faces

now faces 10 years in prison for damages

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After 11 years working as a software developer in a company in Texas, a man received a letter announcing that, by A staff restructuringtheir responsibilities and access to the company’s systems were reduced. A year later He was fired. However, the employee had already had time to Prepare revenge Against the company that had fired him: a sabotage software with delayed effect that would cause serious damage to the company’s servers. A digital time bomb. According to He has made public The US Department of Justice, Davis Lu, a 55 -year -old former employee of Eaton Corporation, inserted a malicious code in the company’s system designed to activate at the time when its credentials were deactivated of the system. That is, the malware that pwould rovocar the sabotage It would only be activated once the employee was officially fired. The main objective of this “Kill Switch” or off switch, as is known in the world of computer science, was to create infinite loops that would paralyze Java’s systems when the company workers try to log in to work on the server. The digital switch made the sessions be closed and the files of the user profiles of their former partners were deleted. Code with automatic start. According to the Department of Justice, Malware Created by Lu became one more evidence during his trial, since the engineer baptized him as “Isdlenabledinad” that becomes the abbreviation in English of “Is Davis Lu enabled in Active Directory?”. If the answer was no, which implied that Davis Lu had been fired, two pieces of code were triggered “Hakai“, Japanese word that means” destruction “, and”Hunshui“, Chinese word that means” sleep “or” lethargy “that were the ones that caused chaos in the profiles of the users who tried to log in while they were active. Large economic damage. The revenge of Lu sowed chaos in the company, preventing employees from accessing their data, or that hundreds of work files associated with their profiles were lost. When Lu computer scavengers tried deactivate malwareThey discovered that the software that was “attacking” its systems was executed from the computer and a server that only Lu had access. During their trial, the FBI agents in charge of the investigation valued in hundreds of thousands of dollars the damages caused to the company. An exemplary punishment. After being arrested, Davis Lu faced a trial for criminal sabotage and for causing intentional damage to protected servers. The company accused him of altering his operations worldwide, blocking the profiles of thousands of users and causing large economic losses. Although his defense tried to minimize the financial impact of the attack, the Department of Justice requested a severe penalty for Lu and a jury has condemned him to a sentence of 10 years in prison, although he still appears appeal. In Xataka | Companies have found a way to fire indefinite after labor reform: disciplinary dismissal In Xataka | First came the “silent resignation.” Now his revenge has come: the “silent layoffs” Image | Unspash (Boitumelo)

The price of oil faces a perfect storm and an unexpected country has been placed in the center: Kazakhstan

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The oil market is experiencing one of Your most unstable stagesfrom internal disputes within the OPEC+ to the production policies of great powers outside the organization. In this scenario, the role of Kazakhstan has gained great relevance, but the real danger can be what is to come if it is combined with the focus of other international actors, such as the United States. Overproduction. A month ago, Kazakhstan was news because had to accelerate its nuclear development to address your growing shortage of energy., Approveing ​​your first nuclear power plant. Now, this country that had always maintained a low profile in oil matters It has been increasing Production in recent weeks, overcoming what is estimated by OPEC+. According to A recent reportKazakhstan produced 1,767 million barrels per day (BPD) in February, a notable increase compared to 1,570 million BPD in January, and well above its quota in the organization, which It is set at 1,468 million BPD. The problems multiply. In the Tengiz deposit, operated in collaboration with Chevron, it has exceeded expectations being the largest within the OPEC+. This situation has caused a challenge in the goals of the oil organization to maintain a balance in production. In an attempt to stabilize prices, the oil organization had decided to increase gradually production after years of cuts to boost crude oil prices. However, with the price of oil collapsing, it is in need of reviewing its strategy. Russia’s threat to reverse the decision to increase production and internal disagreements about production quotas are complicating the situation even more. The imminent crisis. The price of crude has suffered a strong collapse in recent weeks, with a fall of more than 13% from the peaks reached in January. While this decrease It can be attributed to factors As the excess supply in America and a weaker demand, the Kazakhstan factor is acting as a catalyst that could deepen the crisis. Its excessive production could be an important factor for OPEC+ to not sustain its agreements and face a review of its strategy. Without significant correction, the market could face an even deeper price crisis. United States following closely. With Trump’s arrival, oil has resurfaced again in the United States. The current president has promoted a large -scale oil production policy, his famous: “Drill, Baby, Drill”. In this operation to continue producing to keep prices below $ 60 a barrel, experts They have pointed out That Trump has intensifying competition in a saturated market, affecting all crude -dependent economies. The worst is yet to come. The growing production of Kazakhstan and the United States is creating An uncertain panorama For the oil market. If the supply continues as the demand does not grow to the expected rhythm, the crude oil prices They could collapse even more, affecting both producers and oil -dependent economies. The point will be if the OPEC+ can balance these external pressures or if the market will be dragged into a price crisis. Image | Flickr Xataka | The era of the “renewable transition” has died as soon as it starts: BP leads the replication of the great oil companies

The United States has been sunk in an extreme increase in eggs. Spain now faces the same problem

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No, they are not your impressions. Prepare an tortilla is more expensive today than only a few months ago. After experimenting A price increase Between August and December 2024 in the EU set, egg cards have risen again in recent days clearlyas noted The Observatory FACUA PRICE OR THE SERVICES OF Toledo and Bellpuig. Behind that trend there are a number of key factors and especially a great question: what can we expect from now on? More expensive eggs? The data of the observatory FACUA PRICE AND THE SERVICES OF Toledo either Bellpuig They show it clearly: after The climb Price scored already during the second half of 2024, the eggs have become more expensive. The percentage It can vary of one chain to anotherbut at the beginning of March the consumer organization registered increases in the price of the eggs of up to 25%. Meanwhile, the Catalan Lonja or the Toledo also scored price increases that have become 8 or 14 centsdepending on the type of product. What is the reason? Better talk about reasons, in the plural. The first key is the demand itself. The sector has registered an increase that already goes back to 2024with one 8% risefar superior to that noted by meat or refrigerated. It is not strange. During the Inflationist scenarios Consumers look for cheaper options, such as eggs, a protein source economic. With that backdrop the farms have also had to deal with a series of factors that affect their costs: The end of bonuses in the electricity bill and an increase in labour and the grain In recent years. The sector has warned of impact that will have the regulation that aims to eliminate the cages. Are the only factors? No. The analysis On egg prices usually point out another key: the ghost of the avian flu that hits especially to the USplunged into what has already been baptized as “ovoflation”marked by scarcity and record prices. In January the Average price From a dozen category to category, it was about $ 4.95, well above of what is charged in Spain. In recent weeks the seven euros. Here the Ministry of Agriculture and Food declared early year the high risk of aviar flu and activated An order that applied preventive measures in the most exposed areas. At that time, the EU Official Gazette warned that Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland and Portugal had notified outbreaks. Where does the demand come from? In its last analysis of the market the Toledo Business Federation (Fedeto) a determining factor to understand the drift of prices in Spain: demand, both the national and the arrival of outside our borders. “Egg consumption remains high in homes and in industry”, Precise The collective, which appreciates a general climb in the contributions of all sizes, especially L and M. “Export is maintained to European center countries, where diminished production does not serve to meet the needs of demand,” duck. According to the Spanish Association of Egg Producers (ASEPRHU), at least in recent years Between 15 and 20% From the table eggs of Spain they have ended up exporting. Their main destinations: France, Portugal and the Netherlands. And the United States? In full “ovoflation” The US is looking for different ways of satisfying its demand and lowering prices, which happens in part, according to I recently advanced The New York Timesto bring them from abroad. A few weeks ago the newspaper said that the US is already probing several countries to ensure the short -term supply, although without specifying which. The largest source of eggs imported to the country is its neighbor Canadafollowed by Netherlands and United Kingdom. Recently the CNN chain pointed out, however, that one of the country’s great support is now being Türkiye, which plans to export 420 million From eggs to the US this year, a record mark. And what about Spain? The flow of eggs between the US and the EU is usually scarce and in fact, EFE clarifiesthe US authorities allow only the entry of European egg in the shell for transformation into ovoproduct, not for direct consumption. In the specific case of Spain, exports to the US barely pass the 100 tons per year, which represents only 0.1% of the export volume of Spain, more focused on the European Union. With all the newspaper Last minute I pointed A few days ago, Spanish products are preparing to send eggs to the US after verifying that the US has “shown interest” in their product. Moreover, he assures that in an internal circular Federovo claims to be making efforts to process export certificates. In 2015, in a similar situation, the US resorted to the EU, although the sector ensures that the scenario is different today, with a solid domestic market. Images | Alex Barth (Flickr) and Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine (Flickr) In Xataka | Eggs are so expensive in the United States that there are people opting for a desperate solution: rent chickens

Some scientists have created a camera that detects faces at 100 km

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China continues to progress without technology brakes. Although many innovations focus on the civil sphere, others reinforce their military and intelligence power. Proof of this is an experimental system that promises to analyze objects kilometers away. We are talking about a technology that could promote an important leap in its espionage capabilities. The information comes of South China Morning Postwhich details how a team from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has achieved successful observations with an innovative laser system. This operates in optical wavelengths and helps obtain huge distance images, if certain conditions are met. A new observation system As we can see in the visual representation, the researchers displayed the system on a shore of the Qinghai lake, an immense Alpine lake in the remote northwest of China. On the other side, to 101.8 km awayThey installed a set of reflective rhymes. The impressive thing is that, despite the huge distance, the system managed to distinguish details of just 1.7 mm wide. The laser makes the difference. They say that it reaches an accuracy of 15.6 mm when measuring distances, which theoretically leaves the spy and telescope chambers with lenses, surpassing them by a factor of 100. Now, the observations must be made with optimal climatic conditions, stable wind, low cloudiness and, in observations of the orbit, clear skies. Although the tests have been performed on land, the Hongkonés newspaper points out that this technology could be used for espionage from space. Its unprecedented capacity to capture details would allow Identify faces from orbit Or, in reverse, analyze satellites from adversary countries with great precision from the surface of our planet. If the question is how they have achieved it, the answer is in a combination of innovations. To begin with, the researchers divided the laser beam into a 4×4 microlent matrix, which allowed to expand the optical opening of the 7.2 mm system (0.68 inches) to 68.8 mm (2.71 inches). With this approach, they managed to overcome the usual limitation between the size of the opening and the field of vision. In addition, they incorporated a specialized laser module capable of emitting signals with frequencies higher than 10 gigahecks. Thanks to this, the system reached an extremely fine range resolution, allowing distance measurements with great precision. At the same time, a narrow color spectrum was maintained to improve the resolution of the azimuththus optimizing detail detection. Images | Chinese Academy of Sciences | Bernard Hermant | POT In Xataka | Anuuu is thrown over another problem: China prepares to lead the manufacture of chips for advanced weapons

Valencia faces a serious problem with housing. So someone has had an idea: build more height

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Tecnocasa recently published A report in which the thermometer to the Spanish real estate market, a theoretical exercise that allowed him to obtain two revealing data: in just one year the demand for housing has grown up on average 39% In Spain while the offer undertook the opposite road, retreating more than 9%. The result is a tensioning market, in which the floors last a few weeks or days (even hours) announced in real estate agencies before finding tenant or buyer. In Valencia, an idea has emerged to alleviate that problem and reinforce its public housing offer: allow buildings to gain height, a formula with which they calculate that the city could win More than 70,000 floors protected What happened? That in Valencia has been on the table An idea New to reinforce your housing park. At least the protected housing. A few days ago the Socialists proposed in the City Council of the City Council to retouch the local ordination (PGOU) so that the city buildings grow to the top. Literally. His idea is that the blocks can raise one or two plants their height. The plan He advanced it The country Wednesday, before the commission; But from the PSPV they recognize that he did not obtain the necessary support, so at least for the moment he will stay in that, an idea about the table to face the housing problem. “The PP has rejected our proposal”, Explain The socialist mayor Elisa was worth. Click on the image to go to Tweet. What have they raised? “Raise buildings to gain public housing”, summarize The PSPV of Valencia. The idea is simple: modify the PGOU to upload the city blocks one or two levels. The socialist group has already made accounts and calculates that if an extra plant was added to all buildings, 86,644 homes would leave, a large residential park also distributed throughout the municipality. As part of these constructions are protected by their heritage value or are located in Valencia neighborhoods in which height cannot be gained, the PSPV has retouched that initial figure, but the result remains considerable. “If we subtract 20% for understanding that in the historical centers and protected buildings you will not be able Explain Valía to The country. That (more than 70,000 new floors) is the figure that PSPV presumed this week in networks, where he claimed that his proposal “would avoid expulsion and uprooting.” Why such a measure? The PSPV plan is focused on the creation of protected housing (both for rent and sale) in a territory that dealt with the offer shortage and the price increase. In January the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) published A report that helps to understand much better The situation From the capital of Turia: in five years the prices of the new work have triggered about 80% and the offer was reduced by 83%. Things have not been better in the rental market, which became more expensive. “What we have before us is a tsunami of epic dimensions and all administrations must act in a coordinated, effective and quickly, The director explains of the Chair of the UPV Housing Observatory after remembering the forecasts at the state level. “We estimate that more than 80% of the current demand fits in the public protection house, so the determined commitment to the construction of this type of housing is strategic.” And how do you want to do it? The PSPV proposal is not entirely new and there are other cities in which they have already been activated similar solutionstaking advantage of the ‘Flight Law’. In Valencia the idea is that it is the communities of owners themselves that can promote the ‘stretch’ up the buildings with one or two extra plants. The resulting floors would be added to the Public Protection Housing Park, which among other things would allow it to extend it to “consolidated neighborhoods”, Valía points out. The PSPV plan also includes an extra advantage for neighbors communities. In a city with an aged real estate park, in which A notable percentage From the houses it has more than four decades, the communities of neighbors would obtain from the extra buildability some resources that would allow them to modernize their blocks. Are there more cases? Yes, Valencia is not the only one that has been fixed in that formula. In Barcelona, ​​licenses have been granted to lift floors that increased the buildability of existing buildings. In 2017 it was estimated that in just three years they had benefited from that possibility (the traces) about thirty buildingswith licenses for 120 floors. Madrid too It has varied Over the years the maximum height of its buildings and the Balearic Islands leave another recent example. Palma already added in September 70 requests of buildings to grow in height and add 589 floors of limited price. Images | Jonny James (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | The price of housing in Spain is already higher than in the bubble peak. But the data has a small trick

Tesla faces a perfect storm and his actions are paying him expensive

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We have been for 43 days of the year 2025 and Elon Musk has lived a roller coaster of emotions. In less than a month and a half he has confirmed that he is one of the strong men of the Donald Trump government, with controversial investiture included, and at the same time he has seen losing hundreds of millions of euros of his fortune. Tesla is very blamed. A collapse. Tesla ended the year 2024 asking for the time and the consequences have begun to be noticed in this 2025. On December 17 of last year, Tesla’s shares cost $ 479.86. Since then, the fall has been sustained, despite a small rebound a week later. However, Tesla’s actions have fallen until 328.50 euros at the time we write These lines. It is a collapse of more than 30%, devaluing the action almost 25% in what we have been. And the fall has been especially pronounced in what we have of the month of February. Less than two weeks ago, the action exceeded the barrier of 400 euros. What happened? The reasons being wielded to explain the fall They are many and varied But they can be summarized at some key points: Bad results of the company Elon Musk’s political slope The competition ads and, especially, by byd Bad results. The end of the year for Tesla was complicated. The company sought, by all means, to prevent the year 2024 from becoming the first year of “non -growth.” The company reduced prices, offered 0% financing and free recharges to try to carry sales figures above 2023 But he didn’t finish getting it. That has left an important hangover in its market. In 2025, the registrations have collapsed which indicates that they could have put in the commercial network more vehicles than those who now have to give out. In Stellantis they know well what we are talking about, with A crisis in United Statess for this reason that has ended with Carlos Tavares outside the address of the company. A 2025 that does not start well. In the first bars of 2025, Tesla sales have fallen very hard. It is still early to know what the company of Elon Musk will hold the year but in China, the company’s main market, They have fallen hard. Tesla has in Europe a good ceiller to continue exploding. However, Your sales In Germany (by volume, the main European market of the electric car) reflect falls of almost 60% in January. In France (second market) they have also exceeded that barrier and in more fragile markets such as Spanish, variation is even more striking with a 75%decrease. They are not good short -term perspectives. A Tesla Model and renewed. But more expensive and without solving the demands of the Chinese market. Local market customers are turning positions towards More technological and advanced models But, above all, towards brands that are able to evolve their cars very quickly. The paradigm shift is such that Catl has begun to invent the term of “Smart Electric Car”. Renew the image without offering large additions or new incentives at the software level, following the rhythms marked by the traditional automobile industry, may not be enough for Tesla in China. Elon Musk and politics. Position yourself as one of the strong men of Donald Trump’s government can serve Tesla to Accelerate plans To put on the streets the Tesla Cybercab and try to burn stages that to other manufacturers It has cost them years and billions of dollars. However, there are several aspects to take into account: A competition that squeezes. Although no one in Europe and the United States still does not offer the autonomy/price ratio of which the western manufacturers presume They are launching more and more products to the market to rival Elon Musk’s company. Maybe they are cars smaller or higher consumption But more and more vehicles are in prices of between 25,000 and 30,000 euros that, if you are aware of the needs of the home or the small discomforts they can have on long tripsthey are more than valid for the vast majority of the potential public. A bomb called “Eye of God”. Beyond European competition, a good part of its economic results are played in China. In that market you live in a continuous price war where Musk’s own company has participated for try to sweep competitors and leave them along the way. But Byd has launched a bomb: it will offer its autonomous (supervised) driving systems for free in all electric cars, be of the range that is. Its Byd Seagull, its best -selling model because it has a demolition price that to the direct change is below 10,000 euros, it will also have what The company calls “Eye of God”. I give it to you. The news is especially relevant because Tesla wanted to make automated driving one of her great incentives to sell her cars. But, above all, I thought it could be a new business to exploit with subscriptions and the purchase of functions at a price of thousands of euros. Giving this system, which is vitaminated with DeepseekByd has launched a missile to the Tesla flotation line invalidating the argument of its autopilot, which So much is costing them to work in ChinaIt is a differential value. The impact has been such that in the last five days the action of Tesla has fallen almost 60 euros and the decrease has been much more accused in the last two days. At the same time, Byd’s action has not stopped growing. In the last five days more than 20% has been fired and around 22% in what we have been in 2025. Photo | Bram van Oost and Trevor Cokley In Xataka | Tesla’s most buoyant business is also the most unknown: energy generation and storage

The Chinese chatbot faces its first great challenge in Europe

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Not everything is positive for Deepseek. Although the AI ​​company is receiving an avalanche of praise for its technological advances, it is also generating restlessness in terms of privacy and safety. In fact, this Thursday we are attending the first tangible consequence of this last scenario: Italy wants to block the Chinese chatbot web version. The Italian Data Protection Authority has ordered Limit the processing of Italian user data by Hangzhou Deepseek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. and Beijing Deepseek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. We are talking about the two Asian companies that control the application that has not stopped gaining popularity Since its launch. Deepseek, before the scrutiny of European regulators The press release of the aforementioned agency, entitled “Artificial Intelligence: the Italian Data Protection Authority Deepseek”, acknowledges that the AI ​​chatbot has been downloaded by millions of people In recent days, and points out that their measure seeks to preserve Italian users from the collection of data by it. In development. Images | Michele Bitetto | Screen capture

Tuberculosis in the US: Kansas faces the greatest outbreak in history

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Kansas has been the epicenter of an unprecedented outbreak of tuberculosis in the United States, according to local health authorities. This outbreak, which began at the beginning of January 2024, has already registered 67 cases of active tuberculosis, with 60 of those cases in Wyandotte County, and the other seven in Johnson County. In addition, 79 cases of latent tuberculosis have been confirmed, an inactive form of the disease, which, if not, can evolve to active tuberculosis. Most of these latent cases are found in Wyandotte, which includes a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, while Johnson, southwest of the city, has registered only two cases. According to the Department of Health and Environment of Kansas (KDHE), the appearance of these cases marks the largest outbreak of tuberculosis in the country since the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) began monitoring cases in cases in The 1950s. Health officials also reported that, unfortunately, the outbreak has already caused two deaths, both occurred in 2023. Although the outbreak is still ongoing, the authorities say that the risk for the community in general remains low, and claim to be implementing strict preventive measures following the guidelines of the CDC. Tuberculosis, a respiratory disease caused by bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosishas historically been one of the main causes of death in the world. It is transmitted through the air, through goticles expelled by an infected person when coughing, speaking or singing. Symptoms include persistent cough, fever, weight loss, night sweats and fatigue. It is important to note that some people may have latent tuberculosis, where germs remain in the body without causing symptoms and without being contagious. However, if not treated, these cases can progress to active tuberculosis, which represents a risk of transmission to other people. CDCs have indicated that the number of tuberculosis cases in the United States increased in recent years. In 2023, more than 8,700 cases were recorded, a figure that marks a rebound with respect to the levels prior to the pandemic. This increase may be linked to a variety of factors, including decrease in control efforts during Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges associated with the detection and treatment of tuberculosis in an overloaded medical care environment. Although the tuberculosis rate had been decreasing since the mid -1990s, in recent years they have shown a stabilization of cases, which matched the levels of incidence prior to the pandemic in 2023. The treatment of tuberculosis generally involves an antibiotic regime between four to nine months, depending on the severity of the disease and the presence of underlying conditions such as diabetes or HIV. Health professionals must adapt treatments to address any additional complication. Regarding prevention, CDC emphasizes that vaccination with the calmette-guérin (BCG) bacillus is common in countries with high prevalence of tuberculosis, although in the United States it is not recommended in a generalized way, since efficiency varies between adults and can interfere with tuberculosis diagnostic tests. This outbreak in Kansas highlights the importance of maintaining and reinforcing infectious disease control strategies throughout the country, especially in areas with high population and mobility density. Although the immediate risk outside the affected counties is low, the authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and working with the CDCs to minimize the impact on public health. Continue reading: (tagstotranslate) tuberculosis

The EU has finally become independent of Russian gas. Now faces an equal uncertain dependence: the US LNG

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In the last five years, the supply of liquefied natural gas in Europe depended mainly on Russian reservesrepresenting almost 40% of imports thanks to their competitive prices and an extensive network of gas pipelines. However, Europe has sought to reduce the dependence on Russian gas by the Ukraine War, facing an uncertain energy panorama. Also, still imports Russian LNG record amounts By boat and Hungary and Slovakia oppose restrictive measures. The reserves, which had reached historical levels before winter thanks to storage policies, are now beginning to descend. Given this situation, Europe has chosen to diversify its sources and increase LNG imports from other countries, being the United States one of the emerging suppliers. However, this transition will not be easy. Short. At the time he assumed, in less than 24 hours, Donald Trump signed an executive order with the different measures that Ipso facto was going to take. In addition, the issue of gas and tariffs to Europe comes before assumingbut now the president of the United States has launched a warning to the European Union demanding that more oil and liquefied natural gas be bought or, otherwise, will face the imposition of tariffs. This threat occurs in a context of commercial and energy tensions, where the US seeks to gain ground in the European market, which has historically depended on Russia’s energy imports. However, the EU does not have a centralized purchasing power that allows it to negotiate large -scale contracts, since it is individual companies that decide where to buy the gas. Evolution of European LNG imports in recent years The evolution of the gas supply. This graph represents the supply of LNG in Europe, which has experienced notable changes such as more than 15 years ago liquefied natural gas came in most countries such as Qatar and other producers. However, Russia’s agency was marking over time. However, the position of the United States as a supplier of Europe is from 2020, which is observed how it is consolidated. This was due, in large part, to the sanctions and commercial restrictions imposed on the Kremlin, which forced the EU has diversify its sources. In the last year, US imports have reached historical levels, even exceeding traditional suppliers. Europe’s position. Although Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, has shown its willingness to replace Russian gas with American LNG, the EU does not have the centralized purchase capacity on a large scale, so each member country negotiates it independently. For its part, Hungary and Slovakia, more aligned with the Kremlin For their energy treatment, they may not share these EU measures. However, Brussels aims to reduce the dependence of Russian fossil fuels for two years, but the high price of American LNG compared to Russian gas remains an important obstacle. In addition, the EU is struggling to protect its industries and reduce high energy prices, especially in countries such as Germany, which depend on gas for its industry. And Russia? Despite the Ukraine War and the sanctions imposed by the United States and the EU, Russia remains the largest gas supplier for the latter. The reason is because European companies continue to import large volumes of Russian LNG due to the lowest prices and the lack of short -term affordable alternatives. For its part, the Kremlin is looking for new markets for its energy and is approaching more to the Asian continent. Commercial relations. The production capacity of American LNG is increasing, and more natural gas plants are expected to enter into operation in the coming years. By 2026, the United States, Canada and Qatar may meet much of the European LNG demand, thus reducing the need for Russian gas. In addition, the EU seeks to reduce its natural gas consumption by 25% by 2030, modifying import and market patterns. However, prices will remain a considerable obstacle for total change to American LNG. Image | Unspash Xataka | Russia has managed to make fun of Europe’s sanctions: I just had to disguise its gas with Azerí flag

Volkswagen faces challenges due to Trump policies: this happens

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With the arrival of donald trump to the White House, the international automotive sector faces an uncertain outlook. The protectionist policies of the new American president have raised concerns in conglomerates such as the Volkswagen Groupwhich operates globally and depends on a complex production and distribution network. Read also: Hyundai Venue: the cheapest in the United States from Hyundai Trump’s promise to impose tariffs on goods manufactured outside the United States threatens to reconfigure trade relations between both sides of the Atlantic. You can read: The electric boom continues to grow in the US. Trump’s focus is on encouraging domestic manufacturing as a measure to strengthen the US economy. However, this position generates tensions with companies that have plants in countries such as Mexico, Europe and China. “The Volkswagen Group is concerned about the damaging economic impact that the tariffs proposed by the US administration will have on American consumers and the international auto industry. “We value collaboration and open dialogue,” stated a company spokesperson in an interview published by Automotive News Europe. The threat of tariffs Among Trump’s proposals, the possibility of imposing a 25% tariff on products imported from Mexico stands out. This move would directly affect the Volkswagen Group, which operates one of its main production plants in Puebla, Mexico. From there, the company manufactures around 350,000 vehicles annuallyincluding models such as the Jetta, Tiguan and Taos, which are mainly exported to the United States. Although the tariff has not been made official, Trump has suggested that these measures could go into effect as soon as on February 1, 2025. In addition, the president has also hinted at the possibility of applying tariffs on products from Europe, which could further complicate the situation for Volkswagen and other European manufacturers. A very challenging panorama The Volkswagen Group’s reliance on cross-border operations is a key piece of its business model. The plants in Mexico not only produce vehicles for the United States, but also for global markets. The possibility of these operations being affected by tariffs raises questions about the sustainability of its current strategy. “The Volkswagen Group looks forward to continuing its long-standing and constructive collaboration with the US administration”the spokesperson insisted, underlining the company’s willingness to dialogue with the authorities. Volkswagen Golf eHybrid logo. Credit: Volkswagen.Credit: Courtesy Impact beyond the United States The challenge is not limited to North America. In Europe, the Volkswagen Group faces growing competition from Chinese manufacturers offering vehicles at lower prices. At the same time, the company is struggling to remain competitive in the electric vehicle segment, a market in which Chinese manufacturers are also gaining ground. China, a key market for Volkswagen, also presents difficulties. In recent years, the company has experienced a decline in sales in this country, adding to global pressure. In response, Volkswagen has stepped up its efforts to develop a line of affordable electric vehiclesa crucial measure to stay relevant in a rapidly changing market. Faced with this complicated panorama, the Volkswagen Group is evaluating various strategies to mitigate the impact of Trump’s policies and other global challenges. Options include the possibility of increasing production in the United States, diversifying its supply chains and accelerating the electrification of its fleet. However, each of these solutions presents significant challenges in terms of investment and time. Trump’s protectionist speech could also influence the decisions of other countries. While Europe has traditionally been a supporter of free trade, the possibility of trade retaliation could exacerbate international tensions. For Volkswagen, this means operating in an increasingly complex and fragmented environment. The Volkswagen Group finds itself at a crossroads. Donald Trump’s protectionist policies represent a significant challenge for the automotive giant, which will need to adapt quickly to avoid a negative impact on its business. Although the road ahead is filled with uncertainty, the company is confident that open dialogue and collaboration with the US administration will be key to getting through this period of “challenging times.”

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