flag Archives - usatoday24

Idaho has been embroiled in a debate over a flag ban. And he has the ikurriña in his sights

February 12, 2026 by usatoday24

An unexpected protagonist has slipped into the (convulsive) public debate in the US: the ikurriña. glancingly and for those hazards of history that raise eyebrows, the flag of Euskadi has become a headache for the legislators of the country led by Trump. To be more precise, the controversy has jumped in boise (the capital of Idaho), where a active diaspora which explains why the city has its own Basque ‘neighborhood’, Basque Block. There you can find traditional bars, a museum… and ikurriñas. Now, in full debate Regarding which flags can or cannot be raised on their masts, there are those who believe that red, green and white banners have no place. What has happened? That Idaho has plunged into a nasty fight about what flags they can fly in their streets, at least from public buildings. So far, nothing strange in a nation whose public debate (already tense) is taking place pending a key date: November 3House of Representatives election day. What is striking is the drift that this discussion has taken and how it has ended up focusing the focus on the ikurriñas. Question of flags. To understand it, you must first understand the convoluted political board of Boise. On one side we have its mayor, the Democrat Lauren McLean. In the other Ted HillRepublican MP from Idaho. Some time ago the first, McLean, earned the anger of Hill and the rest of the conservative bench by keeping the LGTBIQ+ flag hanging on the façade of City Hall beyond the Pride Month‘Pride Month’. That decision I didn’t like it in Donald Trump’s party, which began to legislate so that only official emblems can be hoisted. At least in public buildings. The measure went ahead and the issue seemed to be settled. At least for a while. Wasn’t it like that? No. McLaren was not willing to give in. In a clever twist, Boise declared the LGTBIQ+ flag official in the city, continuing to fly it without violating Republican law. Was the fight over at that point? No. Hill reacted by launching the legislative machinery so that the only flags ‘able’ on the Government’s flagpoles are those prior to 2023, the year in which Boise assumed the rainbow banner as its own. What does all this have to do with Euskadi? Initially the republican norm included certain exceptions (flags other than the Stars and Stripes that could be displayed on public buildings), but as time went by, their proposal became more rigid. And that affected one of Boise’s most popular groups: the Basque diaspora. As strange as it may sound, in the city of Ada County it is not only possible to see flags of the USA, the state of Idaho or LGTBIQ+. It is also not unusual to find ikurriñas waving in the wind. Why’s that? Although Bouse is thousands of kilometers from Euskadi, it hosts an active Basque community whose history can go back to the 19th century, when a group of Biscayan emigrants decided to find a life in the United States. The passage of time (and generations) did not erase its identity and today in Boise, recognizes the Hispanic Council itselfit is possible to find “an entire block dedicated to Basque culture”, with restaurants, frontons, a museum and even an education center. The greatest emblem of the diaspora in Idaho (with permission from the ikurriña) is the Jaialdia festival that moves thousands of people and which in 2025 even had a visit of Lehendakari Imanol Pradales. On festival days it is even easier to come across the Basque flag. “It flies during Jaialdi, when the Basque delegation comes to our state and we honor that deep heritage in Idaho. To me, it is a very appropriate way, reason and occasion to fly the autonomous flag of the Basque community. I wonder how it is different from flying the flag of another country for a special occasion,” I questioned recently Democratic Representative Anne Haws. And the storm broke out. The ikurriña was not the trigger for the controversy over the Idaho flags, but over the months it has ended up becoming (almost suddenly) one of its main protagonists. To understand it, we must review the legislative debates around the new rule, in which Hill did not hesitate to explain why his party wants to restrict the use of the Basque flag. The problem has not been so much the veto itself, but rather its confusing (and thorny) argument. The Republican alleged that the ikurriña is not officially “recognized”, it is “a revolutionary flag”, he related it to ETA and even stated that it is “illegal” to fly it in Spain. “It would be crossing the line, and then the Palestinian flag would have to be allowed too,” Hill concluded. A few days ago, fellow Republican Bret Crane tried to tone downalthough without getting out of the puddle. During a public intervention he acknowledged that in the future some formula could be found that would allow the ikurriña to be hoisted, but he did not renounce the substance of the republican message. In fact, he asked his colleagues if they should also allow “Muslim or similar flags” that represent “people who have also had difficulties in Idaho.” What is the situation now? There are two fronts, the administrative and the political. In the first, the new rule (House Bill 561) continues to advance. On Tuesday the newspaper Idaho Capital Sun echoed how a group of opponents waved LGTBIQ+ flags in the Boise Capitol in the middle of the debate on the measure, which goes gradually overcoming its processing. Once completed, the prosecutor will be able to enforce the veto on unofficial flags and those who ignore it will risk a considerable fine: 2,000 dollars a day for every ‘wrong’ banner hung from a public building. “The right to wave it”. In the political field, the debate about flags has crossed the pond to reach this side of the Atlantic. The president of the PNV, Aitor Esteban, has … Read more

Apple made privacy its flag. One of his functions has resulted in a fine of 98 million euros in Europe

December 24, 2025 by usatoday24

Privacy has been one of Apple’s great arguments to explain why its ecosystem works differently. It is not just a technical issue, but a narrative built over years. Precisely for this reason it is surprising that a tool presented as an advance for the user is at the center of a fine of almost one hundred million euros. The Italian Competition Authority has imposed Apple fined 98.6 million euros for abuse of dominant position, considering that the implementation of App Tracking Transparency restricts competition. The focus is not on the idea of protecting data, but on how those rules were applied to developers who distribute their apps on iOS. This is where the underlying shock lies. The origin of the function. Transparency Tracking App It does not arise in this regulatory context, but several years earlier, as part of a broader change in Apple’s privacy strategy. The feature was introduced in April 2021 with the release of iOS 14.5 and was presented as a direct way to return control over advertising tracking to the user. From then on, each app had to ask for explicit permission before tracking user activity on other apps and websites. It was a turn that reordered the mobile ecosystem from within. The logic behind App Tracking Transparency is based on a specific definition of what Apple considers tracking. It is not just about displaying ads, but about linking data collected in an app with information obtained from third-party services for targeted advertising or measurement. If the user chooses not to be tracked, the developer loses access to the IDFA and, according to system rulesnor may you use other personal identifiers for the same purpose. It is a technical cut that simplifies the user’s decision, but has direct consequences on how many applications are monetized. A position of strength in the iOS ecosystem. For the Italian authority, the key is not the subsequent opening of the system, but the situation that existed when ATT began to be applied. During that period, Apple concentrated control over the distribution of iOS apps and over the rules that govern advertising tracking at the system level. From that dominant position, the regulator concludes, the company was able to set conditions that had a competitive impact. All of this, beyond the stated objective of protecting user privacy. The App Tracking Transparency Notice The core of the reproach: “double consent.” The heart of the penalty is how ATT was applied to third-party developers. According to the Italian authorityApple’s screen required a first permit to be requested which, by itself, did not meet all the requirements of European data protection regulations. This forced developers to request a second additional consent for the same advertising purpose. That extra step, the regulator maintains, reduced the probability of acceptance and limited the collection and use of data necessary for personalized advertising. The economic impact is one of the pillars of the file. By increasing the friction of obtaining consent, ATT limited the collection and linking of data used to measure and personalize ads. For the Italian authority, this harmed developers whose business is based on the sale of advertising space and also affected advertisers and intermediation platforms. In the summary of the case, the regulator adds that this design could generate benefits for Apple, both through higher commissions associated with App Store services and the growth of its advertising business. Was there another way to do it? One of the keys to resolution is that the problem is not in the goal, but in the path. The Italian authority claims that Apple could have achieved the same level of privacy protection without requiring duplicate consent requests. Disagreement and notice of appeal. Apple has expressed its disagreement with the resolution of the Italian authority and considers that it does not adequately value the privacy protections provided by ATT. In a statement cited by Reutersthe company insists that the system was created to give users clear control over ad tracking and that its rules apply equally to all developers. The company has also confirmed that it will appeal the fine and that it will maintain its commitment to protecting user privacy. The fine is the result of a long and complex investigation. According to the case summarythe Italian authority opened the file in May 2023 and expanded its scope in October 2024, in coordination with the European Commission, other competition regulators and the national data protection authority. This joint approach underlines that ATT’s analysis was not limited to a single country or a single dimension. Rather, it was approached as a intersection between competition, privacy and the functioning of the digital market. Beyond the announced appeal, the resolution imposes immediate effects. The authority orders Apple to immediately cease the aforementioned conduct and refrain from repeating similar practices in the future. In addition, Apple has 90 days to inform the AGCM how it will comply with those demands. It is not clear, for now, whether this calendar also depends on the appeal process, but the case makes it clear that the debate is no longer just theoretical. Images | Georgiy Lyamin | Screenshot In Xataka | We believed that Microsoft had already put Copilot everywhere. LG shows us that we were very wrong

Motorola’s most ambitious folding carries AI per flag

April 25, 2025 by usatoday24

Motorola returns to loading folding. The company has cited us today in New York to present its new batch of devices and among them are, of course, the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra. It is, without a doubt, the most ambitious device that the company I have developed to date, at least in terms of power and materials. From Xataka we have moved to the house of the statue of freedom to know and try it first hand. It is still early to do a more exhaustive analysis, but at the expense that you can spend more time with it and expose it to our analysis table, here are our First impressions. Motorola Razr 60 Ultra Technical Card Motorola Razr 60 Ultra dimensions and weight Folding: 73.99 x 88.12 x 15.69 mm Displayed: 73.99 x 171.48 x 7.19 mm Weight: 199 grams internal screen 7 -inch Amoled Ltpo Super HD resolution (1,224p) 464 ppp Color 10-bit 120% DCI-P3 Refresco Rate: Up to 165 Hz Tactile sampling: 130/300 Hz Pico shine: 4,500 nits Dolby Vision External screen 4 -inch poed 417 ppp Color 10-bit 100% DCI-P3 Refresco Rate: Up to 165 Hz Tactile sampling: 120/165 Hz Pico shine: 3,000 nits processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Adreno GPU RAM 16 GB LPDDR5X Virtual RAM Internal storage 512 GB UFS 4.0 rear camera Angular 50 MP F/1.8, Pdaf, OIS, Pantone Validated Great angle: 50 MP, F/2.0, FOV 122º, Macro Video: 8k@30 fps Front camera 50 MP F/2.0 battery 4,700 mAh Fast charging 68w 30W wireless load Inverse wireless load: 5w Operating system Android 15 connectivity 5G NSA/SA WIFI GPS USB type c others Lateral footprint reader Moto AI Stereo speakers Dolby Atmos 3x microphones IP48 resistance price 1,299 euros A beautiful folding with premium aroma External Motorola Razr 60 Uitra screen | Image: Xataka First, design is one of the aspects that I liked the most of the new Razr 60 Ultra. The materials with which the new folding shell type of the company has been manufactured They are really premiumhighlighting the finish in Alcantara (the same material with which luxury cars are manufactured, indeed) and also that of natural wood. They are materials that we do not often and that suppose a small breath of fresh air. But if something has captivated me it has been the external screen. Like all Flip folding, this Motorola has an external panel that allows us to use the device without having to open it completely. In this case we talk about a panel Poled of four inches that extend throughout the front. It has a really high resolution, exceeding 400 pixels per inch, and a 3,000 nits peak shine That, although it will be activated on few occasions, it promises good visibility in broad daylight. It seems to me a most functional screen. It allows access to a lot of apps and functions without having to open the phone, being able to take photos with the folding device, consult the time, access Moto AI, the calendar, notifications, see YouTube. And without the cameras hinder the handling of all these apps. Be that as it may, everything related to design goes for tastes. Personally, it seems like a very comfortable phone in my hand and also very light. Motorola has managed OPPO FIND N5 or the Honor Magic V3to quote only some. If we look inside and look at the most technical specifications, it has a 7 -inch AMOLED panelwith Super HD resolution and Pantone validation, a detail that gives us a lot of guarantee in terms of color reproduction. And, in addition, brightness and sharpness leave nothing to be desired in use. The fold, at first glance, does not show too much. It does not bother to visualize content, nor in general when using the phone. Although the touch is seen that a small cleft is appreciated, without becoming as pronounced as the one we can notice in other flip smartphones. Do like us on this trip and Stay connected whatever your destination. Always navigate at high speed and With unlimited data with the ESIM from Holafly and forget about unpleasant surprises on the bill. Easy to install, keeping your physical Sim card to receive calls and No positions of Roaming. And with a 5 % discount! Council offered by the brand I have not yet been able This screen and its 165 Hz will be up Those users who enjoy video games. Above all, taking into account the 4,500 shine nits and the dolby vision that accompanies it. The most powerful razr to date It is still early to talk about performance, but what seems clear is that gross power will not be a problem, at least if we stick to the components. Motorola has implemented chipset Snapdragon 8 Elitethe most powerful in Android so far. 16 GB of memory are accompanied RAM LPDDR5X 512 GB of internal storage UFS 4.0so by speed it will not be. The phone performance is quite good, in principle: the experience is fluid and agile, Do not get stuck when moving through the menus or when opening and changing between applications. The camera is not far behind on this device, it is also enhanced by AI to offer quite decent results. We have a picture of three lenses of 50 megapixels both in the main sensor and in the ultra wide angle, which also makes macro. And another 50 megapixels in the Selfie Chamber. Photo made with the Razr 60 Ultra with the great angle lens | Image: Xataka It is still early to give a deep assessment of the camera because we have not been able to try it thoroughly, as we usually do in the analyzes. But it is important to point out that It has no optical zoom sensorsomething that we could expect on a device like this, high -end and with a considerably high price. The battery has a capacity to 4,700 mAh and quick charging 68wpromising more than a day of use. Although this, … Read more

We usually think that all pirates used the same flag. Actually, it was a personalized presentation letter

April 5, 2025 by usatoday24

“The old Truhan, captain of a ship that had a pair of warm and a skull,” Sabina sang in his ‘a lame pirate’. Surely there is large countries flags that we do not recognize the first, but one that we have in mind is the pirate flag. But there is something interesting in the world of these finding: each captain had their flag. And although the black background inspires terror, the really infernal in the seas was the pirate flag of red background. Jolly Roger. This is what the pirate flag is called because, obviously, they did not call it “pirate flag.” It is not clear where the term came from and there are theories that relate it to the Templar flag and to this order, but also that it comes from the Frenchman “Joli Rouge”, Which comes to mean“ beautiful red ”reference to a variant of red flag that was used in combat. It loses strength when there was a first flag called ‘Old Roger’ that would refer to the devil, but well. It is also theorized with the copy of Spanish icons. What seems something more settled is that it appeared for the first time in 1724 in the book ‘General History of the Pirates’ that, supposedly, wrote one Captain Johnson. Again, it is not very clear how the flag arose and has its logic, since it would not be what most worried the first pirates who used it. Personal brand. The skull and the two crossed bones is the most iconic design. It is not since we have seen it in innumerable fiction worksbut also adapted to anime as’ mainstream ‘as’One Piece‘, video gamesbooks, musical bands … whatever. It is a powerful design of which there are variants with low bones or behind the skull, but also other designs that replace those bones with saber. However, although it is the most representative of piracy, it is not the only design that was used by these sailors. In fact, each captain had their flag. The most iconic belonged to Edward Seegar, an Irish sailor who was on a ship that the pirates took, decided to join his crew and then became independent as a captain. His flag was associated with all the pirates of history and at all times, but as we say, this is false. Another Edward, but Teach in this case, was the immortal ‘Barbanegra’. A flag is attributed with a skeleton that supported a sand watch and a spear pointing to a bleeding heart, but other sources say that its design was much simpler: a single skull. Bartholomew Roberts had several flags with skulls and complete bodies that represented different enemies. Henry Every had another iconic design: the profile skull with a handkerchief and crossed bones (although there are doubts about their authenticity). And Stede Bonnet was in his air, as a good pirate, with a design composed of a skull, a horizontal bone, a dagger and a heart. When designing it, it is seen that they asked “how many elements you want in the flag”, and he replied “yes”, although there is also doubts about his authenticity. Flags without evidence Historical errors. In some designs there are contradictions Historical, being a good example. Popularly, this skeleton design with horns, the clock and the bleeding heart has been attributed. The own Smithsonian has contributed to popular thinking to associate this flag into the pirate, but this design appeared for the first time in a 1912 magazine and there is no evidence that it was used by the pirate. The bearding flag on the left and the erroneously attributed to it to the right Not so deep symbology. Beyond these errors, what is clear is that pirates chose with care what elements to carry on their flag. It was still his visiting card and presentation letter, so the icons were not randomly there. The cross swords represented the skill in combat and ferocity. The sand watches could represent the E of death. The bleeding heart and skeletons, more of the same. There were some that customized the skull, such as Every, showing personal variations of a classic design, and others, such as Roberts, included letters that alluded to personal revenge against specific people. Barry Skeates Photo Psychological warfare. The flag was ‘branding’, but also something fundamental in the struggle in the high seas: an element of deterrence. A very powerful one, in addition, since the black color and the design of skeletons and swords sought to infuse psychological terror in the adversaries. When the pirates were in sight of another ship that interested them, they raised the black flag seeking to persuade their victims and to give up without resistance. The objective of the vandals was to take the loot, and that included the ship. The repairs were expensive and required time and a friend port in which to perform them, so the ideal was to take the target ship without any damage. But … what if the other ship did not give up? There was an alternative plan: the flag with red background. If the pirates raised this flag, what they transmitted to the goal is that they would not have compassion with the crew. Contemporary use. In the end, the pirates had their ego, but we can think that these designs died when piracy is over (that of that idealized time, of course, since Pirates continue to exist). And, although they no longer had a patch in the eye or stick leg, there were ships that They raised The flag during the last century. The British raised her in the submarines HMS UTMOST during the Second World War and in him HMS conqueror After sinking the Argentine General Beldrano cruise in the Falklands War. The Poles of the Submarine ORP Sokol They also raised it with two captured Nazi flags. Images | Barry Skeates, Malene Thyssen In Xataka | 22 years later, ‘Master and Commander’ is still obsessed with men. And it has … Read more

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