutch government reached its maximum expression. Christophe Fouquet He is convinced that the US will continue to put pressure on its partners to tighten the sanctions that seek to stop the development of the Chinese industry of the integrated circuits. In fact, according to the British weekly The Economistthis executive argues that European politicians and regulators should do more to help their company. “Europe should decide for itself what you want (…) should not be dictated by anyone else” However, Fouquet’s statements do not end here. He has also defended that Europe “should decide for itself what you want” and “should not be dictated by anyone else.” Otherwise, He has warnedleading European companies in strategic technologies, among which are ASML, could consider move outside the old continent. His tone reflects a certain degree of helplessness, but in practice his company would be very difficult to relocate out of Europe. On the one hand its supply chain is mostly deployed in this continent. And, in addition, the US will continue to exercise control of the American patents used by ASML regardless of the place where it resides. Christophe Fouquet’s discontent is evident, but it does not seem to have much room for maneuver. At this juncture his only hope is the Government of the Netherlands. In fact, the Dutch administration is fully aware that it cannot let its most important technology company leave its country of origin. This possibility triggered the launch in March 2024 by the government that was then led by Mark Rutte of the ‘Operation Beethoven’. This plan is still underway. And in a better way than ever. It will finally collect 2.5 billion euros with the purpose of improving homes, transport, education and electricity supply of the Eindhoven region, which is very close to Asml’s headquarterswhich is housed in Veldhoven. Although, curiously, ASML and Philips will contribute contributing with other Dutch technology companies 230 million euros to this plan. It does not sound bad, but it seems unlikely that this initiative is sufficient to content Asml. Image | ASML More information | The Economist In Xataka | Japan wants to recover leadership as a manufacturer of lithography equipment. And he has a plan to end the Asml monopoly

Spain was not one of the first to step on Antarctica, but now it has one of the most coveted laboratories on the continent

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The Antarctica It is a huge frozen desert, but also one orUnique portunity for research. Spain is one of the more than 30 countries that have Bases in the territory And one of them, Gabriel de Castilla’s, has just been extended to be able to carry out a broader range of projects. The peculiarity is that its construction has been carried out in record time and will allow a boost to the investigation of the Climate change and the Biodiversity With a particularity: Spanish is one of the three clean laboratories on the continent. Only. We have been decades studying Antarctica From the air. Is what is allowing us to know What is it under that layer of icebut we also have been studying at Antarctica from the ground. He Antarctic Treaty of 1959 It is the one that allowed different countries to establish bases on the continent, exclusively for peaceful and scientific purposes. However, before that there were already bases such as Orcadas base from Argentina, which were operating continuously in the field. The reason is that it is a Single scenario For research. Not only for its diversity or for the dry atmosphere that allows to install advanced astronomical observatories, but because we can reconstruct the climate of hundreds of thousands of years thanks to the air bubbles trapped in the ice and, above all, it is a Climate change thermometer. Spanish Antarctica. We owe several findings to the field research, being one of the most notable the discovery of the ozone layer in 1985. As a result of those agreements, Spain could establish Two bases in Antarctica. The most veteran is the Juan Carlos i. It was inaugurated in early 1988 and is operated by the CSIC. It is not busy all year, but maintains automated records when there is no one and supports projects of areas such as biology, geology, weather and glaciology. The other is the Gabriel de Castillaopened a year later and operated by the Army. Its operation area is diverse, with research in the fields of earth sciences (geomagnetism, volcanic surveillance or geomorphology, among others), biological sciences (ecology, ethology or microbiology), environmental sciences (climate change) and disciplines such as physics, mathematics or biochemistry. Gabriel de Castilla. Like Juan Carlos I, this base is not always busy. Spanish work is limited to the months of the Southern summer, which occurs between December and March, and its location is unique because it is next to one of the two active volcanoes of Antarctica. This makes it a unique enclave to study geological processes and extreme ecosystems. But it seems that the base fell short, so a new scientific module has been built. In the upper image we see what the base was like. In the lower one, those small modules have been eliminated to leave the new space. Reform reforms. After an investment of two million euros, the Gabriel de Castilla has been able to expand its surface to about 307 m². Thus, he has been able to improve his equipment thanks to a microscope room, an electricity and electronic space, a sanitary module and a clean laboratory. And we might think that in such an extreme climate the construction would go slow, but no: in 70 days of the plane to having a structure that already expects research equipment. As points The army, 700 panels, 400 profiles, 26 screws and a total of 80 tons of material have been used to create a new module 41 meters long by 7.2 wide and another 7 high. In case you wonder, beyond the heating, the walls have a 50 millimeter polyurethane sandwich -type layer and another 60 millimeter inner layer of rock wool to improve thermal protection. Clean laboratory. But beyond the speed in its construction, the most important thing about the ‘new’ Spanish base in Antarctica is the aforementioned clean laboratory. It is a space designed to minimize external pollution, so research processes can be carried out in a practically aseptic space in which the samples are not contaminated with exterior agents. The protocols are very strict in both cleaning and ventilation and disinfection, and the really important thing is that, of the more than 30 bases present in Antarctica, that of the Gabriel de Castilla is one of the three Clean laboratories from the region. As they detail in This video From El País, it will be shared with Portugal, and one of the objectives will be to analyze pure samples to better understand the human impact on the planet without external interference. Images | Earth Army, Antarctic campaign In Xataka | Some scientists have discovered that Antarctica is raising 5 cm a year. It is not clear if it is a luck or a problem

Murtra accelerates sales while the continent bleeds 1.7 billion

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Telefónica is running an accelerated output of Latin America under the command of Its new president, Marc Murtrawho has intensified the sale of assets in the region just two months after taking office. The Spanish Telec He has commissioned JP Morgan and White & Case The divestment of its subsidiary in Mexico, while progressing in parallel the sales of its operations in Argentina and Colombia. The money trail. Latin American subsidiar Group’s resultswhich closed 2024 with losses of 49 million euros after provisioning more than 2,000 million for the deterioration of assets in the region. And now what? Murtra, considered close to the Spanish government (remember The entrance of the State into the operator through the SEPI), seeks to specify The sale from Colombia to Millicom (Tigo) for about 370 million euros After many months of negotiations. At the same time, look for a buyer to The remains of your business in Mexico (He returned all his frequencies three years ago) and Evaluate options for other markets such as Uruguaywhere the competition has cornered him. What has happened. Telefónica had already classified in 2019 all Latin American markets, except Brazil, as “non -priority” and grouped them under the Hispam subsidiary. At that time, Álvarez-Pallete tried to sell those assets as a unit, but the process failed. Now, the plan has changed to disinversions country to country, accelerated since the arrival of Murtra, who considers them urgent. The contrast. While Hispam bleeds, Brazil remains a strategic and profitable market for Telefónica, contributing one in four euros in sales and almost a third of the profitability of the entire group. The growth of Brazil, where Telefónica invests more than in Spaincontrasts with the depreciation of currencies such as the Argentine and Chilean weight, as well as with the fierce competition suffered in markets such as Peru and Chile. Yes, but. Latin American markets (without Brazil) barely represent 20% of income and 11% of the group’s profitability, with a negative trend that is aggravated by political instability, devaluations and regulatory conflicts. Hispam’s billing fell 8.2%, while profitability collapsed 14.9%. The deterioration goes to forced marches and Murtra has already taken the scissors. Outstanding image | Telefónica In Xataka | 100 years after his birth, Telefónica faces the greatest existential dilemma in its history: what wants to be older

After 80 years of peace, the European Union has a future plan for the continent: a new era of the "rearmament"

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Europe lives a convulsive geopolitical situation. For various factors, but aggravated after Ukraine invasion by Russia. There are too many open challenges: economic pressures, commercial and technological confrontation due to the Commercial War with China (who has caught electric car already ASML in between), disunity between member states and the growing tensions with the United States. All this has been intensified in recent weeks and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is clear about the way: rearm Europe. To a scrambled river … For his second term as president of the United States, Donald Trump has arrived with everything. In issues related to Europe, the billionaire has ruled on Tariffs to European productsbut has also shown interest in get with Greenland already Ukraine War. That idea of ​​getting with Greenland caused a Danish response movement so that The country will buy California On the other hand, the intention to achieve peace in Ukraine is not an altruistic movement. An objective is to stop investing in security in foreign countries. Another, power Control rare earth deposits. The reports of your presence in Ukrainian soil They seem to be outdatedbut that does not stop the ambitions of a Trump that starred last weekend A curious act with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski. In Xataka The size of the armies of the main powers, summarized in this interesting graphic The gresca. On February 28 we witnessed an unusual event: a encounter between Zelenski, Trump and JD Vance, vice president of the United States. If something was clear after the heated debate Television in Prime Time is that both leaders have a total lack of tune (before it already declared that it was difficult to reach an agreement with Zelenski and Lo Lo called “dictator”). But perhaps it is more than a lack of understanding among the leaders of two countries. You cannot count on the US. The reason is that, after the event, Europe has closed rows Around Ukraine. Different European leaders have shown support to the Ukrainian leader, with quick responses such as Pedro Sánchez and Feijóo supporting the European country. The American response has not taken long to arrive. A few hours ago, Donald Trump ordered paralyze military aid to Ukraine as a punishment for Friday’s encounter. “Rearm Europe“. The anger among the leaders, who looked like an enclosure in the White House, promoted a feeling in networks among European users: you cannot count on the United States, and Europe has to act to deal with external threats. And it is not a popular runrún, but something that, from the European Commission itself, has just supported. President Ursula von der Leyen has signed a release urging member states to join the European Rearme Plan: Rearm Europe. In it, it begins by expressing two important issues: that Europe is threatened in a “real and tangible” and that it must “assume a greater responsibility for its own security.” The Ukraine War is that of drones … and robots Beyond Ukraine. After different meetings in recent weeks, the community has concluded that “massively increase defense spending”. The president refers to the situation in Ukraine and states that this measure must be taken with “immediate urgency” to support the European country, but must also be addressed to fulfill a “long -term need to assume much greater responsibility for our own security.” The plan. Thus, he has sent a letter to European leaders to raise this issue before the European Council to be held this Thursday. In it, and at the meeting, the option of using “all financial mechanisms will be discussed at reach to help member states quickly and significantly increase their expenses in defense capacities.” The intention of Von der Leyen is that it is immediate and urgent, but that it is formalized throughout this decade. In Xataka Ukraine has registered the first combined offensive of history without humans: drones and robots against Russian troops Show me the money. Of course, this type of movements require considerable investment. United States, without going any further, will invest 850,000 million dollars in defense -40% of global military spending. The way Europe would have to catch up, according to the president, is: Release the use of public funds in defense nationwide, allowing member states to have fiscal margin to be able to invest without activating the excessive deficit procedure. According to the statement, if the states increased their defense expenditure by 1.5% of the average GDP, a fiscal margin of almost 650,000 million euros would be generated in four years. Activate an instrument that provides loans of up to 150,000 million euros to invest in defense. Under the mantra “spend better and spend together”, von der Leyen clarifies that investment in air defense, antimiles, artillery systems, missiles, ammunition, cybersecurity, military mobility and something that the war of Ukraine has brought to the table should be reinforced: the war with drones and the defense against those drones. Redirect funds to investments related to incentive defense for Member States to decide, if they wish, use cohesion policy programs to increase defense spending. Finally, the option of obtaining funds through the European Investment Bank, but also with measures to mobilize private capital. {“Videid”: “X8WLH9Q”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “United States vs. China: The chips war”, “Tag”: “Webedia-prod”, “Duration”: “1611”} NATO message. Among all the noise generated these days, it has survived the idea that United States abandons the United Nations Organization. The North American country is one of those who best fulfill their obligations In this sense and, recently, voices that cry out that the country should leave NATO have been raised. Elon Musk, part of Trump’s government, been One of them. The agreements stipulate that, if someone attacks an NATO country, the rest must immediately mobilize, but the latest movements of the United States and comments such as that of which They will not be foreverThey don’t help. In the statement, von der Leyen comments that the plan Rearm Europe “It could mobilize about 800,000 million … Read more

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