How to predict the next epidemic? For researchers the solution is very simple: using AI

It arrives with heat, sneaks without invitation and leaves its trace on the skin: a red mark, an insistent itching, a sleepless night. The mosquito does not need a presentation; His buzz is part of summer. Now, we share our life with another invisible being: artificial intelligence. Silent, precise, without wings or sting, has begun to fight a battle with the old enemy. And in this story, only one can stay. The battle. A team of researchers from the University of Southern Florida, led by biologist Ryan Carney and computer engineer Sriram Chellappan, They have developed An intelligent surveillance system that uses artificial intelligence to identify, track and combat the most dangerous mosquito of the moment: Anopheles Stephensian urban vector of malaria that has already begun to expand in Africa. A unique method. The project key is to join advanced technology with citizen participation. On the one hand, they are developing intelligent traps equipped with artificial intelligence, capable of attracting, capturing and automatically identifying mosquitoes. On the other hand, the project relies on mosquitodashboard.orga global platform released in 2022 that collects photographs of mosquitoes sent by people from their mobile phones. Thanks to a visual recognition system, the panel identifies the species and generates in real time an interactive map that helps scientists follow the trail of the most dangerous vectors. And why? Chellappan team has developed unique algorithms capable of identifying a mosquito with only one photo, automatically recognizing its head, thorax, abdomen, wings and legs. This anatomical classification allows to distinguish species with great precision, even in challenging conditions. As He explained To Reuters, the advance in AI has allowed to identify where the diseases carrying diseases are because then the public health authorities can go there and launch control efforts to prevent new outbreaks. A global alert. Behind this technological deployment there is a real urgency, since mosquitoes such as the malaria transmitter are adapting and surviving in urban environments. However, there is a solution, because researchers have estimated for Reuters that smart traps could be manufactured for less than $ 150, which would facilitate their massive distribution as an early warning system in vulnerable regions. A war with many fronts. Although artificial intelligence promises to revolutionize the fight against mosquitoes, it is not enough by itself. “It will require more than one strategy,” He has warned Entomologist Tom Mascari in statements to Reuters. Technology is a key ally, but does not replace traditional measures such as the use of repellent. What is coming. In the next five years, the Carney and Chellappan team has planned to improve its algorithms, incorporate more species into the system and train a new generation of African scientists. The idea is that the fight against mosquito does not depend only on technology, but also on international knowledge and collaboration. And, perhaps, for the first time, the buzz of summer is not only a nuisance, but an opportunity to anticipate the enemy. Image | USF Xataka | Elche has proposed to release 2.4 million tiger mosquitoes in his city. He does it for a good reason

Europe fails to find the perfect solution for cross -border payments. Bizum and Banco Santander have just put it on a tray

Santander has become the first Spanish bank that allows its customers Send Bizum to other European countries. It is something that is achieved thanks to the interoperability between Bizum, Bancomat and MB Waya connection that according to the bank will connect 50 million users and 186 financial entities. It is a first step waiting for a unique pawous solution for which no agreement is reached. The first in Spain. Banco Santander has formalized the possibility of sending money through Bizum in a cross -border way. The agreement has been necessary between different payment solutions such as Bizum (Spain), Bancomat (Italy) and Mbway (Portugal), being limited instant payments to these two countries, for the moment. After performing the corresponding successful pilot tests, the clients of this bank will be the first to be able to pay outside Spain. The method will be the usual: we will only have to write the mobile number of the user to which we want to send the payment, and this will be carried out immediately and without commissions. It will not be alone. Santander has been the first to move token, but the possibility of sending Bizum out of Spain will be a standard before summer. Abanca, OpenBank, Caixabank, BBVA and Banco Sabadell are advancing in the implementation of this service, planned for the second quarter of 2025. It has not been thanks to Europe. While Europe Follow in search of a unique solutionthe private company moves record. Cross -border payments are possible thanks to the European Initiative (European Payments Alliance), a joint project initiated by Bizum and followed by both Bancomat and MB Way, with the aim of adopting instant transfers paneuropeas using existing infrastructure. In other words, it has been necessary for those responsible for the platforms to agree, in the absence of a European alternative that encompasses. The European Bizum. The European Central Bank has been trying to advance in a system of instant payments to interconnect the different member countries. But he doesn’t get it. During the last two years we have seen progress as Free transfers in Europe, Tests with digital purseand brushstrokes on a “European Payment Initiative” which has barely advanced since 2022. Countries like Spain They make 95% of immediate payments with Bizumbut this is not the only name that sounds as a candidate for possible means for European payments. There are those who try strongly. Solutions such as Bizum, Bancomat, BM Way or Swish were born as responses to the national need to be able to pay freely and free. The problem for the EU? None have been thought from scratch as a single payment solution. This is where solutions such as Weroa proposal towards “a unique payment solution, all in one, instantaneous and paneuropea, capable of covering over time all cases of payment that consumers and professionals require.” Banks such as German and French They are already promoting this servicenot yet compatible with solutions like Bizum. Nothing clear. The ECB points out that “instead of combining strength and sharing resources to develop paneuropeas solutions, national communities have often preferred to preserve the legacy of the investments made in the past”, an attack on models such as Bizum and a clear look at proposals such as Wero. With many delays and few proposals on the table, the road to a “European bizum” continues to draw distant. But, meanwhile, in Spain we will not take to pay with virtually any bank outside our borders. In Xataka | Bizum and Finance: What changes in transfers control after eliminating the threshold of 3,000 euros

Spam calls are a problem for everyone and Apple knows. Its solution with iOS 26 has been stopping braking

The mobile sounds and is an unknown number. The possibilities that there is a commercial wanting to sell you the last superooferta fiber They are high Or, in the worst case, it could be a Stofler getting through your bank. We have been talking about the problem of the so -called spam and fraudulent and so far no one has found a 100% effective solution. Yesterday Apple introduced us iOS 26a renewal that We have already been able to try And with a novelty that goes in this line, although the solution they propose is much more aggressive than those of the competition. The problem of unwanted calls. Commercial calls bother. They are abundant and it seems that they have the ability to call us when it comes to us. Even the government has taken letters in the matter and for a few days, Commercial calls from mobile numbers 600 or 700 are prohibited. But beyond wakeing us from the nap to improve our light rate, the real problem is in telephone fraud. The Fraudulent SMS They are incessant, but the scams also come by call. Through techniques of Vishing and Telephone spoofing We have seen how They can empty the account by passing through your bank. In view of such elaborate scams Both entities and the government have begun to take the problem seriouslybut despite efforts, we still can’t talk about the definitive solution. How the Apple call filter works. iOS 26 It will bring news in the telephone app and one of them is the call filter, which in Xataka we have already tried. If you receive a call from an unknown number, the iPhone automatically activates what they call live voicemail that asks the interlocutor who it is and the reason for the call. Once you have identified, the call appears on our screen and we can see the details that you have facilitated, so we can choose whether to respond or not. If we do not respond, the iPhone will tell those who call us that we are not available and will allow you to record a second message. By the way, whoever attends to the phone before us is Siri’s voice. This is how the calls of unknown numbers appear once the iPhone requests more information. Apple’s proposal is very different to what we were seeing in the competition. Here there is no filter as such, if we activate the live voicemail will affect all calls that reach us with unknown numbers. The only thing we can choose is whether the calls will be referred to Siri to request more information, to the voice mailbox or go to the list of unknown numbers. The configuration options offered by Apple. He Approach Android is more flexible and intelligent. A long time ago Android has functions to fight telephone spam. If we use Google’s APP we have different tools to fight with unwanted calls. It has a call identifier that tells us if they call us a business that is in the Google database and also If a number is suspicious of spam. Nor is it infallible and there are times when any call is sneak. If it happens, it allows us to mark the number as spam. As exclusive to the Pixel we have Call Assistwhich works similarly to Apple’s live voice mailbox. If we choose to filter the call, Google Assistant will ask about the reason for the call and will offer us a transcription. There is much similar, but an important difference: we choose what to filter and on the screen we will see before if a number is suspicious of spam, while Apple treats the same to all unknown numbers. This will alert Android of the scams. Image: Google With Android 16Google wants to go further and will be implemented Functions focused on fighting with telephone scamshow to prevent us from deactivating Google Play Protect or install apps from the browser. He will also be able to detect financial scams and alert us with a notice on the screen. Collateral damage. Apple sells its call filter as the solution to eliminate interruptions and in this sense is effective, but it can also be a problem because not all calls of unknown numbers are disposable. How many people will hang when listening to Siri’s voice asking why he calls us? Even though it is normal, it is still very unhappy and even counterproductive in certain scenarios as an emergency or if the doctor calls us. An intermediate solution. As we said, Android is not infallible blocking spam, but it does have some intelligence behind (and more will have when Android 16 arrives), while Apple opts to stop braking. Perhaps the exit is to find a solution halfway between the two where we can have more flexibility when limiting calls without risking to lose some important. Image | Ricardo Aguilar (Xataka) In Xataka | Liquid Glass, iOS 26, Macos Tahoe, Watchos 26, the new Games app and all the news left by Apple’s WWDC 2025

Ukraine has found the solution to produce three times more weapons than you can buy: the Danish model

It was known that Ukraine had raised a drone industry in front of the Lack of help. What was no longer known was that, since Russia launched its large -scale invasion in 2022, the Ukrainian defense industry had experienced a Explosive growthmultiplying its productive capacity by 35, from 1,000 million to 35,000 million dollars in annual potential. The problem was that, that the “potential” had no exit due to lack of financing. Until now. Lack of funds. As we said, this immense development Not only has it covered large companies, but also small workshops that operate even from particular garages, adapting to the needs of the battlefield. However, and despite this growing capacity, the country is limited by the Lack of financing: The state budget only allows to hire about 11,500 million in weapons, which leaves more than two thirds of the idle industrial potential. In fact, companies in the sector and senior officials They coincide in Insider in which, if there were the necessary funds, Ukraine could triple your production Armamentistic, thus reinforcing its resistance and reducing its dependence on foreign suppliers. Now they think they have found the solution in Denmark. The Danish model. To solve this paradox, the Ukrainian industry has proposed a small -scale solution: the call “Danish model”. This formula, applied by Denmark since 2023, allows allied countries Buy directly Weapons produced in Ukraine, instead of sending them from their own arsenals or acquiring them to Western suppliers. This way not only Reduce costs and accelerates the delivery of material, but also guarantees that the soldiers receive exactly What they needmanufactured according to its tactical demands and with an optimized logistics. Several countries have already added to this approachand others, like Germany, work in own adaptations. Thanks to this formula, Ukraine has been able to increase the production of key systems such as Bohdana self -propelled obúsand already has a list of weapons (including artillery and armored vehicles) ready to manufacture if more funds are channeled under the scheme. Collaboration and alternatives. Although the Danish model represents the road faster and fasterIt is not the only one. Serhiy Goncharov, president of the National Association of Defense Industries of Ukraine, and other leaders of the sector have also raised more complex models, based on co -production and the co -production and the Financing of Ukrainian weapons which include European components. This formula, although slower, could be attractive to a European industry that is also expanding its capacity Before the fear of A Russian expansion In the continent. In addition, the use of frozen Russian assets as a source of financing and the establishment of industrial alliances for technological transfers is considered. So much, Goncharov warns That many Western partners still do not expand their defensive capacity with the urgency that the situation requires, and that Ukraine, therefore, has no choice but to continue growing on its own to meet their own needs. Strategic opportunity Collaboration with Ukraine not only represents a way of supporting his defense in the short term, but a strategic opportunity For allied countries. The Ukrainian arms industry, born and adapted in the midst of the conflict, accumulates a direct experience in combat that is invaluable for any military power. Let’s think that your constant contact with the front allows you to adjust the design and performance of weapons based on the real conditions of the battlefield, something that many Western industries cannot replicate with the same speed. In that sense, associating with Ukraine offers Europe and other regions a double advantage: strengthening an essential supply line for Kyiv and learning from a military ecosystem that has proven extraordinarily Resilient, innovative and effective under pressure. As Goncharov concludes“We do not choose to be at war, but that is our reality,” and within it, the production capacity is ready. Image | Ministry of Defense In Xataka | We suspected that Ukraine drones attack had been destructive. Space images have revealed how much In Xataka | A technology 20 years ago took Ukraine to the Russian bombers. Moscow’s response comes from China: a laser cannon

Using a mobile is a real challenge for older people. An Aragonese startup has a promising solution

Is called Maximilianabut it is not a person. It is a mobile. Specifically, one specifically designed for our elders. The idea that this device raises is unique, already a difference from other mobiles for the elderly, everything is based on trying that these people have to touch anything to communicate with their loved ones both in video calls and normal calls and to alert possible emergencies. Innovating from Aragon. Many business projects are born from personal needs. This happened for Jorge Terreu (Zaragoza, 26 years old), who a few years ago was Erasmus in France and had trouble contacting his grandmother, Maximiliana. This is how the germ of her project was created: create a phone to be able to talk to her without her having to do anything. @Miguessal This mobile can save your grandfather’s life, because it makes video calls down alone. It was created by a grandson for his grandmother, Maximiliana, who did not manage with technology. What began as a gift, is today a mobile that thousands of people use. You can learn more about him at www.maximiliana.es. #Salvarvidas #Emercances #Primerosauxilios #Urgences #security ♬ Original sound – Miguel Assal The principle of something big. Terreu prepared a mobile prototype in which he started the video call and the phone answered alone. He sent it to his grandmother in Madrid and soon realized that this idea could serve many more people. In March 2020, during the pandemic he donated five phones adapted to a hospital in Zaragoza and verified how users were delighted, so he launched the adventure of creating his own company and his project of a mobile for seniors. What would be called, of course, like his grandmother. Maximiliana. They hardly have to touch it. People who use Maximilian mobiles hardly have to touch it, because they can receive video calls or messages without having to play in the interface. If a relative or friend makes a video call, Maximiliana sounds for a few seconds and automatically breaks. If it is the elderly the one who wants to call, the interface is especially intuitive and simple and is based on a “desk” on which the faces of the family appear. Just press one of them to make the call. Emergencies. Maximiliana also has emergency call options. Thus, if for example the elderly falls and cannot handle the mobile with precision, it is enough that it agitates it a bit to activate the emergency call to the assigned contact. In those calls the mobile uses the flashlight to emit the international relief signal. Always located. Another of the Maximiliana options It is what allows to know at all times the location of that elderly, something especially useful if they are lost or misplaced. The software also shows the battery available so that family members can warn that it loads it to continue using it without problems. THE MOBILE AS SERVICE. Maximiliana includes the mobile, the control app for the family and the accessories, such as the cord or antiahogo strap that allows the device to be hung by the neck. The product is not sold as a mobile without more, but as part of a subscription service. The “basic pack” cited costs 24.90 euros per month, but it is also possible to directly hire the SIM card (unlimited calls, 25 GB of the Internet) as part of the “complete pack” for 29.90 euros per month. Includes apps like WhatsApp. Maximilian mobiles remain mobile, and allow to continue accessing applications such as WhatsAppChamber or Gallery. The person in charge of the device – normally, a relative of the elderly – chooses from the control application which applications wants them to appear on the mobile. It is the relative who acts as “administrator”. The relatives of the people who use Maximiliana are the ones in charge of managing and configuring the mobile options. Thus, they can add contact faces, change order (up to six on the screen), or adjust the sound duration. A grandmother like Community Manager. As they pointed out In the countryMaximiliana’s team has been growing as the success of the service has been curdling, but there is a very special component in that template. Your Community Manager It is Conchita Polo, grandmother of Pedro Malo, partner of Terreu in the project. More than the phone matters the service. There are currently good options when offering Mobile for seniors And also tips for Adapt any Android phone To make it easier to use for them, but Maximiliana’s proposal is interesting because everything combines. Take advantage of the idea of parental controls that for example allow to know the location of our children or control the limits of use, but adapting it to a population sector that can certainly take advantage of it in a beneficial way. Image | Maximiliana In Xataka | What five mobiles would I recommend to give my grandfather this Christmas, for simplicity and quality-quality

Thousands of Byd cars have become obsolete for their own promises. Solution: lower prices

A drop of 8% of the shares. Although forceful, The fall in the actions of Byd It should not be too worrying for your shareholders if we take into account that it is close to its historical maximums but it is a symptom of the difficulties that the Chinese market of the car can pass in the coming months. Byd has taken all the spotlights for being The company that is leadingat this time, the sale of plug -in vehicles but in the fall of their shares, companies such as Li Auto, Geely or Great Wall Motors that have fallen more than 4%have also accompanied. The reason: the sales of byd. Now with a 35% discount The Chinese state needs its citizens to buy. It’s not something, much less new. In fact, in Xataka We already told you almost a decade that the country tries to underpin domestic trade, a way to support national growth and limit dependence on exports abroad. That need is now sharpened with the electric car. The country has done everything possible to lead the transition to this technology and adopt a leading role in an industry that until now had resisted. That has led to lifting an absolutely brutal internal competition that will inevitably leave some companies along the way. In fact, Some Chinese experts They point out that companies such as Nio, Xpeng or Li Auto, who are monopolizing spotlights for their performance in the electric car or automated driving capabilities, run an important risk of going bankrupt. Any of them, as I had a long time ago Reuters He is losing thousands of dollars with each car sold. Therefore, an open pricing war would put them against the strings. A price war that in Byd is willing to play. At least to remove a stock they need to give out. And like the State, the plug -in company bigger in China You need the local market to continue working in full performance. In the middle of its expansion to third markets, the company has to continue leading local commerce but has pierced itself. In February the company launched the message that all its electric cars and plug -in hybrids They will ride, in the future, their “eye of God”the most advanced driving aid system they have in the market. The promise caught the industry by surprise and was a direct blow to brands like Tesla, who hope to take performance to their software. Byd, on the contrary, chooses to mount this standard in all its cars because, it is intuited, The income path expects it to be another. Then, some analysts understood that China’s price war that two years ago caused an earthquake in the industry had returned. However, it has been now when Byd has taken the next step after a few months of relative calm: discounts of up to 34% in their cars. Specifically has been the Byd Sealin plug -in hybrid format, which has received this juicy discount. But it is not the only car that can be bought at a much lower price. They point out in Bloomberg that up to 22 different models have received important discounts. He Byd Seagullthe cheapest electric car on the market and one of the best selling in China, can be found for 20% less and that already sold below 10,000 dollars in the local market. The movement, they say from the economic environment, aims to revive sales in a market in deceleration but, above all, take stock from above. Since it was announced that the new automated driving system would reach any new car launch, vehicles in the dealers have become obsolete and it is difficult to give them exit. In fact, also since Bloomberg They pointed out that even byd’s dealers in China are going through difficulties. Some of them have had to close and Data from the Chinese passenger car association They say that there are 3.5 million cars to sell and that the inventory average is 57 days per car sold, the highest figure since December 2023. Although discounts have been active since April and, in fact, They have been noticed this May It is now when the company has announced A new wave of discounts. That need to get its cars to the street is the same as Tesla had to get the market Tesla Model and Prejuniper And it is one of the most common problems facing cars companies when they have to announce new models. However, competition is so fierce and The industry advances so fast in China That an ad like the February can leave thousands and thousands of cars in a limbo waiting for a buyer. But, above all, it puts the rest of the industry that sees as Byd can continue to press its prices, even if only to take obsolete vehicles from above, while the rest of the companies seek a profitability that continues to resist. Photo | Byd In Xataka | Byd set out to win the electric car race. And then a TSMC factory went on sale

Russia has made its combat drones fly higher. Ukraine has found the solution in North Korea: balloons

The war in Ukraine has raised drones as Great actors of the contest, and the nation itself as one of the Referents in the industry. However, Russia has not stayed to the saga. In fact, the air conflict has entered into a new critical phase marked by the technical evolution of Moscow’s attack drones. Ukraine’s response to support his unmanned army has found it in a simple tactic that has used North Korea With its “neighbors”, and vice versa: hot air balloons. The new threat. As we said, the air battle is being reinforced on the Russian side with the use of drones that fly faster and higher That ever, which makes them more and more difficult to intercept with the current resources of Ukrainian defensive units. Oleksiy, subcomandante of a mobile air defense unit of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine, revealed over the weekend In Insider that traditional trucks equipped with mounted machine guns are no longer effective against these objectives, especially when drones fly more than 2,400 meters altitude, outside the reach of .50 caliber as The m2 browning They usually use these missions. Evolution of Shad-136. Already We have spoken previously of this model. The main weapon in the Russian aerial offensive is still The Shahed-136a Kamikaze drone of Iranian origin that Moscow manufactures locally. Originally designed to fly more than 185 km/h with an explosive load of about 40 kg, the models represented a cheaper weapon than cruise missiles, which allowed Russia to display them in mass attacks. However, Moscow has begun to use A modified version of the Shahed, an equipped with a more powerful engine capable of reaching speeds greater than 290 km/h, and also carries an explosive load more than double the initial. According to Oleksiythis improvement in speed and destructive capacity complicates defense work, and although conventional models are still used, their threat has increased significantly. Decoys and saturation. Another tactic that is making a dent is the systematic use of Drones Lego Without explosive load, whose objective is not to damage directly, but exhaust resources Ukrainian air defense. These devices accurately imitate armed drones and force defensive units to spend ammunition or missiles in false whites. In addition, they can carry out long -distance recognition missions, expanding Russian intelligence capacity. The result is a Systems overload of surveillance and a decrease in interception rates, since mobile units can only observe and report, without effective means of immediate response to drones to great altitude. The challenge of altitude. Drones used to fly at low level to avoid radars, but now they do it at heights that exceed the response capacity of mobile machine guns, becoming unattainable objectives. According to Oleksiythe solution involves reinforcing these units with portable air defense systems, acquaintances Like manpads (Man-supply Air Defense Systems), such as FIM-92 Stinger Americans or the old 9k38 Igla Soviet, designed to intercept low altitude aircraft, but effective against drones in certain circumstances. The problem, however, It is double: There is a shortage of these systems and not all operators have been trained to use them efficiently. Balloons appear. And suddenly, Ukraine has begun to use A tactic that We have been Seeing in The “Korea”: The use of hot air balloons, although in this case with a variable. In an increasingly defined conflict by aerial domain and intensive use of drones, the Ukrainian nation is betting on that ingenious low -cost solution and high efficiency to overcome the communication challenges posed by the modern battlefield: captive balloons full of helium, but equipped With radio repeaters. This unexpected tool comes from Aerobavovnaa Ukrainian startup founded in 2024 that has managed to significantly reinforce the operational capacity of drones (both terrestrial and aerial) extend your scope and keep the signals stable in saturated environments by interferences and topographic obstacles. How they work and what they solve. The system is so simple as revolutionary: Balloons anchored to the ground, made of light polymers and capable of rising up to a kilometer high, carry antennas and repeaters that act as aerial bridges for communication between operators and drones. This allows to overcome one of the most common problems of the use of drones in mountainous or urban areas: the loss of direct vision linethat interrupts the signal and returns useless to the device. According to The founder explained to Insider From Aerobavvna, Yuriy Vysooven, the problem is especially critical for terrestrial drones, whose point -to -point signal does not exceed the first hill. With balloons, operators can maintain control even in hostile environments, expanding the effectiveness of recognition, attack and surveillance missions. Agile display and evolution. Although the use of aerostatos is not new, Aerobavovna has redesigned its application military for the demands of the Ukrainian front. Its current models can be deployed in just five minutes (twenty -five in adverse conditions) and remain in the air up to seven consecutive days, with a payload of up to 25 kg. This capacity allows not only to transmit control signals for FPV drones, but also operate from A high position no need for towers or fixed infrastructure. The company has even developed an advanced version that can transport up to 30 kg of load, which opens the door to the use of more powerful electronic war systems from the air, without compromising mobility or speed of deployment. The challenges: precision and stability. No doubt, despite its success in the field, Aerobavovna It faces important technical difficulties, mainly related to aerostate stability in suction conditions. The accuracy in the orientation of the antennas is critical for the transmission of FPV signals, and any un controlled movement can compromise the entire operation. Air turbulence negatively affects the exact positioning of repeaters, which must be kept motionless and perfectly aligned so that the signal does not degrade or lose. This converts system stability into A priority challengeespecially when capabilities with heavier loads are extended. The production problem. It is the last great “but” of the invention. Currently, Aerobavvna produces … Read more

Your participations are increasingly problematic and there is no good solution

It may be The voting systemit may be the opposition of some rebel televisions, but what is indisputable is that Eurovision has a problem with Israel. A hot potato that generates controversy and division between fans and is the main reason that this year, a couple of days after the celebration of the contest, we have stopped talking about music. However, the history of Israel and Eurovision goes back far back in time. Why does Israel participate in Eurovision? Israel is not a European country and yet Participate in full in the contest. This is due to the fact that it belongs since 1957 to the European Broadcasting Union (URU), the organization that produces and regulates the festival, an international corporation of broadcasting of ownership and public service, but without linking to the European Union. Countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Australia participate under the same conditions. A long history. Israel debuted in the contest in 1973, being the first non -European country to do so. Since then, he has competed more than fifty. They have won in four: 1978: Izhar Cohen & The Alphabeta with ‘A-Ba-Ni-Bi’ (157 points). 1979: Gali Atari & Milk and Honey with ‘Hallelujah’ (125 points). 1998: Dana International with ‘Diva’ (174 points). 2018: Netta with “Toy” (529 points: 212 of the jury and 317 of the Televoto). Thanks to this they have had the opportunity to celebrate the contest three times, in Jerusalem (1979 and 1999) and Tel Aviv (2019). They resigned to do so in 1980, for coinciding the festival with the day of the memory of the Jewish holocaust. His career is especially remarkablereaching Top 10 on twenty occasions. Comparisons with Russia. Israel’s presence in Eurovision has been criticized since 2023, when The war started in the Gaza Strip. The first thing that was accused of Eurovision was of a certain hypocrisy for not expelling Israel as it had done in 2022, vending Russia After the invasion of Ukraine. The justification of Eurovision was that the contest is a competition between public broadcasters, not governments, and that Israeli public television (Kan) continues to meet the requirements of editorial independence and public service that, however, considers that Russian public chains have lost. Songs with problems. Already that same 2023, the song with which Israel participated in the contest, ‘Hurricane’, played by Eden Golan, He gave problems because it was suspected that its lyrics contained evening allusions to the attacks of October 7. The lyrics and the video clip used metaphors that reminded the young people fleeing from the attack at the Nova Music Festival, where Eden was one of the survivors. Finally, Israel maintained its participation after threatening to retire Yes ‘Hurricane’ was disqualified. Too many interests. But if your participation is so problematic, why don’t Eurovision exclude Israel? This is a network of interests where the sponsorship and financing of the festival stands out: since 2020, the main Eurovision sponsor is Moroccanoil, a company of cosmetics of Israeli origin that performs 80% of its production in Israel and has a continuous presence in the contest, from its appearance in all the curtains and scenarios to the styling of the artists. The brand has been accused of manufacturing in occupied Palestinian territories. Different sources point out that Moroccanoil would withdraw a very juicy sponsorship if Israel was expelled from the contest. The Eurofans protest. Next to the controversial votes, in social networks A series of videos have been seen that they result in the idea that the televoto has little to do with the desire of the authentic fans of the contest: constant boos In Israel’s performance, Palestinian flags that they have not been able to be hidden by realization, expulsions of spectators In essays … the contrast between Eurofans (even among those who advocate The impossible: that the contest is apolitic) and the televoto mediated by pro-Israeli media and organs is more pronounced than ever. It has its fans. But of course, there is the other side of the equation: we cannot forget that, despite the protests of many Eurofans, Israel has won the contest with authentic classics. Especially notorious was Dana International’s performance in 1998, which was a step forward in the LGTBI representation in Eurovision, giving to a large extent the contest we know today. Eurovision is largely its LGTBI audience, and Israel took a giant step in its day in that direction, something that many followers still remember and thank. It is also unfair to say that the entire televoto, however broken the system, was mediated by political interests: the trajectory at the Israel Festival demonstrates that their themes have genuine defenders: the controversy of its presence only dates back a couple of years ago, but historically Israel has gone well stopped the voting since the seventies. The protests of Spain and Belgium, in short, are exceptions: most European governments support Israel’s policy, and that also influences the positioning of their voters in Eurovision. Header | RTVE In Xataka | Film rooms are becoming “show rooms” of all kinds. The best example: Eurovision

China is about to have the ability to make 5 Nm chips, although it faces a difficult solution problem

SMIC (Semiconductor manufacturing international corp), the largest Chinese semiconductor manufacturer has been working on the development of Your own 5 nm photolithography. In early February 2024 the newspaper Financial Times He said he had access to two experts in the integrated circuit industry who defended that this company was finalizing the refinement of their semiconductor manufacturing processes in their machines deep ultraviolet lithography (UVP). Its purpose was to have the necessary technology to make 5 Nm chips massively before the end of 2024, although it did not succeed. If its 5 Nm chips had already been successful in this project, the first Huawei devices or any other SMIC client equipped with this type of integrated circuits would have even seen the market. Be that as it seems, now, this technology is ready. The challenge facing SMIC is the performance by wafer According to Dr. Kiman expert in the manufacture of integrated circuits who has worked in Samsung and who currently investigates for TSMC in the US, SMIC is about to start the production of 5 Nm chips. It is perfectly credible because, as we have just seen, we know with certainty that this company has been working on this technology for several years. And, in addition, Dr. Kim is a reliable source. However, this expert has pointed out something crucial that we should not overlook: the performance per wafer that SMIC has currently achieved in its 5 Nm nodes is less than 30%. An incipient integration technology usually moves in the orbit of 50% performance per wafer When semiconductor manufacturers produce a chip wafer, some of those nuclei do not work properly. It is normal. When they launch a new lithographic node, their performance by wafer usually has a margin of broad improvement, but little by little, as engineers refine their integration processes, This parameter improves. A mature lithography can deliver to integrated circuit manufacturers a very high performance, but an incipient technology usually moves in the orbit of 50% performance, so only half of the chips produced work correctly. The problem is that for an integration technology to be profitable from an economic point of view, its performance by wafer has to be At least 70%. And, as we have just seen, Dr. Kim argues that the SMIC 5 NM node is below 30%. It is objectively a very poor performance, but we know what this low figure explains: the technique used by this manufacturer to produce these semiconductors. It is known as Multiple patterningand SMIC has used it for more than a year and a half to make 7 NM chips for Huawei and other customers. This strategy consists in transferring the pattern to the wafer in several passes with the purpose of increasing the resolution of the lithographic process. It works, but is responsible for wafer performance is clearly improvable. SMIC engineers have been forced to resort to Multiple patterning because The US and Netherlands sanctions They prevent Asml from selling their extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment to their Chinese customers, which are the ideal to make chips of 7 nm or less. With the UVP machines that SMIC has, it will be very difficult for wafer performance to be optimal, so in all 5 Nm integrated circuits they will be scarce and expensive. The definitive solution to this problem for SMIC, Huawei and the other Chinese companies that are dedicated to semiconductors inevitably goes through developing their own UVE lithography teams. They are in it. Image | SMIC More information | Dr. Kim In Xataka | The US has declared the total war on Huawei: he does not want him to sell his chips for the most advanced outside of China

Spain is no longer a problem for Telefónica. But it is not your solution yet

Telefónica has achieved what seemed unlikely recently: return to your domestic market to the growth field. Upward income, a convergent ARPU triggered and close to the triple digit, customers won on all fronts, terminals and upward alarms, TV in its best form since before the pandemic, Churn at bay … All that is already happening, but The most relevant is not only what happens in the figures, but what happens in the strategy. Spain has ceased to be a river to The Great T.but this has not yet decided to turn it into spearhead. Or that’s what is read between the lines. During The last presentation of resultsthe first of Murtra, Emilio Gayo, newly promoted to CEO after his success at the head of the Spanish subsidiary, heard the positive data of the quarter. But Transcription of the call with investors It transmits some coldness. As if it was enough to run well to change the course of the story. As if the good moment is enough to hold it without mutating it. The needle of the action moves the balance, but also the illusion. What Gayo did not say speak as much as what he did pronounced: Telefónica is not using Spain as a strategic trampoline. It does not position it as a test field for new business lines, nor does it present it as a showcase of what can be a large telecus, but also modern, profitable, diversified. Not even as an operational matrix of Telefónica Tech, although in Spain this segment grows at a good pace. They are still unreottered their margins or their detailed results, it is a promise still locked in an opaque showcase. And what is not seen, hardly valued. Spain works, but The group has not yet shown the same determination to define its course as in Latin Americawhere They opted for an immediate exit After years in red. The context asks something else. Telefónica is in full strategic review (Gayo himself has said explicitly), And that review points in several directions: Consolidation in large markets (Spain, Germany, United Kingdom). Reinforcement of not strictly Telecos divisions (Tech, Infra). Industrial narrative, infrastructure, more than technological, which is the mystique that today is in the markets. In that framework, the logical thing would be to make Spain a success case. A replicable pilot. An example of advanced convergence (average of 92 eurazos per client, rather than in countries with greater purchasing power), premium loyalty, differential content, Diversification of income beyond voice and data. But Telefónica is presenting good numbers as data, not as a vision. It is not just a matter of story, it is a matter of course. Especially Now that Telefónica is running as a key piece in the European consolidation of the sector: The inaugural speech of the MWC crying out for her did not give the CEO of Deutsche Telekom or Vodafone or Orange, Murtra gave it. That ambition is more than Buy or fuse Digis either Vodafonesit implies proposing another way of being a teleco in this new era. And if there is one way, it can only be born from the places where Telefónica is already winning, where it does not play defensive. If Gayo and Murtra want to make Telefónica a European champion (Financial Times He slid days after the goodbye of Pallete that this was the idea with Murtra), there will be more than financial muscle or client volume: a model, a successful narrative, a value proposition that justifies that central role in the European map of telecommunications. Spain could be perfectly that modelbut Telefónica has not yet decided if you want to use it to inspire or just to consolidate. And that indecision has a cost. In a sector where all companies are redefining what they want to be – which They play to be platformstechnological that They rent networkshybrids that They reinvent the service…—, who does not propose stays out. Although their kpis shine, even if their domestic market breathes again. Nokia launched very solid terminals while Apple invented the future that would ruin it. AT&T prioritized the scale without a clear thesis and today has blurred in front of more pre -pre -rivals. Yahoo never knew what he wanted to be and The market decided on it. Telefónica is not at risk of disappearing, but if you are out of the game that matters. He is in time to decide his role, but that time to do so will not be infinite. The most difficult is already done: Spain works again for Telefónica. What has not yet been done is decide what that means. If Telefónica wants to lead Europe, you must first demonstrate it at home. Outstanding image | Telefónica In Xataka | 100 years after his birth, Telefónica faces the greatest existential dilemma in its history: what wants to be older

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