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Nexperia had the entire European automotive industry in check. We have good news

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The Dutch Government is prepared to suspend the control it exercises over the semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia if China again allows the export of its most critical chips. According to sources Bloomberg, the Chinese government has already lifted the veto, so the move would end a conflict that threatened to paralyze automobile production world. The agreement on the table. According to Bloomberg, Dutch authorities were “prepared to revoke the ministerial order that gave them veto power over key Nexperia corporate decisions” as soon as next week. The condition: that the resumption of shipments of components from China be verified in the coming days and that the financial disputes between Nexperia and its Chinese operations be also resolved. China lifts veto. Just like assures In the middle, China has once again allowed Nexperia to export its semiconductors, paving the way for the Netherlands to suspend its powers over the Chinese-owned company. Chips have already started shipping again from Nexperia’s Chinese operations, officials from several auto companies confirmed to Bloomberg. The first shipments are already underway. Aumovio SE, a components maker that supplies Volkswagen, Stellantis and BMW, has shipped Nexperia semiconductors and components containing them after receiving an export license from China this week, according to declared its CEO Philipp Von Hirschheydt to Bloomberg. The manager added who informed him that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce lifted the export ban on Nexperia this Friday. “It will take some time before all procedures and processes return to normal,” the CEO warned. There is still the possibility of disruption in the next four to six weeks, but “if everything I know today is correct, we are not going to be affected,” he said. How it all started. The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Vincent Karremans, activated a law dating back to the Cold War in September to take temporary control over Nexperiaowned by the Chinese technology group Wingtech. The reason was concern that Wingtech was weakening the company and putting the supply of vital components at risk. The Dutch government flagged some of Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng’s decisions as representing “misuse of financial resources for the personal enrichment of the CEO,” according to account Bloomberg. Wingtech denied these allegations. In response, Beijing imposed restrictions on exports of Nexperia products from China, which accounted for about half of the company’s pre-crisis volumes. Why does it matter? Nexperia makes power control chips used by large manufacturers such as Volkswagen. Until the conflict is resolved, European car manufacturers face production stoppages imminent as their reserves are depleted. Just like account Bloomberg, Honda Motor has already been informed of the resumption of chip shipments by Nexperia in China, so the Japanese carmaker plans to normalize its affected production during the week of November 21, according to its executive vice president, Noriya Kaihara. On the other hand, Bosch, one of the largest component suppliers in the world, also is receiving chips from Nexperia from China, according to sources close to the media. However, the media reports that until this Friday morning there were still production interruptions in several Bosch plants that manufacture automotive electronics. The situation remains tense. Despite positive signs, German supplier ZF Friedrichshafen is preparing for production interruptions, including temporary layoffs, as a precautionary measure. “It is unclear to what extent and at what speed deliveries from China could resume,” declared a company spokesperson told Bloomberg. “The situation remains very tense throughout the industry.” Signs of distension. The Dutch Government declared this Thursday that it expects Nexperia’s Chinese unit to resume chip supplies in the coming days. “Given the constructive nature of our discussions with the Chinese authorities, the Netherlands is confident that chip supplies from China to Europe and the rest of the world will reach Nexperia customers in the coming days,” Karremans said in a statement picked up by Bloomberg. Wingtech shares rose almost 10% in Shanghai after the news. European automakers and their suppliers also gained on the news, as Volkswagen shares rose as much as 2.7% in Frankfurt, while BMW rose as much as 2.5%. Shares of Mercedes-Benz Group and Stellantis also rose, according to the middle. What’s coming now. Resolution of the dispute will depend on effective verification that shipments resume and resolving outstanding financial issues between Nexperia and its operations in China. If these conditions are met, the Dutch Government could revoke his powers of intervention next week, putting an end to a crisis that has put the entire supply chain of the European automotive sector in check. On the other hand, the future of Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng remains uncertain following his suspension as CEO of Nexperia by an Amsterdam court on October 7. Cover image | Arthur Wang and Nexperia In Xataka | The EU wants to connect Madrid with Paris by AVE in 2035. Or in 2042 if you ask France

They have wallpapered an entire neighborhood in Huelva against the gorillas. The posters are signed by “an angry neighbor”

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Neighbors of the Huelva neighborhood of Nuevo Molino have stood up to the ‘gorrillas’ with a poster campaign throughout the area with a warning: “This street is not an ORA zone. Parking here is free.” Residents claim that this illegal practice is becoming unsustainable in the area, which has led one angry neighbor to post signs freely, according to inform the newspaper Huelva24. A spontaneous protest. A few days ago, during the night of Thursday, October 23, several residents of the Punta Umbría street area went out to put up posters on the busiest streets in the neighborhood, according to point the middle. The messages appeared next to the Quirón Hospital, sports areas, shops and residential portals. Signed by “an angry neighbor”, the notices include direct phrases such as “Don’t be charged when you leave your vehicle”, aimed at both drivers and those who carry out this activity. Some of the signs were also placed directly on the windshields of parked vehicles. What the neighborhood says. Although the initiative has not come directly from the Costa de la Luz Neighborhood Association, from the collective recognize that discontent is widespread. The association has echoed the “popular clamor” that exists in the neighborhood through its social networks, according to point the middle, where residents have shown their support for the protest and demand urgent solutions. The diary inform Furthermore, the matter was already discussed at the last neighborhood assembly, where numerous residents expressed their concern about a problem that they consider entrenched. why now. Although this is a problem that neighbors have been reporting for years, the situation has worsened in recent months. According to residents, the presence of gorillas has intensified especially at the entrances to the park and around the hospital, generating “continuous discussions and fights” that have created a climate of tension in the neighborhood. Neighbors point out that the most affected areas coincide with areas of high influx of people: around the hospital, the sports facilities and the commercial areas of Nuevo Molino. What they denounce. The residents describe the activity as “a form of pressure and coercion towards drivers”, according to they collect the texts of the posters. They report that many users give in to payment for fear of reprisals or simply to avoid conflicts. On the signs, residents remind that parking on the streets of the neighborhood is free and is not subject to any type of time regulation or mandatory payment. What they ask for. The neighbors they claim “real solutions” to the Huelva City Council and the Government Subdelegation. Specifically, they demand a greater police presence in the affected areas and the implementation of specific social measures aimed at people who practice this practice, to “be able to live cordially.” The neighborhood association does not rule out promoting other actions or proposals immediately if the situation persists without an institutional response. Cover image | Huelva24 In Xataka | “It’s plastic, greetings”: Madrid Metro has spent millions on advanced machines to cover them like shacks

A single man wrote a quarter of the entire Encyclopedia

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Write It requires, above all, patience and perseverance. Facing a blank page or screen is, on many occasions, a fight against physical and mental fatigueand many give up before their time. So when it comes to writing “a lot,” in large amounts and lengths of time, the list shrinks. There are notable cases, like Dickensone of the most prolific authors of the 19th century, or Asimovwith more than 500 books and thousands of letters. However, none like the story of the man who wrote much of the encyclopedia alone. Louis de Jaucourt. Born in Paris in 1704 into a Protestant noble family, from a young age, Jaucourt demonstrated a deep inclination for knowledgewhich led him to study theology in Geneva, physics and mathematics in Cambridge, and medicine in Leyden. In addition to mastering five modern languages, he also had advanced knowledge of Latin, Greek and numerous disciplines, from literature to the exact sciences, a reflection of the encyclopedic spirit of the Enlightenment in which he lived. However, if he will be remembered for something in history, it is for his contribution to knowledge with a titanic work that was beginning to take shape among the French elites: the Encyclopédie. First came the Enlightenment. We are talking about one of the most ambitious intellectual projects of the 18th century, one created at a very special moment of cultural and philosophical effervescence in Europe, known as the Enlightenment. At that time, the aim was to free knowledge from the restrictions imposed by religion and absolutist monarchy, promoting the use of reason as a way to understand the world and improve society. In France, particularly, this intellectual impulse gained great strength, facing the authoritarianism of the monarchy of Louis XV and the influence of the clergy, who saw enlightened ideas as a threat to their power. In this context, intellectuals such as Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu challenged traditional beliefs and promoted critical thinking what was going to lead to the foundations of the Encyclopédie. Creation and development. Also known as Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, the megaproject began in 1751 under the direction of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert, always with the aim of compiling all human knowledge in an accessible work. Inspired by the Cyclopaedia of Ephraim Chambersthe Encyclopédie was initially planned as a simple translation, but it soon evolved into an original and much more ambitious project. Throughout its 35 volumes, The work compiled more than 70,000 articles and 3,000 illustrationsranging from natural sciences and arts to philosophy and artisanal techniques (a novelty at its time). The work of Diderot and d’Alembert was supported by 146 collaborators, including prominent Enlightenment thinkers, who worked on the compilation and review of articles in various disciplines. And above all, a man: Jaucourt. A quarter. Louis de Jaucourtfervent contributor to the Encyclopédie, contributed no less than 17,200 articlesaround a quarter of the Encyclopedia’s total, and he did so, very importantly, writing up to eight a day without receiving any financial compensation. With extensive training and full of resources, the man dedicated much of his life to the project, even selling properties to finance it. In addition, he wrote about everything, covering topics such as democracy, freedom, equality and science. Jaucourt’s dedication was such that Diderot affectionately dubbed him the “slave of the Encyclopédie,” given his commitment to the work, in which he invested decades and much of his assets. A single man, in short, who helped expand the scope of the work and guarantee its success. Extra ball. A fact to place the titanic work of man in context. Before the Encyclopedia, he dedicated 20 years of his life to writing a gigantic work, the medical treatisein six volumes (and in Latin). After two decades of work, he traveled to Amsterdam to escape French censorship for printing. Bad luck meant that the ship sank with the complete work, the only copy it had. A tragic event that seems to have left him wanting more. The legacy. The Encyclopédie was a revolutionary work that, in addition to disseminating knowledge, promoted equal and accessible education. His most notable contribution was the inclusive approach to knowledge, encompassing both academic topics and practical knowledge, and reflecting the spirit of the Enlightenment by erasing the barriers between elitist knowledge and applied or “useful” knowledge. This approach inspired future encyclopedic works and left a deep mark on modern philosophy and education. The Encyclopédie also encouraged the questioning of absolute power and intellectual emancipation, and is considered one of the fundamental pillars of Enlightenment thought, influencing later movements. like the french revolution. In short, an entire political and social manifesto that challenged the structures of power and religion of that time, and that had in a single man the ability to bring together a quarter of the knowledge of humanity. That on top of that he did it by living modestly and selling part of his assets makes it even more extraordinary. Image | PXHere In Xataka | A library in Ireland kept a 134-year-old treasure: Bram Stoker’s lost tale before Dracula In Xataka | We have discovered the most important medieval songbook of the century. It was lost in the archive of the Barcelona Cathedral

dominate the entire value chain

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The race for control of the energy of the 21st century already has a provisional winner. While Europe stumbles over his own debates and United States try to rebuild an aging nuclear industry, China step on the accelerator. In April, approved the construction of ten reactors worth 200 billion yuan (24 billion euros). It is just one step in a much broader project: the return of the atom as a pillar of global power. New conquests. China has been competing for years to lead all possible technological transitions: from renewable energy to storage, and now also nuclear. In the words of energy analyst John Kempthe country has 59 operational reactors and more than 30 under construction. No other nation has such a program. In fact, half of all the reactors being built in the world are in Chinese territory. Beyond talk about a “nuclear renaissance,” only China is turning it into state policy. A bet on nuclear. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA)security and reliability of supply have become critical priorities for Beijing after years of expansion of electricity supply. However, the push towards nuclear has another dimension of technological independence. Under the Made in China strategy, the country sought to dominate all the links in its energy chain, and today it produces 100% of its nuclear equipment in national territory. according to China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA). In parallel, China promotes its technology abroad. According to the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)the export of the Hualong One reactor is a national priority, with reactors in Pakistan, projects in Argentina and expansion plans throughout Asia and Africa. Nuclear energy is both a tool for decarbonization and energy diplomacy: a way to secure supply, reduce emissions and project technological power. The renewable paradox. China leads the global green transition, but its energy matrix still marked for coal. According to Ember data38% of the country’s electricity already comes from low-carbon sources. Even so, 62% continue to depend on fossil fuels, a proportion that reveals how far they still are from total decarbonization. Their challenge is monumental: leave coal behind without turning off the country. That is why the atom does not replace renewable energy: it sustains them. Nuclear acts as “firm energy”, the basis that keeps the electrical system stable when there is no sun or wind. Coal continues to be the great point of friction—it guarantees supply and employment, but clashes with the ambition to be a renewable leader. In more geopolitical terms, renewable energy is a form of sovereignty. Any country can generate its own electricity. But China wants something more: full control of the electrical system. The muscle of the atom. China is building reactors at a rate no one else can match: between ten and eleven per year. According to the IAEAthe country already has 58 operational reactors and 27 under construction, totaling more than 86 GW of capacity. Nuclear represents 4.47% of its electricity, a small but increasing share. According to Global Energy Monitorthe operational park amounts to 58.1 GW, with forecasts of 63 GW at the end of 2025 and 71 GW in 2026, the year in which China will surpass France as the second nuclear power. Projections from the China Nuclear Energy Association foresee more than 100 GW in operation by 2030 and nearly 200 GW in 2040, double current US capacity. In 2024, nuclear investment reached an all-time high of 146.9 billion yuan. Although its participation in the electricity mix is ​​around 5%, the magnitude of the Chinese system converts that percentage into a volume comparable to all of France’s nuclear production. Technological ambition. After decades of dependence on foreign designs such as the American AP1000, Beijing has developed their own models. Hualong One, a third-generation reactor, is already operating in four national units and thirteen more are under construction. And it doesn’t stop there. China also leads the fourth generation of reactors, safer and more efficient. In 2023, the HTR-PM came into operationthe world’s first modular high-temperature reactor, in Shidao Bay: the prelude to a new stage where nuclear becomes flexible, scalable and commercially viable. In parallel, the Xinghuo-1 project—a hybrid fusion-fission reactor— seeks to achieve a Q factor > 30enough to generate more energy than it consumes. China hopes to have it connected to the grid by 2035, which could put it decades ahead of the rest of the world in the race for commercial fusion. Such ambition requires fuel. China has uranium reserves, but not enough for its expansion. Last year it produced just 1,700 tons, 4% of the world, and imported more than 22,000. Your solution: “fish” uranium from the sea. Researchers at the Frontiers Science Center for Rare Isotopes at Lanzhou University have developed a material called DAE-MOF, capable of absorbing uranium 40 times more efficiently than previous methods. The goal is to have pilot plants by 2035 and large-scale production in 2050. The ocean, with its 4.5 billion tons of dissolved uranium (a thousand times more than land reserves), could ensure centuries of energy autonomy. Another step towards total independence. Forecasts. If plans are met, China will surpass France in 2026 and the United States in 2030 in installed nuclear capacity. By 2040, its 200 GW operating will represent close to 10% of its electricity mix, according to the CNEA. At the same time, the country will maintain its dominance in renewables: the IEA estimates that it will reach 2,460 GW of clean energy in 2030, double that of 2022. And it is not just about energy. Nuclear expansion is reshaping the economy, industry and diplomacy. China positions itself as a global supplier of civil nuclear technology for countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America: an energy diplomacy that combines technological prestige, state financing and its own safety standards. This expansion not only redefines its electrical matrix, but also its international influence: energy has become a diplomatic instrument and a brand of industrial prestige. The century of electrons. China has not stopped burning coal, but it … Read more

has bought more missiles from the US in just two years than in the entire last century

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For months, Washington made Spain his example of disobedience within NATO. Trump came to threaten with punishment trade due to the “low” military spending, while Brussels and La Moncloa they defended their own pace of investment and warned that public accounts could not sustain an uncontrolled escalation. But behind that diplomatic struggle and there was something more to the reproaches exchanged. A “bill” that belittles both, and that reveals a very different story about how far Spain went to appease its most powerful ally. The tariff threat. It all started with an angry warning from the White House: Donald Trump, irritated for the rejection of Pedro Sánchez to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, publicly stated “punish” Spain with tariffs. The threat, which occurred after a summit with Javier Milei in Washington, marked a new level of political pressure on a historic ally. The American president accused Madrid of “taking advantage” of NATO protection without contributing enough and, in a mix of bravado and electoral calculation, he hinted that he could turn the budget dispute into a commercial front. Behind the rhetoric there was an intention deeper: force Europe to finance the containment of Russia with its own resources and, in the process, prop up the military industry United States. The answer. Neither the European Commission nor the Spanish Government took long to respond. Brussels remembered that trade policy is the exclusive competence of the Union and that any attempt to penalize a Member State would have consequences. Madrid, for its part, took pains to emphasize that its military spending had grown more than double in just seven years (from 0.98% of GDP in 2017 to 2% in 2025) and that the debate was not about spending more as a slogan, but about doing it with a strategic sense and within the real capabilities of the country. At the same time, Spain insisted that it contributes to collective deterrence and that its budget increase, although more gradual than that desired by Washington, is part of a structural modernization of its Armed Forces. However, between the lines, the tension reflected something further: the fear that North American demands would end up conditioning the industrial and technological orientation of European defense. The silent turn. And neither one thing nor the other. The diary El País has published figures that confirm what until recently was just intuition: Spain has purchased more American weapons in the last two years than in almost a century. Between 2023 and 2024, the Spanish Government ordered military material for more than 4,500 millions of euros to the United States, a quarter of everything acquired since 1950. The contracts include Patriot systems, MH-60R helicopters and auxiliary equipment that represents the largest volume of expenditure with a single supplier in the recent history of Spanish defense. According to the DSCA (Defense Security Cooperation Agency), sales to Spain reached 2,907 million of dollars in 2024 and 1,682 million the previous year. In other words: while Washington was publicly denouncing the lack of commitment, Madrid was carrying out one of the largest purchasing operations in its history, channeling billions into the US military industry. The geopolitical context. The rebound coincides with the new cycle of European rearmament after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the same one has shot the military budgets of all of NATO. In this context, Spain has accelerated the modernization of its forces with additional spending of 10,471 million of euros in 2025, advancing the goal of 2% of GDP by four years. To finance it, the Executive has resorted to zero interest loans, industrial modernization programs and R&D items, a financial framework that allows keep spending without reform general budgets. However, this expansion has a reverse: the strengthening of technological dependence on the United States, which is consolidating itself as the main supplier of critical systems and reducing the room for maneuver to advance European strategic autonomy. Budget pragmatism. If you also want, the contrast between the Trump threats and the flow contract record with American companies illustrates the balance that Spain has tried to maintain: resisting the public discourse of punishment while, in practice, meeting Washington’s strategic demands and covering its own operational shortcomings. The result could not be more paradoxical. In the eyes of NATO, Madrid meets faster than expected, and in the eyes of its European partners, it risks weakening efforts to consolidate a common industrial base. The movement also redefines the bilateral relationship with Washington, which goes from rhetoric of reproach to the pragmatism of the transaction: while the North American president shows political muscleyour industry reaps the benefits. A lesson. The truth is that the history of these two years reveals how defense decisions, beyond percentages and headlines, are a geopolitical currency. Spain has demonstrated the ability to respond to external pressures without breaking its internal narrative, but the long-term cost (dependency, industrial coherence and technological autonomy) has yet to be measured. Thus, in essence, the question is once again the same as always: whether Europe can rearm itself without falling back into the old pattern of industrial subordination that for decades fueled the transatlantic divide. Spain, with its purchasing record to the American “friend” and his sovereignty speechembodies that contradiction today: that of a continent that seeks independence, but keep buying their safety on the other side of the Atlantic. Image | Kelly Michaels, BORN In Xataka | The US no longer has to worry about Spain or the rearmament bill in Europe. Germany had a plan B In Xataka | Spain committed to investing 2% of GDP in Defense but is not looking for soldiers: it needs 96,000 qualified employees

The Neoclouds promised to democratize the AI. Right now are the most fragile and indebted link in the entire sector

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Coreweave, Lambda Labs, Crusoe and Nebius They represent the most booming and also more fragile link in the AI ​​value chain: Neoclouds. These companies have raised tens of billions in capital and debt to build Data centers full of NVIDIA GPUSbut its business model rests on an increasingly questionable premise: that the demand for computing capacity to continue to grow exponentially. Why is it important. The problem is not just that these companies lose money. Is that its financial structure depends on a vicious circle: They raise debt to buy GPUS. They use those GPUS as a guarantee for more debt. And the money they enter comes mostly from the same companies that sell them the chips and lend them the money. The model. The Neoclouds They came promising GPU infrastructure in months, no years, already prices up to 66% cheaper than AWS, Azure or Google Cloud. The proposal sounded well: companies needed GPUS and Hyperscalers (AWS, Azure and Company) did not supply. The market responded with enthusiasm: Coreweave went from billing 16 million dollars in 2022 to 5,350 million in the last year. Nebius (which has exploded in the stock market and whose germ is Yandex) grew from 5 million quarterly to 105 million. The segment Neocloud As a whole, 82% per year has grown in the last four years. The problem of the single client. Coreweave generated 60% of its 2024 revenues by renting capacity to Microsoft for Openai. Only Microsoft. Nvidia represents another 15%. If you eliminate a The magnificent seven already openai of the accounts of the main Neocloudsthere are hardly 1,000 million dollars of combined income, As calculated by analyst Ed Zitron. Lambda Labs has half of his income at Amazon and Microsoft, plus 1.5 billion in a contract with Nvidia. Almost all Nebius’s growth projection comes from A 19,000 million agreement with Microsoft. There is no diversified market of business clients. There are a handful of technological giants using these suppliers as an exhaust valve or as a vehicle to move money without inflating their own capital expenses Aka Capex. The money trail. Coreweave owes 25,000 million with annual revenues of 5,350 million. Its debt-active ratio reaches 85.4%. It is like two times your annual salary. And unlike the property that supports a mortgage, the GPUS depreciate quickly. Nebius He has just closed a 4,200 million round to build the infrastructure that allows you to fulfill your contract with Microsoft. Lambda Labs and Crusoe have raised hundreds of millions in risk and debt capital. The model is always the same: You get a large contract. You use that contract as a guarantee to raise debt. Purchases Gpus to Nvidia. Rrena more data centers. Repeat. The problem arises when the Ancla client decides that he no longer needs so much capacity, or when you cannot build the infrastructure quick enough. Between the lines. Nvidia has invested directly into several Neoclouds And it is also its largest supplier and, in many cases, its largest client. Coreweave signed a 6,300 million agreement with Nvidia a few days ago For the manufacturer to buy any capacity that cannot be sold to other customers until 2032. In the end we see an elaborate mechanism of Circular financing: Nvidia needs to sell GPUS to maintain its growth. The Neoclouds They need to buy GPUS to fulfill their contracts. The Hyperscalers They need additional capacity but do not want to inflate their capex. And the Private Equity You need to place tens of billions in something that seems the future. In figures. Building a Data Center Capacity Gigavatio costs between 32,500 and 50,000 million dollars. Oracle and Crusoe took 2.5 years to complete a gigavatio for Openai. Nebius has promised to build multiple gigawatts in increasingly unrealistic terms. The alarm signal. Coreweave has reported important operating losses in its last quarter despite explosive growth in income. Nebius plans to reach 1,100 million in annual recurring revenues by the end of 2025, almost exclusively driven by the contract with Microsoft. What happens if Microsoft decides that you can build your own cheaper capacity? Or if Openai, the final customer of much of that capacity, collapses under the weight of their own losses? The decisive moment. The consolidation has already begun. Coreweave has just bought Core Scientific for 9,000 million in shares. Only great will survive, and probably not many. It is a matter of time when the adjustment will arrive. The doubt is how much damage will cause when billions in debt collide against the reality that the real demand for GPU capacity is a fraction of what is assumed. In Xataka | The PC is mutating: the future is filled with AI work stations so you can have your chatgpt at home Outstanding image | Nebius

Raise a wall that protects the entire continent, but instead of concrete, drones

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In recent weeks, a Succession of incursions of drones and airplanes Russians About the heavens From Poland, Romania, Estonia, Denmark and Norway has evidenced the vulnerability of European airspace. The violations have forced to close civil airports, activate NATO fighters and use missiles to tear down devices whose price is just a fraction of the projectiles thrown against them. The alarm has spread from the Baltic to the Atlantic, and in Europe it has taken strength An idea: The answer must be a coordinated effort on the continental scale. The concept “Drones Wall”. Yes, under the impulse of the European Commissioner of Defense, Andrius Kubilius, the idea of A “drone wall” that protects all of Europe in the face of Russian threat. The initiative raises a multilayer system with radars, acoustic sensors, interception platforms, short -range anti -aircraft artillery and defensive drones, all connected to the network to share data in real time between countries. The objective is to achieve interoperability and common coverage that allows detect and neutralize drones In seconds. The project, which will be presented at the Copenhagen informal summit, extends beyond border countries with Russia to cover the entire continent, also integrating spatial capabilities in collaboration with the European Space Agency. Ukraine, the partner. A central aspect is the participation of Ukrainethat after more than three years of war has become the armed force more experienced In the world in defense against Drones swarms. Its manufacturers, supported by the immediate feedback of the front, They have developed industries capable of adapting designs in a matter of weeks, something that contrasts with the rigidity of the European arms industry. kyiv has offered Share knowledge, send technical teams to train NATO armies and participate in the joint development of systems. Several countries, including United Kingdom and Denmarkthey have already begun to weave industrial alliances with Ukrainian manufacturers to produce drones in common, aware that the future of air defense goes through a close integration with the innovative capacity of Ukraine. Politics, money and the EU. The drone wall project advances in parallel to a large -cut financial initiative: a 140,000 million loan from euros to Ukraine based on frozen Russian assets in the EU. Germany, who had been reluctant, has shown willingness to support The plan, convinced that without those funds It will be impossible Replace the void left by the American withdrawal. The formula would avoid direct confiscation of the funds, preserving international legality, but would allow Generate immediate resources to sustain the warlike ukrainian effort. Hungary, despite its proximity to Kremlin, It has not blocked So far the sanctions, but the fear of a veto forces Brussels to explore legal ways that raffle the need for unanimity. The interrelation between financing to Ukraine and the deployment of a continental drone shield underlines that European defense can no longer separate from kyiv’s survival. Berlin’s doubts. Despite the enthusiasm of Brussels and the East countries, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, He has cooled This week expectations. In his opinion, the idea that a wall of drones can be operational in three or four years, when the processes of acquisition and technological development are much slower. Pistorius insists on Prioritize flexible capabilitiesthat allow to adapt to a technology in constant evolution, rather than commit to a rigid and high cost concept. His words reflect a latent tension between those who demand speed and forcefulness, Like the Baltic or Polandand those who advocate prudence and financial sustainability, Like Germany. However, even the most skeptical coincide in the need to spend massively in anti -Didstock defense, even if it is outside the framework of a common wall. UK’s role: Project Octopus. In parallel, the United Kingdom has announced Your own contribution to a joint program with Ukraine, called Project octopusdestined to produce in British factories low -cost interceptors that can be manufactured in series and deploy in a matter of weeks. These devices, effective against The Iranian Shahedthey have a production cost ten times minor that the equivalent systems and could become the backbone of the short -range European air defense. London plans Share intellectual property with kyiv and supply the drones to both Ukraine and NATO countries, thus expanding their strategic influence. British involvement also seeks to compensate for its departure from the EU, showing that it remains a pillar of the European defense against Russia. New strategic balance. The initiative of the drone wall is framed in a broader context: progressive separation of the United Statesdriven by Trump’s policy. The partial abandonment of Washington has crystallized the evidence that the main military ally of Europe is no longer the United States, but Ukraine itselfwhich brings more than 700,000 active combatants, an agile arms industry and the determination to resist Moscow. Europe, therefore, aims to stop seeing kyiv as a mere consumer of military aid and starting to integrate it as a Security provider. The industrial agreements in drones are the first step of a symbiosis that could redefine continental defensive architecture. Between urgency and uncertainty. Under this scenario, Europe faces A crossroads: You need to act quickly to cover its vulnerabilities to Russian drones, but at the same time you must manage expectations and avoid financial or technological commitments that are unfeasible. The drone wall symbolizes EU’s will to build A common defenseinteroperable and sustained, but its success will depend on the ability to reconcile the demands of the eastern flank with the caution of the western nucleus. The Collaboration with Ukrainefinancing based on frozen Russian assets and British involvement They point to a future in which European security is built on its own pillars, or less dependent on the United States. In that transformation, drones do not seem only tactical tools: they have become the emblem of a Europe that desperately seeks shield his sky while redefine your place in the global strategic order. Image | Khamenei.ir, Nara, Rawpixel In Xataka | Russian drones are paralyzing airports in Europe. There is a background reason: 250,000 casualties in … Read more

The entire planet looks intrigued at the cars factories of China and Morocco. Meanwhile, another power grows in the shadow: Türkiye

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The European Union has more than A year applying the “compensatory rights” to the Chinese electric vehicles. This rate really applies to all manufacturers they produce in China and then bring their cars to European soil. The goal? That companies manufacture in Europe. But if all eyes point to China, other countries make their way. Morocco is not the only one that is consolidating as the springboard Star to Europe: Türkiye is asking for a step. And it is not something that are taking advantage of Chinese brands: also European. Trampolines. The Chinese automotive industry has a simple objective: to conquer the world with its electric cars. Companies have experience, technology, ships to transport thousands of cars of a tacada and are leaders in the manufacture of the most important: The batteries. China has launched some strategies to meet that plan, such as expand its factories in Europe, associate with European companies and create Kits that are manufactured in ChinaThey are transported disassembled and remembered in the final car on European soil. But, they are also taking advantage of “empty” in those compensatory rights. The combustion car is its ‘Trojan horse’but also countries like Morocco and Türkiye. In both, the labor is cheaper than in Europe and most importantly: they have commercial treaties with the EU, which allows those ‘tariffs’ to skip. Touchstone. It is calculated that The investment in Morocco is about 10,000 million dollarsa figure that contemplates not only manufacturing, but also the exploitation of key minerals for battery production. Morocco has huge deposits and China does not want to miss another portion of a chain that dominates with iron fist. In the case of Türkiye, there are examples like Chery investing $ 1,000 million for a plant in Samsun that will have a production capacity of 200,000 electric and hybrid vehicles every year. SWM Motors too will open A plant in Eskisehir to create hybrids and gasoline, and Byd will have one of its biggest factories In the West in Manisa. Besides, Not only will they be dedicated to manufacturing: In the case of Byd we also talk about an R&D center. Not only China. But it’s not just that China looks at Türkiye: Europe does not lose sight of them either. Brands like Renault and some from Stellantis produce There models for both the local market and Europe (The new Clio, for example). Moreover, the European Union, through funds such as Horizon Europe, intended 1,000 million euros in the 2021-2027 framework for the development of the automotive sector in Türkiye, especially for electric mobility, the development of load infrastructure and initiatives such as the manufacturing and recycling of batteries. Win-Win. Obviously, the situation is beneficial for all parties. On the one hand, China wins a springboard to European soil and the possibility of introducing their cars at very attractive prices in a local market that is upwards. The estimate is that Türkiye is the Major Market Fourth of electric cars for sales in Europe during the first half of 2025, only behind Germany, the United Kingdom and France. This is something favored by the State thanks to reductions and a series of advantageous tax conditions and tax exemptions if an electric car is purchased. And Türkiye, with that money, promotes the transformation of the sector with new R&D centers and strategic agreements with Europe to further reinforce its position. Toggg. And eye, Türkiye, Following The example of Europe put an aggressive tariff on Chinese electric cars, but with a condition: if manufacturers began to invest in local production facilities, they would be exempt from that import tax. But in all this there is an asterisk: Chinese companies, with their high capitalization and strong technology, can offer advanced vehicles at very competitive prices that overwhelm local producers like Toggg. There are already those who points That this competition, instead of healthy, could suppress the growth of the local ecosystem, being a danger if, at some point, Chinese companies decide to leave the market. And the United States? Apart from this issue, it is evident that the country is playing its letters well as the “bridge” between the East and West is, also in terms of critical raw materials to create batteries –part of the rare earth that China controls-. And, if you are wondering what happens to American companies, the truth is that their giants are not investing directly in Türkiye, but they are doing it through the calls Joint Ventures. They do not want to make too much outside the United States (something that recent tariff Otosan to create cars on Turkish soil and sell them both in that market and in the Middle East. In the end, as they say, a scrambled river, fishermen’s gain. And everything indicates that Morocco and Türkiye are those fishermen. In Xataka | Family and friends keep asking me if “it is worth buying a Chinese car.” This is my answer

A ghost fleet has mapped the entire submarine structure of the EU. The question is what Moscow will do with that information

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In January 2025 United Kingdom He raised his voice At the international level. The British Secretary of Defense, John Healy, explained that a nuclear submarine and two ships from Royal Navy had sighted a spy ship in the waters of the nation, and that it was the second time in just three months. The message did not stay there. The United Kingdom gave a name and a nation behind the incursion: Yantar and Russia. Now it has been discovered that the ship has been doing much more than that. The resurgence of a war. In recent months, NATO’s attention has moved to a less visible but increasingly critical front: the European seabed. The protagonist of this new concern is, again, The Yantara Russian spy ship that, disguised as a civil ship, toured during almost 100 days The waters of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean with an accurate objective: map and monitor the submarine cables on Europe and North America for their digital communications, their financial transactions, their energy and even their most sensitive military systems. We know all this Thanks to the Financial Timesthat after an investigation based on interviews with NATO naval officers and former members of the Russian north fleet, as well as in radar images of the European Space Agency, he has confirmed that the Yantar came to be located on critical cables in the sea of ​​Ireland and in front of Norway, on the strategic route to Svalbard. The role of Gugi. The Yantar operates under the orbit of the GLAVNOYE UPRAVLENIE GLUBOKOVODNIKH ISSLEDOVII (GUGI), the director of Deep Water Research created in the Cold War and known in the West as Military Unit 40056. Based on Olenya Guba, in the Kola Peninsula, this force is located on the border between the Russian Navy and military intelligence (Gru), dedicated less to science than to espionage. Gugi has about 50 platforms (From minisubmarines capable of reaching 6,000 meters deep to nodriza ships such as Yantar), designed to place sensors, manipulate or sabotage cables and, if necessary, destroy strategic infrastructure in a conflict scenario. Despite the blows suffered (such as the submarine fire Losharik in 2019 or the death of its historic boss by Covid), the organization has continued to receive resources Even in full war of Ukraine, which has allowed to commission new spy units. The Yantar The threat in the gray zone. The reactivation of Yantar’s missions Since the end of 2023 Indicates that Moscow has abandoned the initial caution he showed after invading Ukraine. Analysts like Sidharth Kaoushal (Rusi) They point that Russia has measured NATO’s red lines and is now more willing to take risks. The plans detected in the sea of ​​Ireland, where several cables converge that connect the United Kingdom and Ireland, fit into the Russian logic to act in The so -called “Gray Zone”: Operations of covert sabotage that do not equals an open military attack but can destabilize entire societies. In fact, Western Officers They warn That Moscow could, the case, cut energy or communications to force governments to the negotiation, or even alter the temporal signals that travel through the cables, with devastating effects in sectors such as high frequency financial trade. European vulnerability. The United Kingdom obtains the 99% of its communications Digital of submarine cables and three quarters of its gas through underwater pipelines. Ireland, which does not belong to NATO, is a particularly exposed point: cutting its connections would be to isolate it from the continent without directly attacking an allied member. He parliamentary report British of September 19 warned that the country “could not guarantee an attack or recover in an acceptable period,” also criticizing the fragmentation of responsibilities between ministries. In Denmark, the case of explosions of Nord Stream in 2022 evidenced the same bureaucratic dispersion. Although London has assigned the Royal Navy the mission of Protect these infrastructureexperts point out that the lack of anti -submarine frigates and patrol dependence limit the real response capacity. The Atlantic Bastion project. To close that gap, NATO and especially the United Kingdom they consider the creation of “Atlantic Bastion”: A defensive ring of sensors, submarine drones and acoustic stations in the seabed that reinforces the control of the Greenland-Islandia-Rio-Reinian corridor. Although the plan still lacks concrete financing, its need is increasingly evident. In parallel, surveillance ships such as The British proteus They rehearse with autonomous vehicles capable of documenting the activities of the Yantar and other GGI units, with the idea of ​​exhibiting public evidence and generating deterrence. Admiral Gwyn Jenkins, head of the Royal Navy, He warned This month that Gugi, after a period of relative stillness, “is returning.” Silent war. The activity From Yantar It is not an isolated case: between autumn of 2023 and November 2024, eleven Russian ships (military and supposedly civil) held a almost constant presence in British and Irish waters. Allied intelligence services suspect that Moscow already prepares sabotage scenarios against cables as a pressure measure on the countries that arm Ukraine. While until now these operations have been maintained under the threshold of the open confrontation, the possibility of Russia “turning off” the United Kingdom or Aisle Ireland is not a crazy hypothesis. As summarized Excapitan David Fields, former British naval aggregate in Moscow: “Russian military doctrine consists of hitting first, strong and where it hurts most, to prevent the enemy from even getting rid of war.” On that silent board, the Yantar has become the key piece of a underwater chess that threatens to redefine the limits of European security. Image | Defense ImageryAndrey Luzik In Xataka | A British nuclear submarine has discovered a Russian ship in front of its submarine cables. The second time in three months In Xataka | Research on submarine cables cut in the Baltic has taken a turn: it was not Russia, it was inexperience

Tour the entire Madrid subway in just 12 hours

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His name is Adham Fisher and his name is in the history books. Provided that we put in that bag the bizarre challenges that They are collected in the Guinness book of the records. His crushing is as simple as crazy and strategic. Fisher is the man who has taken less time to travel all the Madrid subway lines. No matter the order, the arrival station or the departure. It only matters to have gone through each and every one of the stations that are part of the Madrid Metro network. The record has been held since 2017 When he registered 12 hours, 15 minutes and 48 seconds touring the Madrid subsoil. The judges’ note says the following: “Adham possessed the record to travel faster the Paris subway and that of New York.” Also a notice: “record attempts will not be admitted if the applicant is under 16 years.” It is not mentioned in the notice if it is a matter of security or that they understand that with less than 16 years there are better plans than spending half a day underground running between stations. Anyway, Fisher has returned to Madrid. And it has an objective: to lower your time. Noon under the ground Adham Fisher’s relationship with the Madrid suburban is long. Although his best time in Madrid dates from 2017, he also held a record with 13 hours in the accountant. And although he tells ABC who knows that at least some students have tried to snatch their record (The attempt was carried out in 2021)we do not know if there have really been many more attempts. The strategy is the same as the one that already told The world That same year. Then I tried to find the limits of Madrid’s vicinity and, as on this occasion (Fisher is one of the claims of the European Mobility Week In Madrid), he already pointed out that the project takes a lot of study, noting the times in stops and Analyze what its origin and destination should be. Of course, keep them a secret until the challenge is launched and finished, if there is luck, to the edge of the half -time. This time, Fisher was doubtful. Madrid Metro Line 6 is being renovated And therefore, it is largely closed. It was not a big problem for the British who uses the special bus service that the city has available to follow the line of the line. However, perform part of the path on the asphalt already seemed an insurmountable handicap. And although Fisher also knows what he faced because He already tried to tour all London’s bus lines In less than 24 hours, from the Madrid subway they have confirmed that, finally, the British has preferred to devote its passage to Madrid to take times for a future attempt. These successive attempts and their years of dedication hatched three years ago in a documentary called Team Fisher in which his attempt is to travel the 272 stations of the London Metro before the end of the day. And he also tells his experience in the book Tube Challenge: The Ultimate Ride. And is that the challenge of touring all the stations of the London suburban It began in 1960. Since then, they have accumulated to 22 new records that, yes, dance slightly in the number of stations. At the moment, the innumerable works by Madrid It seems that they have delayed a new attempt by the British that has been one of the subway claims for this week mobility. But something tells us that we will find it again in one of the hundreds of platforms of the Madrid Metro, notebook and stopwatch in hand. Photo | Annie Mole and Deniz Demirci In Xataka | The icing on the cake to the works of Madrid: the city has become a gymkana of reforms, cuts and discomfort

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