reminded

Russia has reminded the planet that the war in Ukraine is a ticking bomb. And for this he has pressed a nuclear button: Oreshnik

by

Over the past few months, the war in Ukraine has seemed advance by inertia: fronts that barely move, stalled negotiations and constant wear and tear that threatens with normalizing the conflict in Europe. But in recent weeks Moscow has remembered, without the need for major territorial conquests, that it continues to have the ability to alter the chessboard with a single gesture: the nuclear one. The button that is always there. In a stuck war In the mud of the front and industrial wear and tear, Russia has once again remembered that it is still sitting on a strategic bomb pressing a button that does not need to be pressed completely to take effect: that of Oreshnik missilean intermediate-range system with nuclear capacity whose use, even with inert or conventional charges, functions as a political message rather than as a tactical weapon. The launch detection from the Kapustin Yar strategic polygon and the subsequent explosions near Lviv, a few kilometers from the Polish border, do not seek so much to destroy decisive objectives as to point out that Moscow can escalate whenever it wants and from wherever it wants, even from facilities associated with its strategic nuclear forces, deliberately breaking the “conventional” routine of the conflict. Symbolic weapon, real threat. It we have counted before: the Oreshnik, derived from the RS-26 program and capable of carrying multiple warheads that separate in flight, it is not a missile designed to win battles in Ukraine, but to cross psychological red lines in Europe. Its hypersonic speed, its potential range of up to 5,500 kilometers and the fact that Ukraine lacks defenses capable of intercepting it turn each launch into a demonstration of the structural vulnerability of NATO’s eastern flank. When Russia first used it against Dnipro in 2024 with dummy heads, he made it clear that he was not testing marksmanship, but rather strategic credibility. Now, by bringing the impact closer to the NATO border and the European Union, the message is even more explicit. Controlled climbing. The reappearance of the Oreshnik is no coincidence. It occurs while Ukraine refuses to give up territory in the negotiations, while Moscow insists that any Western troops deployed on Ukrainian soil would be a legitimate objective and while Washington, under Trump, intensifies pressure on Russia’s allies like Venezuela. The Kremlin justifies the attacks as retaliation for alleged Ukrainian attempts to attack the residence of Vladimir Putinaccusations that even US intelligence services they doubtbut the real logic is different: to raise the psychological and political cost of Western support without formally crossing the nuclear threshold. Energy, winter and strategic terror. As in previous winters, Russian missiles and drones are once again baiting the Ukrainian energy infrastructureleaving entire neighborhoods in kyiv and other cities without electricity or heating amid sub-zero temperatures. The Oreshnik fits into this strategy of calculated terror: not only does it damage critical facilities, but it amplifies the feeling of helplessness by introducing a weapon that symbolizes the maximum possible escalation. Ukraine responds by hitting power grids in Russian regions such as Belgorod or Oryol, but the strategic asymmetry remains intact. Europe as a target audience. Furthermore, by hitting near Lviv and, by extension, Poland, Russia is not just talking to kyiv, but with Brussels, Berlin and Paris. The Oreshnik is a reminder that Ukrainian theater is inseparably linked to European security and that any expansion of military support has an immediate reflection on the deterrence ladder. It is no coincidence that Moscow recently showed the deployment of the system in Belarus, further extending the reach shadow over the continent. The temptation of blackmail. Thus, with minimal and extremely slow territorial advances, and a growing human and industrial cost, Russia uses the Oreshnik missile as a substitute for victories on the battlefield. It is not a weapon to conquer Ukraine, of course, but rather to remind the world that the conflict cannot be closed by ignoring the Russian nuclear dimension. From that prism, each launch is a warning: Moscow does not need to detonate a warhead to reactivate the founding fear of the Cold War. Just show the button, press it even half and make it clear that it is still there, waiting, like a time bomb that sets the pace of all future negotiations. Image | Ministry of Defense of Ukraine In Xataka | Ukraine has become an animal slaughterhouse: Russian soldiers appear with horses and drones blow them up In Xataka | First it was Finland, now the US has confirmed it: when the war in Ukraine ends, Russia has a plan for Europe

A blackout has reminded Waymo where its limits are

by

More than 10 years ago, a user named karmafrappuccino posted a meme that would go down in the history of memes (if there is any history of memes) with the name confused Travolta. Since then, the image of Vincent Vega with a coat in his hand and looking from one side to the other completely clueless in Mia Wallace’s living room has been used countless times. Last weekend, the Waymo of San Francisco experienced their own Confused Travolta. Detained. That’s how the Waymo cars ended up last weekend in San Francisco. Stopped, without reacting and with the emergency lights on. The service of autonomous driverless cars that circulate through the American city completely collapsed after a blackout left the traffic lights in part of the city without service. In images like the ones in this video Up to five Waymo cars can be seen completely stopped at an intersection haphazardly. Three of them are on the right side, with the emergency lights active, but another two have stopped completely in the middle of an intersection, making life difficult for the rest of the drivers. For hours. In The New York Times They report that tow truck employees spent hours picking up Waymo cars scattered around the city. The blackout, which had affected some 130,000 residents of the city, ended up causing chaos in the streets after Waymo cars will block intersections and streets. The company confirmed that it ended up stopping the service. They point out in the newspaper that they contacted the company from the city to demand that they stop the service since it was creating even more problems in traffic. Social networks show videos and photographs of Completely collapsed intersections or streets for Waymo’s self-driving cars. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Click on the image to go to the original tweet But why? Well, that’s the big doubt. Because experts consulted by The New York Times They point out that cars should be prepared to save situations like this. In fact, they clarify that it is not unusual for San Francisco traffic lights to have poor visibility or for GPS signals to be lost and cars to work correctly. The company has clarified that if a traffic light is off, the car understands it as a Stop with exit in four directions. That is, the car should have continued moving forward when the conditions of the intersection permitted it. Something that, We refer to the videosit didn’t happen. The problem is that cars seem to be trained to deal with turning off a traffic light but not all traffic lights. They explain in The Verge that the car sends a video and images to a human when it finds itself in an exceptional situation that it does not know how to deal with and it shows it the way. The problem is that, in the event of a blackout, it is difficult for the available bandwidth to allow this data to be sent. Click on the image to go to the original tweet The Tesla case. Given the chaos caused by Waymo’s robotaxis, Elon Musk did not take long to score the goal. The reason is that the autonomous driving system has been built on neural networks that They use the data of millions of drivers to show the car how it should behave. In fact, the company itself, in one of the updates to the FSD, its most advanced driving assistance package, removed 300,000 lines of code in which he explicitly explained to the car how it should behave. Instead, it is the images and data captured by the millions of cars on the road that show each unit what it should do. This has its drawbacks, such as a car decelerates without reason when encountering a police vehiclebut it has many advantages when it comes to smoother driving. In addition, it is easier to face unforeseen events because with so many cars on the streets it is relatively easy for someone to have faced an unexpected situation, whatever it may be. Unforeseen. Currently, the biggest enemy of autonomous driving is precisely this: face the unexpected. And it is not the first time that autonomous cars cause images in which streets or intersections collapse due to communication failures or misinterpreting signs and warnings. For example, one of the cars Cruise ended up running from the police because he didn’t know how he should act when faced with the emergency lights of the car that was chasing him. The car, on that occasion, had to be turned off remotely. And widespread discontent. Although robotaxis have ended up becoming another part of the San Francisco landscape, to the point of being a tourist attraction, since these services were launched they have provoked all kinds of protests and actions by neighbors against them. Some as simple as putting a cone on the hood. And autonomous cars have crossed the line of what city residents are willing to suffer. The crossings collapsed due to a blackout have been the latest case but only a few weeks ago a Waymo car ran over a well-known cat in one of the neighborhoods in which they operate. Reactions to the case showed that, although a self-driving car is involved in fewer accidents, we are more critical of the system than when the car is operated by a human. Not to mention the Cruise case, which ended up losing his license (although he later recovered it before abandon permanently) for being involved, among others, in an incident in which a neighbor was run over and the car instead of stopping He drove over her and parked on her. It was also the case that the failure in one of their cars caused the delay of emergency services in a fire where one person lost their life. Photo | Waymo and Georg Eiermann In Xataka | I have tried a fully autonomous taxi. This is what it’s like to … Read more

For years tourist apartments expanded without brakes. Alicante has just reminded them that the party is over

by

Alicante has become serious with its tourist offer. The city, which so far this year received more than 600,000 visitors (taking into account only those staying in its hotels), has decided to close the tap on new licenses in “saturated” areas and setting a maximum rate that will be applied by neighborhoods. The measure just received the endorsement of the Government Board and still has a long way to go before passing through the municipal plenary session, but it points out the path that more and more cities are following. The objective, as recognize the Alicante mayor, is to achieve a (complicated) “balance between the daily lives of residents and tourist activity.” What has happened? That Alicante has decided to say enough is enough to the proliferation of tourist accommodation. It’s not the first time he’s done it. In December already advertisement a moratorium on the granting of licenses for vacation rentals in residential buildings, a measure that extended months later to buildings dedicated only to tourist apartments. Now its City Council has gone further: a few days ago launched its administrative machinery to modify its PGOU and regulate how and where the opening of new places for visitors will be allowed. At the moment the proposal has received the endorsement of the Local Government Board. Once the change in the General Plan has obtained the necessary permits, the initiative will be submitted for approval by the Plenary of the City Council for its entry into force. What do you want to do? Apply a series of guidelines that will determine where, when and under what conditions the accommodation offer in Alicante can be increased. At a general level, a maximum of 0.187 tourist places per inhabitant. From there, the tap will be turned off. For its application, the Consistory will take as reference the census sections of the municipality. That will be the unit you use to decide, for example, which areas are “saturated” or which can still accommodate new places without exceeding the threshold. The situation will be reviewed every year. Is it the only measure? No. In neighborhoods that are already considered “saturated” at the outset (that is, those that exceed the limit of 0.187) new “tourist places” will not be allowed. In the statement In which the City Council announces the measure, it does not speak of flats, but of “squares” intended for visitors, in general. The only exception it provides is for the highest quality hotels: three, four and five stars. In the first case (three-star businesses) there will also be a limit, but more lax: the limit after which new licenses will stop being granted will be 0.32 tourist places per inhabitant. Things will be different for higher-class establishments. Entrepreneurs interested in setting up four or five star hotels will not encounter limits, “even if the area in which they are located has reached the maximum permitted threshold,” confirm from the City Hall. Map of saturated areas of Alicante. Go into more details? Yes. The City Council wants to adopt two measures that will clearly determine where new tourist apartments can be opened. The first is to prohibit “the implementation of tourist uses on the ground floors of the main commercial roads.” That is, in these areas it does not matter whether or not the maximum limit of 0.187 beds/inhabitant has been reached: vacation rentals will be prohibited in the lower parts of the buildings. The second measure is that this type of accommodation must have “independent access” if it is located in residential buildings. It is not something exceptional. Many other cities have promoted a similar rule in an attempt to facilitate coexistence between neighbors and visitors. If this mandatory condition is not met, the Alicante City Council already warns that it will not grant the municipal license. What is the objective? in words of Mayor Luis Barcala (PP), achieve “sustainable tourism” and “the balance between the daily lives of residents and tourist activity.” “The city aims to attract visitors, but guaranteeing its sustainability: without compromising its model, exceeding the capacity of the territory or expelling the local population, guaranteeing that residents can continue living in their neighborhoods, access to housing, work and services.” another of the objectives of the Consistory is to prioritize “quality over quantity”, “reducing pressure” and “promoting three, four and five star hotels”. It is not the city’s first move in that direction. In December the City Council approved a two-year moratorium on the granting of new licenses for tourist apartments and in summer extended the suspension to apartment blocks intended for vacation rentals. The decision has been met with front rejection of the sector, which has even taken the issue to court. Why is it important? First, because Alicante is one of the main tourist centers in the country. Second, because it is not the first (nor will it probably be the last) city that has applied such a measure in its tourist fabric. In 2024 Madrid decided freeze the concession of licenses for tourist apartments, in Barcelona directly the City Council has proposed remove offer in the medium term and in other cities with a tourist ‘pull’, such as Seville, Malaga, Valencia either Santiago de Compostelathe institutions have also moved in one direction or another to regulate the supply. The reason: among others, the enormous pressure that offers vacation rentals in the urban residential market. Images | Cale Weaver (Unsplash) and Alicante City Council In Xataka | Northern Spain has been complaining about mass tourism for years. Asturias has discovered the bitter consequences of losing it

With more and more foreign population, Murcia has reminded Spain of its great dilemma: integrate or veto

by

Spain is (increasingly) a land of immigrants. If the national register is growing and caressed already the 50 million inhabitants is basically for The thrust of the population born abroad, which compensates for the PLANCHAZO OF BUSINESS. As it becomes more diverse and combines different cultural and religious traditions, Spain confronts an urgent challenge: decide what position to adopt before that hodgepodge, increasingly palpable in public spaces. In Jumilla, Murcia, that debate has just turned strongly. Jumilla earrings. Jumilla It is a town in the region of Murcian Altiplano of almost 27,300 inhabitants famous for their Wines and pears. Today, however, it stars holders in the media throughout the country (and some foreigner) for a very different reason: his City Council has approved a measure that will prevent the hundreds of Muslims who reside there (more or less 7.5% From its inhabitants it comes from countries where this belief is majority) to celebrate religious festivities in the municipal sports center, as they have been doing in The last years. “Over -up and incompatible”. To understand it, you have to go back a few weeks ago, when you vox, with A single councilor In the corporation, he presented a proposal “in defense of Spanish identity”. The text can be read in full in The X account of Vox Murcia but basically stated that the Consistory vet the celebration of the Lace -up party or “other commemorations outside our traditions” for being “incompatible with the identity (…) Spanish”. Did he go ahead? The proposal went through the Plenary at the end of the month, with the negotiation of local budgets as a backdrop, and gave rise to a debate during which the PP presented an amendment that was validated with the popular votes, the abstention of Vox and the rejection of the mayor of the PSOE and IU-PODAMOS-AV. What did you raise The amendment? Broadly speaking, “urges the government team to promote cultural activities, campaigns and proposals that defend our identity and protect traditional religious values and manifestations.” Not just that. The text also slides that the Consistory will retouch the regulations that regulates the enjoyment of sports facilities so that they are “exclusively” to events organized by the municipality itself and makes it clear that “in no case” will be used for “cultural, social or religious activities outside the City Council.” Enough for the measure to have generated a considerable stir. “Is the Muslim word?” In view of the great controversy that has been generated and that what happened in Jumilla has echoed even in The pages of The Guardianthe municipal government, in the hands of the PP, has not taken long to calm the spirits. “It does not go from religion or nationality”, He claimed Yesterday his spokesman, Maricarmen Cruz, in statements collected by RTVE. “Where does the Muslim word appear, where the word ban appears?” The Consistory argues that the people have great sports activity and need their pavilions to focus on that use. Who wants to celebrate other types of acts will need to look for another place. “We have not vetoed anything,” emphasize Cross. “Jumilla has more spaces. Who has said to centralize there?” “Land of Christian roots”. The reality is that the amendment approved in full complicates that the near them 1,500 Muslims that live in the town they celebrate the collective prayer of the end of Ramadan and the Lamb party in the City Council sportsman, as they have done during The last four years. “The measure comes from where, from a embarrassing and racist motion of Vox. What has done is bleaching it,” complaint the former mayor and local spokesman of the PSOE. The truth is that Abascal’s formation has not taken long in Remove chest So consider a pioneer measure that “prevents celebrating Islamic parties in public spaces.” “Spain is and will always be a land of Christian roots”, He underlined Yesterday the training in X. The Central Executive He has already warned which will supervise “very closely” the effects of the agreement in search of “hate speeches” and Jumilla’s Muslim population It does not hide His concern: “They have taken away a place to pray and now it is an erzo, but we do not know what else they can take us tomorrow.” Click on the image to go to Tweet. “It’s discrimination”. The debate is interesting enough (and broad) to have reached the Catholic Church. The country It echoes Today of the discomfort of Spanish bishops due to Jumilla’s motion, a text in which no confession is cited but the use of public spaces for religious acts is restricted. “Attentive against the fundamental rights of any human, and does not affect only a religious group, but all religious confessions”, Catholic prelates warn. “Making these restrictions for religious reasons is a discrimination that cannot occur in democratic societies.” Beyond Jumilla. Jumilla’s case comes only a few weeks after Pacheco Torre disturbancesalso in Murcia, which left a wave of violence aimed at the Maghreb population. Both case reflect a reality that transcends the Murcia community and points to one of the great challenges Spain has ahead: with an immigrant population In clear ascent (Among the nationalities that grow the most are the Moroccan and Algerian), the country must decide what position to assume before the new identity and religious manifestations. And that affects both newly arrived immigrants and their children, born in Spain and retain their legacy. In the near horizon, debates appear as what attitude adopt to parties linked to other cultures and the presence of religious symbols in public spaces (Hiyab yes or no) or even in cemeteries. Two models: France and the United Kingdom. Spain has two models close to those to look, that of France and the United Kingdom. The first has opted for example for a Restrictive regulations On the use of the hijab that has led to situations such as the one lived last summer, when Sounkamba Sylla He was about to stay out of the … Read more

Torrential rains have reminded us why winter tires make a difference. Even when there is no snow

by

Spain has been plunged into a scenario of persistent rainscold in many parts of the country (exacerbated by moisture) and snow in some cases. They are the ideal conditions to be clear about why they can be worth some winter tires. Even if there is no snow. Two situations lived with completely different results in recent weeks are your confirmation. Winter tires for when there is no snow Winter and snow tires are almost inseparable in the collective imaginary. It makes sense if we think it is the only way to continue circulating when the road has become so complicated that the road is cut for all those who do not have chains or these shoes for their cars. But, in addition, not only is it that Winter tires They allow us to get ahead when chains are necessary. In addition, they are safer because the control of the car is simpler, it does not force us to maneuver with an accessory that we rarely put in the car (if we get to take it on occasion) while we deal with a icy temperature. And, as if that were not enough, we do not run the risk of destroying the tires if we are not attentive. The latter is what happens when we do not remove the chains on time and the ice has already disappeared from the road. As we say, these are the most extreme but not the only ones in which winter tires are necessary. How much we miss them, for example, in our aborted contact of the Ford Capri, when the port of Navacerrada had to turn around. Experience we tell you in this article. In those we were, in the idea of ​​finding the snow and checking first -hand what were capable of winter tires in our contact of DS 7 crossback, SUV of the company that has been renewed and offered now with new plug -in hybrid mechanics. But, like Time is capriciousthen wanted our visit to the Aragonese Pyrenees to be marked by rain but, much less, by snow. We even had an offroad route prepared to verify what a car was able to get it out of the asphalt if we put some Michelin CrossClimate 2. And the result was surprisingly good. It is true that the route did not present great complications for an SUV but had a certain challenge for a car that is not designed to pass stretches where the mud forced us to stay in our site, be soft and constant with the accelerator pedal and, above all, maneuver gently. Of course, if something allowed to go to DS 7 crossback on the chosen route it was by the tires. Because snow is not necessary to check why they are interesting winter tires. Tire yield depending on the temperature: 1.- Nordic tires. 2.- Winter tires. 3.- All Season tires. 4.- Summer tires. Security reasons The first thing I thought when we started linking mud, mud and more mud on our offroad route with the DS 7 crossback is that in our situation you could find anyone who likes to go out to the field, put the car the car by a simple step and, already late, it realizes that it has gotten into a mess. There are a thousand examples. From the hiker who approaches the car to a route, which he wants to bring children closer to snow and find it that the road is in the worst state of what he thought. Going through the fisherman who wants to spend a morning in a reservoir and enjoy tranquility. I know who, in the latter case, almost ends inside the water with the car. That day, the tires barely traction in a step with mud that, in reality, was deeper than it seemed to the naked eye. With a little touch it is something we completely avoid. In our case, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 are designed to be mounted on all stations but have winter certification (M+S and 3pmsf). The latter acronyms (m+s of Mud + snowmud and snow in English, and Three Peak Mountain Snow Flakewhich can also be identified with a three -spike mountain) is what demands the DGT to circulate with tires as an alternative to chains. It is not necessary for the road to be completely snowy to check the efficacy of winter tires The rubber in this case is structured with great V -shaped slots. That drawing allows you to drain more quickly. It moves much more water and increases the traction capacity in mud situations (such as the one lived in the Aragonese Pyrenees) or with ice and snow (the one lived in the port of Navacerrada). But also, simply, with rain. Circular these days through the Community of Madrid is to check the problems that some roads have to drain the water that is falling. Winter tires make it difficult to fall into the dreaded Aquaplaing Because, as we said, they clear an amount of water well above summer tires. This is especially important if, in addition, the asphalt temperature is low, as is happening these days. In these conditions of cold and rain, the performance of a summer tire is much worse and the winter wins (with much) the game. Above all If the temperature has fallen below seven degrees. The structure of the tire with large g grooves facilitates to drain more fluid and improve the braking with the wet floor Collect the DGT That a winter tire needs 32 meters to stop the car when the road It is wet and is cold When it circulates at 50 km/h. Under the same conditions, a summer tire will go above 60 meters. That extra security deserves money if we live in areas where rains are very common and temperatures in summer are not especially high. There are also spaces that keep the tires and protect them during winter or summer to exchange rubber twice a year. Each … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.