protect

The KC-135 have been reproducing airplanes for decades. Now the US wants them to also launch drones to protect themselves

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When we talk about a military plane, we usually think of fighters, as the F-35or bombers, as the B-2. But there are other types of aircraft that are equally essential: Cistern aircraft. The KC-135 It is one of them. Its mission is simple and vital: fly loaded with fuel to refue to others in the air. According to Aviation WeekThe interesting thing is that the US Air Force does not want him to stay there. He has already developed a system so that KC-135 can launch drones while flying, with the idea that they serve as shields, sensors or even communication links in risk areas. A ‘tanker’ that will launch drones It is not a new idea, but an important step. For several years it has been experienced with ways of expanding the capacities of cistern airplanes, and everything indicates that The KC-135 is the first candidate For this change. According to official budget documents for fiscal year 2026the development of this drone launch system It was already tested at some point last year. For now, there are no images or videos of the test. Nor has a public presentation been made. What we do know, so it indicates the budget, is that the objective is to provide the KC-135 with a defensive capacity on board, especially in hostile environments. That is, to be able to launch drones that help you detect threats, confuse enemy missiles or simply expand the visual field of the mission. To achieve this, the development team has opted for a fairly ingenious solution: take advantage of a KC-135 rear hatch and adapt it to integrate a well-known tool Common Launch Tube (CLT)which could also be adapted to the most modern cistern plane KC-46 pegasus. An important point is that these drones would not be thought, at least for the moment, to attack. Its function would be mainly defensive. Everything indicates that they could carry interference systems, act as lures to divert enemy missiles or deploy sensors to monitor the environment and alert the plane of possible threats. They would be, in essence, a first protection line for the KC-135 in areas where flying has become more and more risky. In the background, what the Air Force proposes with this system is not only a specific improvement, but an operating approach change: that a plane designed to refuel can become a kind of Air warehouse for other resourcesready to act in real time according to what happens in the mission. While the United States seeks to squeeze the entire potential of its veterans KC-135, France has chosen to turn page. On June 30, one of its Stratotanker flew for the last time, ending more than six decades of service. Instead, the country has opted for the Airbus A330 MRTT, Like the one that has just received Spaina more modern plane, with greater autonomy, more load capacity and suitable for both medical and logistics missions. Images | Anduril | United States Air Force In Xataka | They are not your imaginations, the seat of airplanes is increasingly uncomfortable. He began to shrink in 1978 and since then he has not stopped

China did not intervene in the war to protect Iranian oil. Because your plan is longer than the conflict

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For years, the relationship between China and Iran has been underpinned by a constant oil flow. However, the recent conflict between Iran and Israel caused Beijing He ordered his ships to turn in the Ormuz Strait. A seemingly technical gesture revealed something deeper: the limits of Chinese energy diplomacy. From partner to spectator. The recent climb between Iran and Israel, which included direct attacks and cross reprisalshe tested the link between China and the Islamic Republic. Although a truce promoted by Washington was declared, these weeks the gaze was set on this part of the planet. In that context, the international community looked towards Beijing, waiting for a clear gesture of support or at least mediation. But China opted for a prudent position: verbal sentences, called to dialogue, routine statements in the UN, According to Apnews. No military support, technical assistance, or real involvement. And that caught the attention, especially for what is at stake: between 80% and 90% of the oil that will export ends in Chinese refineries, which represents approximately 1.2 million barrels per day, According to France 24. Even so, Beijing chose diplomatic silence before the conflict. China is not the United States. And it does not intend to be either. While the United States maintains a network of military basesnaval fleets and strategic alliances in the Middle East, China has no comparable presence. Your only regional base It is in Yibutiand his attempts to expand to Oman or the Arab Emirates have been stopped, in part, by Washington’s pressure. As He explained The Interpreter, China has opted for a non -intervention policy. Its diplomacy in the region is pragmatic, transactional, guided by commercial interests rather than ideological affinities. “China’s footprint in the Gulf is commercial, it is not ready for combat,” said Craig Singleton, of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. For his part, William Figueroa, expert in China-Iran of the University of Groningen, It has been overwhelming In The Washington Post: “China has no capacity to militarily influence this conflict. Nor does it benefit from a broader war.” Although it is a matter of pragmatism. From Beijing, Zhu Feng, Dean of International Relations at Nanjing University, He has remarked In AP News that volatility in the Middle East “directly affects China’s economic security.” However, that does not mean that it will be absent. His greater diplomatic letter In the region was the 2023 agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, negotiated in Beijing. Although he was read as a Chinese geopolitical triumph, The Interpretter He has nuanced: “The distension had already been brewing with the help of Kuwait, Iraq and Oman. China simply gave him the final touch.” That discreet presence in the diplomatic field contrasts with its constancy in another key front: the energy. China has continued buying Iranian raw at reduced prices, Taking advantage of Tehran isolation For US sanctions. As has reported on their networks The journalist, Bachar el Halabi after the recent US bombings against Iranian nuclear facilities, oil exports to China did not stop, and in fact, they reached record levels. However, the relationship is fragile. In 2020, Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadineyad criticized the agreement of 25 -year cooperation between the two countries for considering it opaque and suspicious. Rumors about alleged Chinese military bases in Iran They circulated in the local pressfeeding distrust. When there is a dependency. This week, Reuters He has revealed that Washington has authorized that ethane cargoes – a key natural gas for the petrochemical industry – are loaded in US ports to China, as long as they do not end in Iranian territory. The operation, according to the letter released by the Office of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce, is approved under the condition that the product is not discharged or redirected towards Iran. It may seem a bureaucratic technicalism, but it really says much more. This type of movements exposes how the United States continues to set the rules of the global energy game, even when it comes to exchanges between its two main strategic rivals. For China, the message is clear: its energy trade with Iran is still under surveillance. And for Iran, the warning is even more evident: Any attempt to avoid economic isolation, even indirectly, can be blocked from afar. The dragon rhetoric. Beijing wants to be a global referee, but he is behaving as a spectator. A recent example is the Defense Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (OCS), held in Qingdao, where Chinese Minister Dong Jun spoke of a world in “chaos and instability,” According to Deutsche Welle. The meeting was attended by their counterparts from Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Belarus. China projected symbolic power, but did not offer concrete solutions. In fact, even when they will threatened to close the Ormuz Strait – where 20% of the world crude, vital for China – pekin transits only the diplomatic tone, without major consequences. And, as multiple analysts explain, China has little appetite for risk. It is not yet willing to “risk the neck” in others. As It has concluded Craig Singleton in AP News, “When missiles fly, the so promoted ‘Strategic Association’ of China with Iran is reduced to communications. Beijing wants Iranian Iranian oil and headlines as a peacemaker, but let Washington load with the risks of hard power.” A strategic patience. China remains a key actor of the global economic order, but its energy diplomacy does not obey improvisation or shyness. On the contrary, its caution in the Middle East can be a symptom of a deeper strategy: observe, resist external pressure and prepare the terrain before intervening seriously. Beijing is not dragged by the logic of immediate power. He knows that in regions as volatile as Middle East, the cost of acting too soon may be greater than waiting. His silence, far from being absence, can be part of a longer play. Because oil unites, yes, but it also marks the rhythm of a power that is not in a hurry, … Read more

The US will revoke the visa of Chinese students to protect their AI industry. The risk is that he ends up wounding her death

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China is by far the largest world graduate producer in Stem races (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), both in absolute and relative terms to the global total. The phenomenon is an exceptional magnitude, but there is a country that has just been slaughtered in their noses: United States. What happened. As they pointed out In The New York Times A few days ago, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, advertisement that the Trump administration “would aggressively revoke” the visas of Chinese students. In these visa cancellations, those students with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (PCC) or those who study “critical fields” that did not define clearly but probably include that of AI will be included. Source: The New York Times. Impact. In 2024 in the United States, 20% of the visas granted to students went to young Chinese students. The measure is worrying for American universities, which depend on international students who pay the full cost – without scholarships – for their annual income. In addition, this decision affects both students who want to ask for a visa from now on and those who are already studying in the country. In total there are about 275,000 Chinese students in all types of university careers. Uncertainty. It is not clear what criteria will be followed to revoke these visas and not as quickly these measures will begin. Nor is it known if China will retaliate, although the number of US students in China is much less significant. In 2020 USA He already expelled to 1,000 Chinese students with ties with Chinese military schools. A massive practice. A report Published by the State Department and the NGO called the Institute of International Education indicated last year that China was the second country with the highest share of international students: only India “exports” more students. In the 2023-2024 COURSE, it received 1.1 million international students, of which 331,000 came from India (23% more than the previous year) and 277,000 from China (4% less than the previous year). Source: CSET. China is absolute power in Stem. If there is a “graduate” graduate producer “(science, technology, engineering and mathematics), that is China. Collected data By cset They reveal that in 2020 China led the number of graduates in these disciplines, with a total of 3.57 million students. Only India approaches with 2.55 million students, but for example in the US the figure is four times lower than in China: 820,000 graduates. Source: CSET. And the one that is most dedicated to these disciplines. Not only is it that China has the greatest number of Stem graduates in the world: it is that the percentage of students who choose these disciplines is also the largest in the world. 41% of students are launched to Stem Carreras. They are followed by Russia (37%), Germany (36%, Iran (33%) and India (30%). In the US, only 20%of students bet on scientific careers. Source: Macro Polo / Paulsen Institute. And that includes AI. In People’s Daily They pointed out A few days ago how approximately 50% of the main researchers of AI are trained in Chinese universities. The worrying thing for the US is not that: they depend a lot on them. A report of the Paulgo Institute of Chicago (USA) recently revealed that 38% of AI experts that develop their professional career in the US They have formed in Chinese universities. They are in fact more than those who have a strictly American origin (37%). China does not stop betting on Stem Education. Between 2012 and 2022 the budget spending of the Chinese government in education increased from 2.2 billion yuan (268,167 million euros) to 4.85 billion yuan (591,187 million euros), more than double. Several Chinese elite universities They have announced His intention to expand his curricula with the objective of prioritizing the strategic needs of the country, and here the AI ​​- who You start teaching in schools– It’s key. Imminent danger. This domain has a direct impact on the capacity of innovation, technological development and industrial competitiveness of China, but also of the countries that allow Chinese students to study and then work in international companies. Cut your wings to that talent is to cut them to innovation. The US will get just the opposite of what it intended. The analyst Alberto Romero explained How these measures are probably designed to protect national security – which Chinese students do not end up “spying” for China. “However, instead of helping the US to enhance their industry, what can happen is that they weaken it. Not only that: that revocation of visas can precisely help China meet their strategic objectives. Nvidia already notified with the hardware. The US opted to veto the export of its advanced chips from AI to China. The shot has come absolutely for the cylinder headand instead of preventing Chinese development and innovation, it has put a rocket. They do not seem to have learned the lesson, and revoke the visas to Chinese students can end up being an even bigger shot that comes out of an even bigger cylinder head. Image | Zixi Wu In Xataka | China has declared the war on private school: why he predicted the prolific “tutorials”

how difficult it is to protect copper in a 15,000 km network

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“You cannot monitor 24 hours 15,000 kilometers of network, but you will have to put more means.” The phrase left her yesterday during An interview In Antena3 the president of Renfe, Álvaro Fernández de Heredia, and is interesting for several reasons. First for what he says. Second, for how he says it. And third (and fundamental), when he says. The rail operator complaint comes after the bird line between Madrid and Sevilla lived chaotic hours on Sunday by the Cable theft of copper in several points of the layout. What happened is serious, but it reveals something more worrying: how difficult it is to shield a network thousands of kilometers. Collapse on the Madrid-Seville line. The bird line between Madrid and Seville (The dean of the Spanish high -speed network) did not go through its best moment on Sunday night and Monday morning. Delays Stakes arrested for hours. Collapsed stations. AND More than 16,000 passengers affected. Although the collapse coincided with An incident starring an Iryo train, both Adif as the Minister of Transportation, Óscar Puentethey did not take long to relate what happened to the theft of cable on the line. “A serious sabotage act”. Sunday night, with the bird line between Madrid and Seville still knocked out, Oscar Puente spoke already of a “serious sabotage act” and pointed specifically to the theft of cable at various points distributed within about 10 kilometers. The thefts were recorded in five different locations distributed among the PK 102+200 and 92+800in the province of Toledo. In total the thieves took 150 m of copper cable. Click on the image to go to Tweet. A booty of 300 euros. The big question that was bouncing on Sunday and has continued to do so yesterday and today is what is the reason behind what bridge closets “sabotage.” Copper It has been revalued coinciding With the tariff war unleashed by Trump, but a priori the metal stolen in the Toledo line is rather scarce. The Government delegation has made accounts and calculates that its value Barely reaches 300 eurosso it has suggested that the real objective was to “block the road.” “That cable, which has very little value, is optimal for primar service to the line,” ditch. Bridge insists on talking about “A coordinated action” perpetrated by someone who “knew what was going” while the issue of the political debate. The PP has even related to the “obvious deterioration” of public services and He has demanded an “audit of the entire network”. Beyond the political or research sand that It has already opened A court of Toledo, what happened in the bird line between Madrid and Seville raises a fundamental question: Is it so easy to steal on the network? It is not the first time that the rail network suffers a robbery or sabotage. In 2022 The Civil Guard stopped to a band that was dedicated to stealing copper in the bird line in Valladolid, Palencia and Burgos. In total it had been made with a boot of 185,000 euros. And years before, In 2015he had already arrested 28 people from a Madrid organization related to the theft of more than 30,000 m of rail cable in several communities. In that case it was estimated that their “blows” had cost about 840,000 euros. The Rodalies case. The above are only two examples that can be easily found in the newspaper library. There are moredistributed by different latitudes of the Spanish geography, and that not only affect the high speed network. Does Just a year Without going any further Catalonia suffered the theft of 40 meters of cable on the Rodalies network at 300 m from the Montcada-Bifurcació station. The incident in turn caused an over -teaching that ended up affecting the service. Yesterday Europa Press It echoed From a balance of the security forces that show that only in 2024 they registered 4,433 copper wiring and conductive materials, 87% more than a five years. In total, 987 people were arrested and investigated, double that in 2019. The balance is general and does not only relate the robberies that affect the rail network, but still gives an approximate idea of ​​how frequent these types of crimes and also how it has been able to affect them the price increase of copper. A great network, a great challenge. The key was given yesterday by Fernández de Heredia during Your interview In Antena3: Spain has a wide (very wide) railway network and that is at the same time a chance and a huge security challenge. The Adif and Adif Av enclos 15,519 kilometers of network, of which 9,984 are electrified and just over 3,700 high -speed connections of different types. And that is just the Railway Network owned by ADIF. To control them in 2021 the organism He tendered a contract of surveillance and security services for three years (from April 2022 to March 2025) that amounted to 210.8 million euros. But still the challenge of monitoring the entire network is considerable. The bridge itself He explained That the 150 meters of stolen cable over the weekend were taken out of difficult access areas, between forest and olive groves. “We will have to put more means”. “You cannot monitor 24 hours 15,000 kilometers of network, but more means will have to be put to avoid it because the disorder caused by these robberies to travelers is very high,” He insisted yesterday The president of Renfe. In the past and before terrorist threats the government came to use the army to monitor the lines, as happened In July 2005after the attacks suffered in London. Images | Nelso Silva (Flickr) and TRANSPORT MINISTRY (X) In Xataka | The US has been dreaming of its first high -speed train decades: the California project is being a real nightmare

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

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

Kaspersky has everything to protect us on the Internet from home

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When we sail online, we are exposed to certain dangers that are difficult to fight. We are already used to seeing how there are large -scale data leaks, as well as continuous attacks of Phishing. Even shopping online or making a bank transfer, there may be risks for our data or our security. There are tools such as VPNs that are designed to give an extra security layer to our Internet traffic, as well as antivirus or systems that warn us of possible dangers in our Wi -Fi network. Of course, few services join these tools and others like Kasperksy, especially in regards to your premium plan. Now we have a great opportunity to get him: a year he goes out for 39.99 euros. Kaspersky Premium – Annual * Some price may have changed from the last review A tool to improve our Internet safety Kaspersky’s premium plan is the best that the brand has. Generally, it is priced at 79.99 euros a year, but right now it is reduced to 50%, that is, it costs 39.99 euros for the first year of subscription. Besides, has no permanenceso we can prove the service the first year and, if we are not satisfied, we lower ourselves whenever we want. What can we expect from this plan? One may think that it is only an antivirus for our PC (or telephone), But the reality is that it is much more. It has a system that warns us if there is any software in our team that is tracking us in some way, as well as protection for webcam and microphone to prevent someone from fying at home. Another point where Kaspersky is very interesting is when protecting our passwords, since it allows us store them and synchronize them between devices. In addition, it also has a tester that detects data leaks on the Internet, warning us if our data is among them. This supply of the Kaspersky Premium Plan includes a free year of Kaspersky Safe Kids, a tool designed so that our children can navigate or use your equipment safely. It has GPS tracking, filters for websites and even a system to manage time and use they give to its devices. Kaspersky Premium – Annual * Some price may have changed from the last review To all of the above, we must add that it includes a VPN, a service that is useful both at home and when we leave. For example, if we are going to use a public wifi or that of a hotel, using a VPN will offer us high security in a network that can entail more risks of all kinds. All this converts Kaspersky’s premium plan into A tool to have a much safer Internet experience. And at a very attractive price. Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Images | Domenico Loia In Unspash (with edition), Kaspersky In Xataka | Wi -Fi, configuration fund guide: everything you have to know to improve your connection In Xataka | These are the two things I recommend doing if you want to improve the safety of your accounts and you are not sure how to start

It is not infallible, but we have a trick to protect the mobile against invisible malware: a reset on time

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Putting the shoot after the wound is not optimal, but it is something we usually do in the digital world. When our accounts or passwords – or those of someone close – are violated, is when we start worrying about cybersecurity. We change the passwordsWe add Two -step verification systems And we see what we can do so that Our accounts and devices are safer. And, between All types of malwarethere is a tremendously annoying and dangerous one: the spy software that performs Zero-Click attacks. The good thing is that we can protect ourselves by acquiring a simple habit: restart the mobile. Zero click. When we talk about such vulnerability, we refer to a security failure that allows someone to enter malicious software on our device without having to perform any action. Taking advantage of a mobile safety failure or PCs, hackers are capable of ‘strain’ software on the device without having downloaded anything or punctured in strange links. That is why it is called ‘Zero Click’, since, to open the doors of our device to another type of malware -like phishing, for example -we do have to perform an action. This is something that has been used recently in apps such as Outlook or in him iPhoneand the same thing always happens: failures in the safety of the app or the system opens the door torque to the click zero malware. Pegasus. These vulnerabilities usually occur the same day to launch a new version of an app or an operating system. Taking advantage of possible programming failures and safety gaps, malware can go through a back door without us knowing. And these attacks usually go hand in hand with spy software, very difficult to identify by the user, but that has almost ease access for our device. Surely sounds to you Pegasusthat spy software developed by the Israeli company that He infected mobiles of thousands of journalists, politicians and other personalities. Using capacities similar To those who attack taking advantage of the Zero-Click, it allows to see, even, conversations in encrypted apps. Through WhatsApp. But it is not the only one, since recently, spy software known as Graphite infected the mobile of several people using a WhatsApp failure. Rocky Cole is the co -founder of a cybersecurity company and has commented A ZDNET that Graphite sneaked into the mobile through an image or a PDF sent by WhatsApp To the mobile of the victims, and the underlying processes that are activated when files are received in the app are the ones that the attackers explode to infect the device. It is not known, at least publicly, if Graphite can move to the core of iOS or only operate on WhatsApp, but could take advantage of an “escalation of privileges” – a vulnerability of the app – to move outside the messaging application. Cole states that this attack was aimed at concrete people, but comments that it is an emerging threat to all. “And the world is not, at all, prepared to deal with something like that,” he says. Tract it as a computer. In the report, Cole leaves the wedge of the advertising of its application Iverify, but also two tips that are not unknown, but it is worth remembering. The first is that we should acquire the habit of restarting or off the mobile every day. The reason is that many of these vulnerabilities exist only in memory and, not being files, in theory the malware should be eliminated when cleaning the memory after a restart. The bad thing is that it is easy for the spy software to return to the device, so something that it also recommends is to install the updates as soon as they are available. These patches usually cover the vulnerabilities found by both companies and external groups, such as Mozilla Security Groupwho analyzes the software and warns those responsible to patch it. Better turn off. Although several security experts agree that we should not leave the mobile on 24/7, not everyone agrees that a simple restart can solve these problems. The reason is that, when restarting the device, some mobiles try to maintain everything as it was before, storing certain data in memory and these being the ones that would take advantage of the hackers. The NSA – the United States National Security Agency – commented that It is best to turn it off completely and wait a few seconds before turning it on again. In this way, all applications have to start from scratch again. And, according to the NSA, it is something we should do once a week. Beyond security. The NSA itself coincides with school that restarting or turning off the mobile is not a magical solution against this type of malware, but it can stop cybercriminals and make them engineer new ways to maintain access, perhaps being these more visible for device safety systems. But well, apart from security, both on iPhone and, above all, in Android mobiles, make a restart every so often Close processes and release RAM. It happens, as we say, especially in Android, where the system code can ‘fight’ against the manufacturer’s customization layer, making the mobile not do well that we should have been without restarting/off because there will be many waste in the RAM. Bad? That is something that forces us to acquire a new habit. Turning it only takes us for a few seconds, but if we are not used, the easiest thing is for us to forget. The good thing is that many mobiles already include restart and off options programmed in their adjustments. Image | Xataka In Xataka | The rear door that the United Kingdom wants in Icloud is a nightmare for all: Apple has just taken an unprecedented measure

Brussels has asked to apply 5% VAT to electricity to protect industries and homes

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The year 2025 entered and the fiscal reduction of electricity ended in Spain, the same one that remained for three and a half years. We have gone from 5% to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis, to which return to its general type of 21%. However, Brussels have other plans. Brussels measure. The European Commission has presented An action plan to make energy more affordable in the EU. This includes a series of measures, such as energy reduction, in order to relieve electricity and energy costs for citizens and companies. The most outstanding measure is the proposal to apply a minimum VAT of 5% in electricity. Reduce VAT. The objective is based on reducing short -term costs for consumers and companies. The energy commissioner, Dan Jørgensen, has estimated Energy savings of 45,000 million in 2025, which will increase up to 130,000 million a year by 2030 and up to 260,000 million annually by 2040. In addition, from the EU they seek to “turn the current situation” characterized by dependence on foreign fossil fuels, the existence of a fragmented electrical system and a continuous increase in system costs. Gas dependence. The European Union has accelerated the emptying of its gas reserves in the last three years Due to the energy crisis. Gas is being one of the great War paradoxesbecause while European funds are destined for Ukraine to help it, Gas and oil are still bought from Russia. This dependence increases the cost of electricity production, especially when gas is used as a primary generation source. For its part, the price of gas has returned to high levels similar to those of 2022, especially affecting industries such as chemistry and metallurgical, which depend on both and energy source and raw material. This increase has been driven by cold temperatures and a lower renewable energy generation. The forecasts indicate that, if the demand remains high and the cold climate persists, the prices They could continue to go upwhich would impact the competitiveness and inflation of industrial products in Europe. So renewables? Another point is clean energies, Europe has a great renewable capacity, but as We have mentioned in Xataka, There are two factors that the EU still has to resolve: the famous “Dunkelflaute”, a period without wind or sun, which reduces the generation of renewables, and an aged electricity, which makes it difficult to transmit. These factors have made the dependence on fossil sources increase, raising costs. The consequences are reflected in a more volatile electricity market and the impact on consumers. And what happens in Spain? The year began with a series of fiscal changes in the country, such as VAT increase. This return to previous tax levels (21%) after the fiscal reduction implemented to mitigate the energy crisis has raised short -term costs. Although this has not been the only climb, they have also increased The Electricity Tax (IEE) and The Value Tax of Electric Power Production (IVPEE). However, a system of Progressive reduction in the social bonus For vulnerable homes, which could mitigate the effects on the most affected by the climb. On the other hand, the fees options, such as the PVPC rate and fixed or variable rates in the free market, will allow consumers to adapt their consumption and select a rate that best suits their needs and patterns of use, which can help optimize costs despite fiscal increases. Although Spain has advanced Towards a greater proportion of renewable energy, factors such as tax rise, dependence on fossil fuels and an aging of the energy network still affect the costs of electricity Image | Pxhere Xataka | Thousands of trapped people, chaos in the streets and a country looking for answers: Chile has faced the worst blackout in 14 years

A VPN is ideal to protect us on social networks. Surfshark is one of the best and now it hardly costs like coffee

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It is almost impossible to count the hours we spend on the Internet every day, especially with regard to social networks. It does not matter if it is Instagram, Facebook or Tiktok (for just mentioning some), most of us enjoy a lot of time immersing ourselves for them to hang out or share things with our acquaintances. Internet navigation or these networks, unfortunately, certain risks for our privacy or our information (especially when we use A public wifi network). Therefore, it’s not a bad idea to use A good VPNand although we have several free options that do not work badly, none of them yields as well as surfshark, One of the best options we have available. It’s nothing expensive, but now we have it at a very good price: only 2.19 euros a month. Surfshark Starter Subscription – Monthly * Some price may have changed from the last review Surfshark is the ideal solution to increase the security of our data It is not uncommon to seek information about today and see that there has been a new hacking. This is something that is the order of the dayeven in social networks, where there are few cases of users who suffer robberies of information through them (and in the most serious cases, the total theft of the account). With a VPN, we are winning an extra layer of privacy and safety, whether we use it from our mobile phone and from the PC. In that sense, use surfshark It allows us to maintain the privacy of our IP addresssince it prevents hackers or any entity from monitoring our activity on the Internet. In addition, when using a VPN in our usual use on social networks, we can also have another series of advantages. For example, Tiktok shows us content based on our geolocation, so using surfshark can allow us to discover What kind of videos are popular in other areas of the worldsomething suitable for creators. Eye, Because this plan brings much more withsuch as an advertisement blocker and emerging cookies windows, a generator of personal details and a masked email generator. And all this without counting that we do not have a limited number of devices in which to use surfshark. The usual price of surfshark VPN is 4.85 euros per month, so we would be paying more than 58 euros in a year. If we take advantage of the offer we have available right now, we will only pay 2.19 euros A month, so a full year would cost us just over 26 euros. And be careful because it also comes with three additional months of gift. Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Image | Surfshark In Xataka | Why it is dangerous to connect to public wifis and what you should do to protect yourself In Xataka | The best solutions to protect your data and your company’s computer equipment

5 applications that you must immediately uninstall to protect your bank data

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The cyber scams They advance almost at the same time that a new alternative or digital security option arises. And if we believed that cybercrequence had “housed” in applications, emails, text messages and calls with the intention of obtaining personal and bank information, the scammers have found a new way of violating users through apps that have The intention to protect the user: Applications of type VPN. These types of applications, increased in recent years, have the objective of providing an “extra filter” of safety and tranquility to the user because they create a safe connection between a device and a VPN server in various processes such as the payment of a service or the purchase of a product. Protect your information to avoid being a victim of cyber criminals.Credit: Shuttersock Therefore, these types of apps help protect online privacy, hide the IP address from where a bank transactionaccess to restricted content by region as well as protect from cyber attacks. Given this series of benefits, more than one user has decided to make use of these apps with the intention of avoiding Data filtration. However, and ironically, these applications have also caused a large number of scammers to discover a new opportunity to make their crimes. Through apps that are passed through transparent and reliable platforms, Cybercriminals They have the opportunity to steal information. VPN applications that you should uninstall of your cell phone Before the increase of this kind of Cyberdelitesthe cybersecurity company Kaspersky He launched a warning to its users and the general population about various applications that have been identified as fraudulent or false: Maskvpn DEWVPN Paladinvpn Proxigate Shieldvpn Shinevpn According to Kasperskyonce the app It is installed on a cell phone, it becomes a proxy server that It allows the scammer to access passwords, bank history, sensitive information and personal data of the user remotely and without raising suspicions. The victims of the scammers are usually elderly or immigrants.Credit: Shuttersock For all the above, the company mentions that the first action for Avoid data filtration It is uninstalling any of these applications immediately from the cell phone as well as reporting it in the digital store where it was downloaded. Similarly, recommend using type applications VPN that are verified or that come from official companies in Cybersecurity. Continue reading: Tiktok, the Chinese global phenomenon that faces possible closure in the US. The woman who lost $ 850,000 was cheated by a Brad Pitt created with artificial intelligence Instagram and Facebook are updated to be more transparent in data verification (tagstotranslate) Applications

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