Latin

Latin America and Africa are a juicy caramel for car manufacturers. And the Chinese industry is already moving file

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The Chinese automotive industry has launched to the ambitious adventure to conquer the world. Yes last year We were talking about tariffs And both the United States and Europe looking for trying stop the expansion of the Chinese electric carnow we talk about huge ships from the main companies bringing their cars. But China Not only is your eye on Europe. It is already moving towards Africa and Latin America. Restrictions. Apart from bringing their cars to our borders, Chinese companies are moving forms for expand your dealer network in Europeas well as They operate their own factories. To ‘skip’ tariffs and restrictions, instead of manufacturing cars in the usual way, they do so by removal kits and put. But it is evident that these tariffs imposed on the electric car have been the trigger for the export to the West to cover other territories. In fact, brands such as ByD came to rethink their international strategy in some markets, and those alternative destinations outside the traditional axis are those that have lower commercial protection and greater growth potential. Africa (the north, especially) and some Latin American countries stand out for their lower customs obstacles and local policies that encourage the industry.

The bride and groom have always aspired to share their lives under the same roof. Until the Til and Latin Couples arrived

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The schedule was very clear: a certain age one was looking for a relationship, lived a more or less long courtship and then (with a ‘yes I want’ through) The couple was going to live together. Today it is no longer about the bride and groom to cohabit before getting married (Many never do), but there are directly couples who do not even consider sharing. They do it starting from such a curious as challenging question for the fee: Do you have the love to bring yes or yes to coexistence? Is it true that ‘Casado, Casa wants’? What happened? Than couples They are changing. It is no novelty. Times change and with them society does, Demographybirth, labor opportunities, vital projects, the way of relating and concepts until not so much immovable as marriage or home. The INE is a good reflection of that transformation. Throughout the last years he has registered the increase of de facto couples and Unipersonal homesthe growing weight of those who They do not live With their ‘loves’ or The descent In the number of links, a phenomenon that arrives accompanied by a delay In weddings. Today the Spaniards married on average with 39.6 years. And the Spanish with 36.9. Three letters: Til. The term may not sound you, but reflects the reality of many Spanish relations (and other countries). Til are the acronym for Together in Life (“Together in life”), a label that serves to identify those couples that establish a mutual bond and commitment, form a common vital project, make future plans … but do not sleep under the same roof. The first is millimetrically adjusted to the traditional couple pattern. The second, no. Til couples break the fee in a fundamental aspect: coexistence. “The classic coexistence models are redefining and what a few decades ago could be seen as an exception, now socially accepted,” Explain Ana Domínguez, couples therapist, Welife. “Now they call it Til, but it is true that in consultation we see couples who, for different reasons, do not live together but maintain an affective bond and a deep level of commitment.” What characterizes them? The details may vary depending on the source that is consulted, but usually the TIL couples are characterized by two key features: the first is that their members do not share a roof; The second, that this lack of coexistence is not the result of a weaker level of commitment than those who wake up, eat and do their routine in the same house. In fact, often, the lack of prolonged coexistence is not even the result of a decision or a vital plan, but rather a ‘quo’ status established by couples to adapt to certain conditions or needs. And of course that lack of coexistence does not mean that the couple makes decisions for the team in team. “These types of couples do not choose non -coexistence as a permanent form, but assume it as a transitory or inevitable situation, maintaining a strong emotional connection, mutual support and joint planning of the future,” insists The expert. There is link and there is commitment, but there is a common roof. Different yes, simple no. Domínguez acknowledges that, as well as coexistence entails their challenges for couples, til relations face their own challenges, such as “the lack of shared daily life.” “Coexistence allows routines, small gestures and day to day, strengthens the connection. By not living together, those spontaneous moments are lost,” The therapist reflects. In fact, to compensate him encouraged to create rituals that can be kept at a distance. Of course, not everything is challenges. “When they are together, these couples spend quality time and are dedicated to enjoying each other without the disagreements of coexistence undergoing the relationship,” They point to The world From the Center for Psychology Mess Sana, which warns: “When this model of coexistence is not a free choice or born of fear and reserves, the relationship does not last long.” Another key term: Lat. To understand the phenomenon well we must become familiar with another concept: lat, acronym for Living Apart Together, “Living separate, but together.” The difference Between the til and lat relationships it is subtle and not all The definitions They draw it equally, but it is still important and above all it helps us to understand how relationships are being diversified. Both realities share a common feature, the lack of coexistence, but they differ in the vital approach of its members. There is who says That in Latin couples the commitment is more flexible, but its main characteristic is that the two parties live with an autonomy to which they do not consider renouncing. Without that, of course, suppose the couple having to break. Coexistence is simply not sought, even if there is nothing external that prevents it. “We look forward to it”. As an example is always understood that a definition is good to take an eye to the report What a few weeks ago dedicated The Sydney Morning Herald To Latin Couples, relations formed by people who have decided that a romance does not have to derive yes or yes in coexistence. Among others, its author chatted with Judy Wolff and Alex Ruschanov, who have been without cohabitation for about three decades, except in the occasions in which they have had to take care of each other by convalescences. “Every time we meet is like an event. It’s something we expect with illusion and something beautiful.” Both are around 70 years. She is a retired library. He a former merchant who shortly before knowing her, about 30 years ago, has just divorced and lived with two children who still went to school. “I remember telling Alex: ‘Look, you’re dating with me, not with my children.’ I wanted that to be apart,” He tells him. She had also shared a roof with an ex -partner for more than a decade, an experience that came out without wanting to repeat. Love = coexistence? That is … Read more

Walmart has already approved the first green hydrogen truck in Latin America. Its great limit: the load infrastructure

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What if the future of heavy logistics in Latin America had already begun, and would have done it with a single truck? In a region where the transport of goods depends largely on diesel engines, Walmart has achieved homologation of the First Tonnage Tonnage Moved by Green Hydrogen. It happens in Chile, with a vehicle that, on paper, It can exceed 700 km of operation without issuing CO2. It is a test, for the moment. But one that marks the beginning of something much bigger. Chile has not only been the country chosen to test this truck: it has also been the engine of a public-private collaboration that seeks to open the way in heavy transport without emissions. Walmart participates in the Hidrohaul program, promoted by the Corporation for Production Promotion (Corfo), with an initial investment of 6.15 million dollars and a clear goal: Check if this technology can climb. An experiment that can mark a before and after For Walmart, the experiment fits with Its global objective to decarbonize all its logistics operation before 2040. For Chile, it is a general essay of what could become a National Transportation Network Green hydrogen driven. Manufactured by the Chinese company Feichi Technologythe truck uses a hydrogen fuel battery that generates the electricity that feeds its engine. Can transport up to 49 tons and is designed to travel up to 750 km per full load with 75 kg of hydrogen. Although it does not seem, this truck is also an electric vehicle. The difference is how that electricity generates. Instead of loading a battery connecting to the network, use a Hydrogen fuel battery: A system that mixes hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity, water and heat. That electricity feeds an electric motor that drives the truck. There is no combustion, there is no CO2. And as a byproduct, it only emits water vapor. It is a different way to reach the same destination: a heavy transport without emissions. It all starts in Quilicurain the metropolitan area of Santiago. There, Walmart Chile installed in 2023 The first green hydrogen industrial plant in the countryin collaboration with Engie. The installation has a 0.6 MW electrolyzer which uses electricity from renewable sources – solar and wind – to separate water molecules and generate hydrogen. That plant not only supplies the new truck: it also feeds a fleet of hydrogen lifting wheelbarrows that already operate in the logistics center. The refueling, the great challenge for this to climb The autonomy of the truck is sufficient to operate within the central area of the country, but not beyond. Today there is no public network of trucks for trucks. The challenge is not only technical, but also logistical and economic: how many trucks will need to justify a hydroiner? ¿Where to place them To cover routes without wasting resources? In scenarios like Californiathe order of dozens of high volume stations is projected to serve several thousand trucks towards the beginning of the next decade. Chile will have to solve its own puzzle. The big question is not whether hydrogen works, but it is worth betting on it. In long -running trucks, it has clear advantages: autonomy, quick recharges, zero emissions and lower impact of weight than in pure electric. But it is still a expensive technology, with a limited refueling network and a lower energy efficiency compared to other options. It is not a universal solution, but a useful tool on the right place. That is precisely what Chile is trying to find out: if the hydrogen fits on its real logistics map. Images | Walmart Chile In Xataka | Welcome to the silent collapse of energy: In the US, AI is beginning to drain the country’s electricity

How the Latin Party of the 15 years is peering among the young people from Madrid

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In the Community of Madrid they live more than one million From Latin Americans, people born in Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela Peru or Uruguay (the complete countries around twenty) who work in businesses in the region, go to the same parks as the native population and have children who study in the same schools. That is why it is not strange that customs and traditions be infected. And that something like ’15 -year party’a celebration that until not so much celebrated only Latinas, start to turn on Madrid’s homes. Nothing that did not happen before with other traditions. Quinceañera To the Spanish. That in Spain parties of the 15 years are celebrated is no novelty. As the Latin population increased in our country, customs, traditions and products that until not so much was difficult to see on this side of the Atlantic were also extended. The quinceañera party It is a good example. The also known as ’15 -year -old party’ or quino is a celebration with which families mark the transit of childhood to maturity. And what are they? The staging can vary from one celebration to another or between regions, but there are some elements that are often repeated: Dresses Princess Styles (even with Cancán and Tiaras), bright colors, friends, chamblanes, cakes, dances … Everything, of course, focused on the great protagonist, the young woman who celebrates her 15 years and, with them, the transition from girl to adult woman. In the quinceañera celebrations it is common for this step to symbolize in different ways. In some countries, parents change the young woman’s footwear, replacing shoes with heel shoes, or the protagonist delivers her last doll to stage that leaves the childhood behind. Although There are those who go back The roots of the celebration of pre -Columbian cultures are not strange that the holidays include Christian action masses and sermons of priests. Expanding phenomenon. You may not know its details or history, but surely the concept sounds like you and you have seen photos of Quinceañeras In networks. Normal. A Fast search In Google shows news of 2017 or even 2014 in which there was already talk of how the holidays were spreading in Spain. At that time the norm was that behind those celebrations there would always be a young woman of Latin American roots. Today it is no longer so. A few days ago The country public A report in which he reveals that they are already organizing ceremonies for Madrid girls, Spanish families and without cultural ties with Latin America. “From 30 events, 10”. The phenomenon is better understood with the help of María Carolina Triviño, director of We will be Latina company based in Madrid that has specialized in this kind of ceremonies. While works above all with families from Honduras and Paraguay, it is no longer uncommon for their door to call Spaniards who want their daughters to celebrate the Quinceañera. “From more than 30 events, 10 have been for Spanish. And they always start the same: they came to a 15 -year party as guests of their Latin friends and encapricated,” Comment Triviño The influence comes through both friends and networks. In Tiktok they can be found A good handful Of videos about 15 -year parties, material in which as triviño acknowledges, girls are inspired to choose costumes and cuts. The country He has also spoken with Ana Rodríguez, a 50 -year -old from Madrid, to whom one day his daughter told him that he wanted to celebrate “his 15”. She had never heard of the party. His daughter yes, through her groups of friends and Tiktok. “It’s like Halloween or Pope Noél”. The ceremonies “of the 15” among young Spaniards may be new. Its context, no. Input because it is not the first celebration or foreign tradition that rootes in Spain. Before other parties have already done it through cinema or by simple imitation. “It’s like Halloween or Santa Claus, they don’t ask where it comes from, they just want to celebrate it because they see it around them,” Rodríguez comments. She herself confirms that in her environment, in Pozuelo, there are more Spanish who want to celebrate their own parties. “They don’t understand”. “Spanish parents don’t understand anything, but their daughters are clear: they want 15 photos, like their Latin friends. The other day a father told me: ‘This is going to be like Halloween. Before no one celebrated it and now everyone does it’”, agrees Sergio Saavedra, founder of a company dedicated to rent dresses for quinceañeras. Photos and costumes are two pillars of the party. “Latin girls do not want to give up their own and the Spanish do not want to stay out,” Point out Another entrepreneur who has seen a business opportunity. Not so strange. Another explanation that quinceañeras ceremonies They are rooting in Spanish homes is that the concept, in reality, is not so alien to us. Decades ago in Madrid, ‘parties of the 15’ were not seen, but they were held long when the young women fulfilled the age of majority. Between each other there are differences, but also similarities: celebrations centered on young people, dresses, social acts and a ceremony that in the end seek to highlight the passage of childhood to maturity. Today they continue to be held, although they are usually associated with certain social extracts. It is culture, and it is demography. If there is something that explains the pull of the Quinceañeras It is nevertheless demography. In Spain, many more Latin Americans reside today than a few decades, so it is normal for society to soak up its traditions. On January 1, 2024, the INE counted in the Madrid region just over one million people born in Latin American countries, which means that one in seven Inhabitants was born in Latin American countries. The data multiplies by which it was recorded at the end of the 20th century, when it did not even reach 100,000. And it is … Read more

There is a region in Latin America that has more oil than all Saudi Arabia. And yet it produces 12 times less

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To the east of Venezuela, the Orinoco oil strip wants to return to its golden age, but faces political, economic and technical challenges. Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserve in the world: 300,878 million barrels. To put it in perspective, Saudi Arabia has in its territory a reserve of 267,000 million barrels. A Treasury. The Venezuelan crude is concentrated in the Orinoco oil strip, a region of 55,314 square kilometers east of the country that extends over the Orinoco River basin. The Orinoco oil girdle It is rich in heavy and extrapeted oil, a type of dense and viscous crude that requires more expensive and challenging refining processes to transform into usable products, such as gasoline and diesel. The twenty -first country in oil production. The Orinoco oil strip has been known since January 1936, when the American company Standard Oil of New Jersey did the first well: “La Canoa-1”, in the state of Anzoátegui. But gigantic. Despite its age, the Orinoco oil strip remains the largest crude oil reserve. And yet, he has been unable to lift his head for years due to the political and technical and economic sanctions that surround it. In its oil peak, Venezuela produced three million barrels per day. Today is the Twenty -first country in the world In oil production with 770,000 barrels a day, from behind even neighboring Colombia. The United States, Saudi Russia and Arabia lead the ranking with 8-12 million barrels per day. A challenge and an opportunity. The sanctions on Venezuelan oil, led by the United States government, rose for six months in October 2023, which allowed a shy return of foreign companies to the Orinoco oil strip. The moratorium evidenced that the Venezuelan oil sector has problems beyond the political; structural problems. After years of negligence, corruption and economic crisis, Venezuelan oil needs foreign investment to modernize the expensive infrastructure with which it extracts and processes heavy crude. Although the sanctions were activated last year as a pressure measure of the Biden administration against the government of Nicolás Maduro, now foreign companies have the opportunity to obtain individual licenses to mitigate their effect, which shows some sprout of hope for a country in which oil remains an economic engine. The Petroleum Momentum of Latin America. The modernization of infrastructure, the attraction of foreign investment and the stabilization of the economy are crucial steps, but we do not know if enough to recover all the economic potential of the Orinoco oil strip. The context seems flattering. Latin American countries are involved in A “gold fever” of oil in which the most extreme case is that of the also Guyana neighbor, which has seen a growth of 33% of GDP thanks to the reserves discovered in its coasts in 2015. Meanwhile, Brazil has climbed to the 8th place in the world production of oil and Mexico is in the 11th place. What if falling? The question that floats in the air is the same for all these countries, what will happen to their investments when the expected drop in oil demand By effect of energy transition? For now, much of the world moves as if we were going to continue burning oil for many years. Maybe that is the answer. Images | EFOFAC, Wilfredor In Xataka | The Falkland Islands rest over 500 million barrels of oil. Now the United Kingdom wants to authorize its extraction *An earlier version of this article was published in July 2024

Spotify will rise in price this summer in Europe and Latin America, according to FT. Some countries will be out of adjustment

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Everything indicates that Spotify will adjust its prices again. According to Financial Timesthe streaming giant plans a new climb that will affect several countries in Europe and Latin America as soon as this summer. It would be a strategic change that, for the moment, has not been officially announced and that relies on anonymous sources. What seems clear is that the United States would be out of movement. It is not a minor detail: it is its largest market and already lived a price increase in July last year. The scope of the adjustment is not yet confirmed. There is no concrete list of affected countries, but the British medium offers clues that allow anticipating the course. In recent weeks, and almost silently, Spotify has increased its rates in the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In both cases, the price of the individual plan has gone from 10.99 to 12.99 euros per month. For the rest of Europe and Latin America, however, there is talk of a more gradual approach. According to these same sources, the company would be considering a rise of only 1 euro in the individual plan. It would be a more content adjustment, probably to avoid any adverse reaction in markets where there are millions of customers. In the case of Spain, the history of upload is limited. For more than ten years, the individual plan remained at 9.99 euros. It was not until July 2023 when Spotify applied its first adjustmentraising the price up to 10.99 euros. If the rumors are confirmed, the new price could be at 11.99 euros per month from this summer. It should be remembered that in the United States, where the climb is already a fact, users are currently paying $ 11.99 a month for the same plan. It will be necessary to see how the market reacts if this new round of increases is formalized. And above all, what countries are finally included. At the moment, the only certain thing is that Spotify moves. And it is not an isolated movement. All this happens at a key moment for the company. Spotify has just registered benefits after 18 years accumulating losses. A milestone that marks a before and after in its financial strategy. Besides, The rumors point to work in a new subscription that would finally include audio in high fidelity. A long -awaited promise that could be part of the redesign of its offer to justify the new price positioning. Images | Emojisprout emojisprout.com | Eyestetix Studio In Xataka | Modern algorithms decide for us to see. YouTube is the last redoubt where the algorithm does not choose for you

Latin millionaires set their residence in Madrid. Private bench has begun to open branches only for them

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All cities of a certain size have certain neighborhoods in which the Density of wealthy people exceeds the average. In the case of Madrid that neighborhood has traditionally been the Salamanca neighborhood, and the type of housing that, by surface and qualities, in it, in it, is witnessing it, in it It has been built. That real estate valuehe has turned the central Madrid neighborhood into the new destination for the Latin American millionairesto those who do not tremble their pulse for Pay up to 13,000 the square meter for a second residence on this side of the Atlantic. Before the rise of these new neighbors in the neighborhood, the response of the bank has not been waiting. BBVA has announced The opening of a new exclusive office on Goya Street in Madrid only for Latin Millionaires. The requirements for you to meet: a minimum capital of 500,000 euros and economic interests on both sides of the ocean. The Spain of the two benches While in the rest of Spain the banks close physical branches (only in 2024, the Santander announced the closure of 200 offices) and mails must take care of giving coverage of Effective to Spain emptiedin the Wealthy neighborhoods in Madrid The trend is just the opposite. Financial entities have identified the potential of this capital flow and have opted to open specialized offices, such as the new BBVA private bank branch in the heart of the Salamanca neighborhood. Where if not. This office, the first of its kind in Spain, is designed exclusively to serve Latin American clients with high assets. As I pointed out The Economic newspaper Fifodiesthe branch manages a base of 583 clients, whose joint assets amounts to 440 million euros. The objective of this new “luxury” branch is to offer a personalized service to those who have investments and assets On both sides of the Atlanticfacilitating the management of its wealth in a global and coordinated way by focusing on both European and Latin Americans. To access this private banking service, customers must have a minimum financial assets of 500,000 euros. In addition, there are differentiated services for those who have between 500,000 and two million euros, and for ultra -ups with more than 10 million. At the global level, the BBVA Private Banking Division manages assets valued at about 140,000 million euros. The best bankers: yes, those of Madrid At the Goya BBVA Private Banking Office, he serves a team of five bankers specialized in managing assets in Mexico, Colombia or Peru markets. Each of these bankers makes periodic trips to their assigned country to maintain direct contact with customers and understand their specific needs. That is to say, They are the ones who queue To talk to your customers. Karma. According to statements by Fernando Ruiz, director of private banking of the entity in Spain, published in InvertiaThe average international client profile that is attended from this branch has an average heritage of 800,000 euros. By nationalities, 50% are Colombians; 30% Mexicans and the remaining 20% ​​are Peruvians. Beyond traditional financial management, BBVA offers a range of extrafinancial services specifically designed for this high purchasing power client profile. Do not think about the latest generation televisions, televisions or mobiles. As confirmed by the bankers themselves Fifodieswe talk about exclusive experiences, such as entries for Real Madrid parties or the mutual Open Madrid, private visits to museums such as Prado and Thyssen, and training courses on the transmission of family heritage. Although this personalized attention model is anecdotal in Spain, it already works successfully in enclaves with High concentration of millionaire populationlike Zurich and Miami. If the Salamanca neighborhood office works, perhaps this model could extend to Other areas of Spain who also host great Latin American fortunes, such as Galicia, Barcelona or the Costa del Sol. In Xataka | If you have money, you have nationality: how the billionaires have fond of “gold passports” Image | BBVA, UNSPLASH (Jorge Fernández Salas)

After years of failures, Telefónica has gradually left Latin America. Peru has come directly running

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Telefónica has sold its subsidiary in Peru to Argentina integrates Tec for 900,000 euros, As announced by Teleco. An almost symbolic price, but also an end point to one of its greatest headaches in Latin America. The operation includes the sale of 99.3% of unpaid financial shares and credits. Why is it important. This operation represents more than a divestment. It is a surgical cut. Telefónica reduces your exhibition in a market with strong regulatory instability, unsolved tax conflicts –still claims 1,122 million to the Peruvian state– and a chronic operational deterioration. Between the lines. Telefónica has not made a sale, has signed a release. The business in Peru accumulated a debt of more than 1.2 billion euros and registered losses of 872 million only in 2024. Its subsidiary was in creditors and the perspectives were increasingly worse. In detail: Integra assumes the debt and launches an OPA for the remaining 0.7%. The pending credit (394 million euros) will be partially disbursed by both parties. Operational continuity is guaranteed for 13 million customers. The creditors’ contest is still underway, now led by Integra. The backdrop. Peru is not an isolated case. Telefónica has already left Argentina and Colombia among other countries in the continent. And in a hurry. The strategy is clear: retire from Latin Americaexcept Brazil, before years of diminishing profitability. The focus moves to Europe and more foreseeable markets. Yes, but. Although it relieves a dead weight, Telefónica does not escape unharmed. The fiscal litigation in Ciadi is still open. The reputation has been touched after years of inaction and frustrated promises of restructuring. And the departure price – which costs an apartment in Arganzuela – briefs. In perspective. Telefónica Peru was, for decades, a jewel of its international expansion. Now it is a symbol of the decomposition of a model that failed to adapt or resist. Close this chapter in Peru weighs more in the strategy than in accounting. Now it remains to check if this turn is enough to clean up the group’s balance, although Pallete reduced his debt in half… or if there are more uncomfortable chapters to write. In Xataka | 100 years after his birth, Telefónica faces the greatest existential dilemma in its history: what wants to be older Outstanding image | Telefónica Peru

The United States of Kailasa have appropriated indigenous lands in Latin America. And who are they? Well nobody knows

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At some point in 2023, a man approached several enclaves of Ecuador and Paraguay with An irrevious offer. The guy ended up signing symbolic agreements of “sister cities” even in Newark, United States. Did it in the name of the Kailasa nationand its last appropriation occurred in Amazonian lands of Bolivia. There was only a small “but”: neither man nor Kailasa existed as such. Invent. He self -proclaimed “Sovereign State of the United States of Kailasa”, led by the controversial Indian Guru Swami Nithyanandahe has returned to the headlines, this time for A scandal of international proportions. Although Kailasa does not exist as a recognized entity, it has been presented by its followers as the first nation for Hindu in the world, with its own “cosmic” constitution, passports, sacred coin in gold and even an alleged central bank. However, this fantasy construction has given Bruces with reality when Bolivia’s authorities recently arrested 20 people linked to Kailasaaccusing them of “land traffic” after having negotiated lease contracts with Amazonian indigenous communities for a thousand years. Reinventing sovereignty. Nithyananda, whose real name is Arunachalam Rajasekaran, is a Hindu exmonje that built A spiritual empire From India to multiple cities on the planet. After being accused of rapeChild Torture and Abuse, fled from India in 2019 and reappeared proclaiming the foundation of Kaillasa, a “resurrection” of ancestral Hindu kingdoms. In his speeches, the man claims to have supernatural powers How to open the “third eye”, delay dawn or guide the reincarnation of billionaires such as Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, assuring them that rich will be born again if they deposit their fortune in a background managed by him. Its logic is clear: if you manage to convince the rich that you need eternal immunity, then the creation of a fictional state can become useful. A nation as an immunity strategy. Based on an unidentified region of South America or the Caribbean, Nithyananda argues that he chose his exile for the Advantages of diplomatic immunity that would allow him his role as head of state. In fact, Kailasa has tried to consolidate as a real nation: its envoys have posed with high profile politicians, including Mayor of Newark and American congressmen, and have even intervened in UN forums. However, these appearances have caused Political crises and resignationsas happened in Paraguay and the United States, discovering that it was a assembly without legal or territorial legitimacy. Attempt for appropriation. In Bolivia, the Kilasians entered as tourists and infiltrated official events, achieving even photograph With President Luis Arce. Was The newspaper El Due Who uncovered the case: Kailasa’s followers negotiated with the Baure community, an Amazon Ethnicity, offering help after the latest forest fires. The conversations resulted in an agreement that initially seemed to be a lease for 25 years and an annual payment of almost 200,000 dollars. However, the contract delivered (in English and more than a thousand years) included the exploitation of natural resources and the use of airspace. Despite the warnings, indigenous leaders signed. Today, one of them He has admitted to the media that: “We made the mistake of listening to them.” Spiritual manipulation. Indigenous leaders have denounced Feel deceived. In subsequent statements, they said that Kaillase representatives offered humanitarian and environmental aid after forest fires, but ended up demanding the signing of documents that did not understand at all and never imagined that they would imply the assignment of their ancestral lands. The organization Multi -ethnic indigenous territory IIwhich represents the peoples That exjasaid that some of its members were manipulated and pressured To sign, under the promise of easy benefits. In a sharp statement, they made it clear that: “Our territory is not sold, does not rent and is not subject to any type of negotiation. It is the legacy of generations that defended it with blood and resistance.” Legal and diplomatic consequences. The Bolivian government declared The null agreementsarrested those involved and deported them to their countries of origin: India, the United States, Sweden and China. The Foreign Ministry clarified that Bolivia does not recognize diplomatic relations with any entity called ‘Kailasa’, and denounced the facts as a scam. False documents and environmental conservation promises were part of the deception, and although there is no evidence that Nithyananda was physically in Bolivia, it is thought that its emissary network operated as a parallel diplomacy for illegitimate purposes. Religious dystopia. Be that as it may, the Kailasa case It highlights a sophisticated form of colonialism disguised as spiritual diplomacy, where the religious symbol becomes a legal weapon to strip indigenous communities of its territorial heritage. Beyond the apparent absurdity, what happened in Bolivia, and before in Ecuador and Paraguay (or even the United States), was a systematic attempt to install fictitious sovereignty on real territories, and all this with legal, political and cultural implications. In a dystopian crossing between the unusual and the alarming, magical realism does not seem to be in the contracts, but in the fact that they almost worked. Image | Kailasa, Nithyananda Dhyanapetam In Xataka | Christian sects: there are more (and more geeks) than you could imagine In Xataka | The peculiar utopia of Auroville, the city without money, political parties or religion

Goodbye to the ruinous business in Latin America … and Diana on Digi and Vodafone

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Marc Murtra, just ratified As executive president of Telefónica with a support of 90% of shareholders, they have a forceful message: the priority is “Europe, Europe and Europe”, and the consolidation within each country is essential. He already anticipated it In an inaugural speech of the MWC full of intention. The “intramerous” mergers are, in their opinion, the only effective way to generate real synergies, reduce costs and improve profitability in a sector that has languished for years. While Abandon Latin America After a ruinous business attempt there, Murtra focuses on operators such as Vodafone Spain and Digi, according to Expansionwith sufficient scale to impact. Why is it important. Murtra’s message to the European Commission, the CNMC and national governments is clear: mergers within each country are priority over any paneurpea consolidation, and regulators must allow them. This approach is a change with respect to the previous position of the EC, which has hindered similar mergers in the last decade. Orange and MasMóvilwithout going any further, he lasted a lot and filled with asterisks. However, recent letta and draghi reports on European strategic autonomy give intellectual coverage to this position. Murtra relies on the new geopolitical climate, where European technological sovereignty is at staketo claim conditions that allow European telecos to gain financial muscle and compete globally. The contrast. While in Europe it seeks to grow absorbing competitors, in Latin America Telefónica is in full withdrawal, after years of negative results that have undermined their financial position. Peru is already in creditors. Argentina has been sold for 1,190 million euros to the Clarín group (although Milei’s government tries to block the operation). Colombia is about to go to Millicom. And Mexico is the following in the list for divestment. Only Brazil remains as a strategic market, contributing about a third of the group’s profitability and being even more priority than Spain in terms of investment. What’s happening. The European consolidation strategy proposed by Murtra reflects a reality of the sector: Europe has 34 main operators for 450 million people, while the United States has only three for 335 million. This fragmentation is a lifeline. The European Telecommunications Sector has lost 41% of its capitalization since 2015while American and Asian giants advance technologically much faster. Telefónica’s stock market value fell 57% under the Álvarez-Pallete mandate despite reducing debt by half. The European 5G coverage (81%) is delayed with respect to the American and China (more than 95%). The average income per mobile customer in Europe is 15 euros compared to $ 42 in the United States. Fiber customer yield is 13 euros in Europe against $ 58 in the United States. Between the lines. Vodafone Spain and Digi arise as the logical objectives for consolidation in Spain. Only these operators have enough scale to generate multimillionaire synergies. Vodafone, with almost three million broadband customers, or Digi, who already exceeds two million fiber users, represent acquisitions with the necessary volume to move the needle in the Spanish market and contain the competition that is eroding its margins. Other assets such as Avatel, FI Network or Adamo would also be intent, but have too small dimensions for their purchase to have the impact that Telefónica seeks. Yes, but. Telefónica’s transformation goes beyond traditional consolidation. 43% of their business income in key markets already come from services that are not communications. The operator is close to the inflection point where most of your billing comes from technological servicesnot voice or data. The IT segment is growing “in double digit” while reducing the investment ratio on income from 12.9% to 12.5%. This metamorphosis reflects the search for a post-terocommunications identity, where Telefónica wants to be defined as a diversified technological company. Now the crystallize narrative is missing. And now what. Murtra has announced that he will present his strategic plan before he finishes 2025, with three priorities: focus on Europe, “iron financial discipline” and technological excellence. What remains to be seen is whether the European Commission, with The new Teresa Ribera Commissionerwill respond favorably to its requests with greater consolidation. And if Murtra will execute both Latin American divestments and European acquisitions with the rapidity it promises. If it works, it could mark the way for other European telecos trapped among American technological giants and Asian manufacturers. If it fails, the decline of the sector in Europe could become irreversible. In Xataka | Telefónica’s new guard: Marc Murtra and Emilio Gayo, the pair that seeks to create a European champion Outstanding image | Telefónica

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