threat

The Alhambra and its environment are a jewel of world heritage. Now a threat has emerged: solar panels

by

For decades Granada can boast of having a world category jewel, the set formed by the Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín, registered all three in The list Unesco World Heritage. Now the city sees how clouds loom About them. And for an unexpected azón: a photovoltaic plant that, according to icomos (An organism associated with UNESCO) threatens the environment. In fact advises “Slighted” that is paralyzed. What happened? That Icomos (The International Council of Monuments and Sites) has just yielded a jug of cold water on a project that It has been weating for some time Granada local policy: a photovoltaic plant of something more than three hectares that will be built in The Farguea neighborhood of Granada. What Icomos said is that, if carried out, the installation will negatively affect the Alhambra, the Generalife and the Albaicín neighborhood, three Historical jewels included for years in the Unesco World Heritage list. Beyond its content and arguments, the warning is important because Icomos is not any entity. The Council is associated with UNESCO and is dedicated precisely to ensure the “Protection and value” of heritage. Its report also includes some ears to the Spanish authorities and has served to enliven (even more) the debate that For months surrounds a plant that has encountered the opposition of politicians, neighbors and Ecologists. What would the installation be like? The plant is called San Gregorio I and, As needed The countryI would occupy about three hectares to produce 4.95 MW. It is actually part of a broader project that includes two others facilities, stadium plus i and sotoscuro i, of a size more or less similar. The key is where it is projected: The Fargue (Alquería del Fargue), an area of ​​Granada located in the district of Albaicín. In June the PSOE proposed In full paralyzing the macroplanta to “protect the landscape and cultural heritage of the city”, especially the surroundings of the Alhambra and the Darro valley, considered a good of cultural interest (BIC) Since 2024. It is not the only one. Neighbors and Ecologists in Action also mislead the impact that the project would have in the area. What has Icomos said? That criticisms are more than founded. In your report the agency concludes that the photovoltaic plant entails “a very high risk of negative impact” for the surroundings of the Alhambra, the Generalife and the Albaicín, a set including on the UNESCO heritage list. Hence, their authors “strongly advise the stoppage of the planned actions” and give a small touch of attention to the Spanish authorities, to which they warn that they must be “much more vigilant and careful” in the face of projects that affect the protected heritage. How would the plant affect? It depends on what we are talking about exactly. The effect would not be the same in all cases. If we focus on the Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín the problem is the visual impact. “The Alhambra is more than the fortified monumental complex. The Alhambra territory includes the general’s past Point out in The country José Castillo Ruiz, professor at the University of Granada (UGR). Is it so serious? “The visual impact of an industrial element like this goes much further than a simple discordant element (…). They seriously alter the heritage values ​​of the Alhambra as a historical set, monument and world heritage,” insists The expert, who warns of the loss of centenary olive trees or the alteration of the environment, breaking “continuity” between the Alhambra, the city of Granada, the Valley and the rest of the environment. If we speak specifically of the Valle del Darro the report, in fact warns of a clear environmental impact. Things are very different for project promoters, which They assure that the final affectation will be “minimal” and already contemplate incorporating “corrective measures.” Does it say anything else? Yes. The report remember That San Gregorio I is only one of the three photovoltaic plants that you want to boost in the area, so it slides that its promoter seeks avoid An environmental impact statement (DIA). In total the three photovoltaic plants will approach (although staying below) of the ten hectares that would require activating that procedure. As for processing, icomos insists in which it does not arrive with opening a public exposure process “without effective advertising”. The ideal is to find a way to guarantee “a public participation” during the process, a “real nature”. Why is it important? The controversy around the plant It is not new. A months ago environmentalists and neighbors They already warned of their impact on the territory, the olive groves and holm oaks, biodiversity and even spoke of “disorder and speculation.” The Icomos report is relevant because it has fueled the debate and oxygen to critics, For whom The document “Raises Project death certificate”. Right now its promoters They are pending of construction permits (in which the City Council plays a key role) and the resolution of allegations. Their critics rely on the ICOMOS document for claim That the Alhambra Board or the rest of the institutions move token, which goes even to transfer their complaints to UNESCO itself. Images | Wikipedia (Jebulon) and Sharon Mollerus (Flickr) In Xataka | Mediterranean countries seemed ideal for solar panels. Until the dust storms arrived

The greatest attack of Ukraine on Russian soil discovered a new threat with drones. China has just multiply it

by

In 2024, Ukraine managed to enter trucks disguised as mobile houses in Russian terrain. It was the origin of what happened in June 2025, when The Spiderweb operation It was activated giving rise to kyiv’s greatest attack on Moscow since the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine. The offensive also staged the Future of the contests. China has taken another step in that threat marked by drones. Show converted into threat. They told them Analysts at The War Zone. China, through the company Damodahas presented a containerized system designed in principle for light shows with drones, but whose concept reveals deep military implications. The Automated Drone Swarm Container System is capable to display and recover Hundreds (potentially thousands) of small grid drones automatically, in a matter of minutes and with a single operator. Although the declared objective is entertainment, the system encapsulates the logic of how a simple container can be transformed into a portable swarm launcher with capacity of saturating skies and objectives at will. What today is a viral show on social networks, tomorrow can be a devastating weapon on the battlefield. From Guinness to War. Damoda already holds the world record with More than 11,000 drones in simultaneous flight in a coordinated show. Now, with this modular system of extensible racks, each container can accommodate At least 648 dronesready to take off and land synchronized. Drones automatically return to their positions and recover in the system itself, which It allows constant repetition With minimal human intervention. The promise for the civil market is speed, portability and cost reduction, but from the military perspective what is shown is the ability to convert a truck or a container into a force multiplier, camouflaged in an innocuous appearance. The precedents. The most immediate parallelism is found in the Ukraine War. As we said at the beginning, in mid -2024, kyiv carried out the call Spiderweb Operationwhere hidden containers as sheds or mobile houses were used as undercover kamikaze drones. Those attacks against aerodromes inside Russia They damaged or destroyed dozens of aircraft, including strategic long -range bombers. The blow was so serious that the Pentagon estimates the loss of at least ten of these devices. Something similar It happened in the Middle Eastwhen Israeli commands used covert structures to launch drones and missiles against goals in Iran during the beginning of the twelve -day war. Both operations show that the container, the most banal and ubiquitous infrastructure of global trade can become A lethal vector of power projection. The military potential. If civil design is extrapolated to the war, the concept is transformed into A swarm weapon low cost with saturation effects. Several trucks equipped with these containers could simultaneously launch hundreds or thousands of drones with diverse missions: from exploration and recognition to electronic warfare, interference of radars or kinetic attacks with small explosive loads. It would be enough Reduced number of systems To sweep an air base, disable radars or cover an urban front with lethal swarm. Its deployment in scenarios where the control lines are diffuse, such as cities in war, would allow devastating and almost impossible to stop with traditional defenses. The defense challenge. The difficulty in repelling a massive attack of swarms is multiplied with each advance in Autonomy and artificial intelligence. A swarm with the ability to Autonomous search and destruction It could penetrate shegars, hangars or buildings in search of objectives, exceeding the limitations of preprogrammed attacks. Let’s think that conventional anti -aircraft systems, designed to intercept specific threats, are overwhelmed in front of hundreds of simultaneous drones. The directed energy weapons, like lasers or microwaveThey offer partial but limited solutions by scope, direction and power. One of the few effective alternatives is to respond with another defensive swarm of interceptor drones, capable of creating a mobile barrier in the sky. Even so, cost-efficacy asymmetry plays in favor of the attacker: while an interceptor missile It can cost millionseach suicide drone barely reaches some thousands of dollars. Representation of a container launch system for the Merodeo ammunition of the Hero family of the German contractor Rheinmetall, as another example of a relevant concept that has previously been shown A show in the contest. The great risk is that what is now deployed as a cultural or tourist show can be transformed With hardly modifications In a gun of war. The camouflage, a priori, is perfect: a load container standard, transported by train, truck or ship, does not raise suspicions until, in minutes, it becomes A lethal swarm. This multiplies the strategic challenge for air bases, ports and cities close to the front, where a single infiltrated container could inflict damage comparable to that of a cruise missile sap. In wars where surprise and saturation are key, this kind of “drone box” emerges as the contemporary equivalent of an unpublished intelligent cluster bomb and precision. Global threat in buds. The truth is that China is not the only country in Explore this land. Defense companies and contractors In the United States And Europe also work in similar conceptssome even thought for naval pitchers. The debate in the US Navy already proposes to install containerized swarms In ships for defense and attack, which shows the inevitability of this transition. The Chinese precedent and the war in Ukraine indicate that the next future of the Air War is not only in the great seasons of sixth generation or in hypersonic missiles, but in low -cost swarms capable of overflowing any defense. The paradox. The Automated Drone Swarm Container System of Damoda It is officially a civil product to illuminate the skies in celebrations. But what projects, beyond its luminous choreographies, is a disturbing mirror of the future of war. Each viral show is at the same time, An essay From what can happen on the battlefield: the replacement of the power concentrated by distributed saturation, the replacement of the missile of millions with hundreds of low -cost drones, the transit of the technological war to … Read more

The threat of Russia is no longer drones, they are now combat airplanes violating airspace. And Europe has taken its fighters

by

First it was a swarm of Russian drones entering Poland’s airspace. NATO He responded with fire. That first order of Moscow has had its continuation last Friday, when three Russian fighters did the same In Estonia. NATO response was overwhelmed again. However, threat and tension, far from lesseing, has increased a few hours ago About the Baltic Sea. Russian incursion in Estonia. As we said, the recent cross of three fighters MIG-31 Foxhound Russians in Estonia’s airspace All alarms In Eastern Europe and has tested the immediate response capacity of NATO. The intrusion, occurred on The island of Vaindloo In the Gulf of Finland, it was carried out without flight plans, with transponders off and without communication with the Sonian air control services, which makes it an act deliberately provocative. Given this, the new Eastern Sentry operationwith the takeoff of Italian F-35 fighters of the Baltic Air Police Detachment, to which devices were added Swedes Jas 39 flu and Finnish fighters to intercept and monitor intruders. The episode It is not isolated: It continues at the entrance of 19 Russian drones in Poland and Romania the previous week, of which several were demolished by Polish and Dutch forces, and others crashed into Polish territory. These incidents demonstrate a Russian pressure pattern that seeks to test the limits of the alliance. Reactions. The political response was swift. Estonia Foreign Minister He described the incursion of “unprecedented provocation” and demanded rapid measures of political and economic pressure. Prime Minister Estonia communicated directly with NATO general secretary, Mark Rutte, who reiterated the solidarity of the organization and the need for reinforce deterrence In the region. In addition, Estonia announced that he will convene for the first time in his 34 years as a member of the United Nations an emergency meeting of the Security Council. European diplomacy, in the voice of Kaja Kallas, He condemned the act As a “dangerous provocation” and stressed that it was already the third violation of community airspace in a few days, promising more support for the defense of the Baltic states. In parallel, voices in Lithuania They suggested that the alliance should be willing to demolish intruder planes, remembering the Turkish 2015 precedentwhen a Russian Su-24 was killed on the border with Syria. A Russian Mig 31 The legal framework. Given the situation, Estonia considers invoke article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which forces allies to joint consultations provided that one of them feels threatened their safety, such as Poland already did After the intrusion of Russian drones. The activation of this mechanism reflects the severity with which the threat is perceived and the need to show cohesion against Moscow. The Eastern Sentry operation, launched days before, initially provides rapid reaction fighters and an anti -aircraft, with the perspective of extending from The Arctic to the Black Sea to cover the entire eastern flank of the alliance against drones, missiles and airplanes. General Alexus Grynkewich, Supreme Commander Allied in Europe, He stressed that this new frame will allow a more flexible and focused defense where it is required. A Russian IL-20m German interception. A few hours ago the tension It has increased. The output of Two German Eurofighter From the Rostock-Laage base to intercept a Russian IL-20M recognition plane on the Baltic Sea, it has placed the region again in the center of the climb between Moscow and NATO. Again, the Russian apparatus flew with the transposeor off, without responding to contact calls, an increasingly common pattern in incursions that are interpreted as acts of deliberate provocation. The incident came just days after the incursion of the three Russian Mig-31 fighters. The strategic pulse of Moscow. For Poland and Baltic states, incidents are not isolated, but part of a sequence of calculated steps of harassment. Just a few days ago and as we count, Warsaw denounced Lat the fall of 19 Russian drones In its territory, and its Foreign Minister described the Kremlin strategy as a series of incremental provocations, always on the edge, but without reaching the open conflict. The discovery of remains of a lure drone in a Polish forest reinforces the sensation constant trial of NATO defenses. Meanwhile, the Kremlin He denies responsibility and accuses the West, in particular to the United Kingdom, to lead an alleged “warmongering field” that prevents progress in the resolution of the war in Ukraine. The fissures of the West. One of the most disturbing elements in this context is the perception that the United States could be reducing its commitment in the defense of the eastern flank. Bloomberg cited Kremlin sources according to which Putin would have concluded, after his summit with Donald Trump in Alaska, that Washington will not significantly reinforce kyiv’s military capacity, which encourages Moscow to intensify its attacks to force Ukrainian capitulation. In parallel, The Guardian told that reports that the White House plans to reduce security assistance to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, despite being countries directly exposed to Russian pressure. Trump’s statement, stating that he would defend Europe but without deepening details, adds strategic ambiguity at a time of high voltage. Climbing risk. Baltic and Central European leaders agree that the situation is dangerously approaching A breakdown. The president of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, warned that, although Russia strives to clearly exceed red lines, erratic logic and incompetence at different levels of the Russian system could lead to a real clash, whose responsibility would fall on the Kremlin. From Prague, President Czech Peta Pavel He claimed an answer Firm and united from NATO, remembering that giving in to the aggression would be equivalent to “turning your back on evil.” The shadow of a greater conflict plans on the northeast European: each new air incursion or drone attack increases the probabilities of a calculation error that precipitates a direct confrontation. Ukraine and a way. Under this climate of growing hostility, President Zelensky declaredbefore traveling to the UN, who would be willing to meet with Putin, even with Trump, to explore A political exit. … Read more

The US has reached a dead end. To rearm to China’s threat, he needs the help of a nation: China

by

What began Like a secret In the army he has jumped to the first flat of the nation: the pentagon has reacted afternoon and bad To the revolution of the drones. While Ukraine and Russia integrate at dizzying rhythm Cheap, disposable and effective platforms, and China You don’t know what to do With as many drones, Washington is entangled in procedures, inherited priorities and a culture of acquisitions that treats drones as “new airplanes” and not as low cost ammunition and mass production. In the background, a dead end: to anticipate the Chinese threat need … China. Revolution. The contemporary battlefield has been marked by a CStructural Ambio: Cheap, mass and disposable drones have become the decisive asymmetric weapon, capable of altering the balance of power between large and small powers. Ukraine, with one constant creativity And an incessant flow of adaptations, has shown that an army with limited resources can neutralize armored, strategic airplanes and russian logistics lines by swarms of short and medium reach drones. And delay. Meanwhile, the Pentagon, despite publicly recognizing the threat, maintains A dangerous delay. The statement of General James Mingus, who compared the current drones with the devastating impact of the improvised explosive artifacts in Iraq, Synthesizes the dilemma: This is the “FDE today”, a transformative weapon against which the United States has not yet reacted with the necessary urgency. Strategic blindness. They tell The analysts of the country that history is repeated. During the years of the insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands of soldiers died while the Department of Defense delayed the adoption of the Mrap vehiclesarmored designed for Resist FDIuntil the pressure of Robert Gates He broke the internal resistances. Today, the same pattern It is observed with drones. The rigid structure of the pentagon, obsessed with large programs as the F-35strategic submarines or The Sentinel missilesmarginalizes the cheap and fast solutions that make a difference in the field. There is talk of initiatives such as The Replicator program or of record budgets for research in autonomous weapons, but the reality is that, in front of the millions of drones that China could produce and the monthly thousands that Russia already displays, the United States barely has prototypes and promises. Presentation of Lucas, the Made in USA copy of the Shaheds, or almost The awkward mirror: the Shahed. We have gone counting. The weapon that best reflects that gap is The Shahed-136renamed Geran by Russia. Born as an Iranian clone of Israeli designs, it has become the most influential mercupy ammunition of the 21st century. With an approximate cost of $ 50,000, A autonomy of up to 1,600 kilometers and the ability to carry loads of 20 to 40 kilos, combines simplicity with strategic efficacy. In Russian hands, it already occurs at an industrial scale And it has been perfected with more range variants, better tight sensors and loads. Faced with the millions of cruise missile, Shahed is the pure expression of the war economy: cheap, abundant and devastating. The fact that the United States does not have an equivalent produced by mass constitutes a Strategic negligence symptom. The double error. On the one hand, the Pentagon has ignored the need to adopt massively short -range dronesof the FPV type, which in Ukraine have become the Common soldier weaponcapable of extending the scope of an infantry squad from 800 meters to more than 12 kilometers. On the other, it has dismissed for years the importance of long -range ammunition low costentrusting in expensive and limited missile arsenals. This double error points to a mentality anchored in past warsunable to accept that innovation does not reside in the exquisite, but in the numerous. The US army still does not have formations dedicated to drones, or new military specialties focused on them. The doctrine barely begins to adapt and pilot programs advance at a ridiculous speed compared to the rhythm of Ukrainian innovation. Russian Shaheds Factory China and recover lost time. The proposal of the most realistic analysts It is clear: United States needs, without delay, standardize Two drone designs long -range kamikaze. The first, about 1,600 km, cheap and massive, would serve both in Europe and in the First Pacific Islands chain. The second, more than 3,000 km, would be crucial to, for example, hit from the second island chain to the interior of China, even after the establishment of Bubble A2/AD. Both, complemented with variations in useful loads and guidance systems, would guarantee tactical flexibility and a deterrent volume. Without this capacity, the United States would enter any greater conflict with a ridiculously insufficient arsenal against tens of thousands of enemy threats. The logic of wear. The value of these weapons does not only reside in their destructive capacity. His strength lies in the economic equation: they force the adversary to spend millions in interceptors for each device which costs just tens of thousands. The “effector depletion” thus becomes a strategic weapon: saturate enemy defenses until their missile arsenals and force them to cover a spectrum of threats impossible to handle. Even a drone that never reaches its objective fulfills its function to the Force the enemy to shoot. Ukraine lo has demonstrated by forcing Russia to disperse anti -aircraft defenses against improvised swarms; The same logic, multiplied by tens of thousands of units, could turn the balance against China or Russia. The Chinese problem. The underlying problem is industrial disability. And here comes one of the paradoxes of the situation: the United States depends almost completely on the nation of which he intends to defend himself. And is that It depends on China for everythingfrom batteries to basic motors and materials. Its acquisition structure, designed for the slow rhythms of the cold war, is not prepared to produce quickly and decentralized. While the adversary itera versions in weeks, the Pentagon takes years to approve contracts. The solution: analysts aim to diversify production between dozens of medium and small companies, under a framework of standardized designs owned by the … Read more

Xavier Martinet, CEO of Hyundai Europe, before the Chinese threat and its next release

by

Xavier Martinet is an busy man. What is expected when you are the CEO in Europe of a company like Hyundai. But today it is not one of those days when meetings accumulate on the agenda or flights are taken to go to one country or another. Today he is a busy man because Hyundai has decided that His great presentation of the Münich IAA Mobility He will do it on the street. The Motor Show of this German city is now a space that embraces the public. There is a closed congress center to which it goes as a press, to do business or if you are willing to pay the entrance. If you live in Münich or, in a few days of tourism, you have coincided with the fair, I recommend that you lose yourself through its historic center. About 500 meters from Marienplatz you will be inside the bowels of a gigantic Mercedes scenario. By his side he compensates for Cupra Tindaya And the American proposal Lucid. A little further, Porsche and Audi. Before the end of the Wide Ludwigstraße, the stand of Hyundai It stands out on the elevated. There are four spaces. The ends are flanked by the present, with a Ioniq 5 on one side and a Ioniq 6 N in the opposite. In the center two attractive design exercises. On the left the Hyundai INTEROID, a version with steroids of the Electric small which seems perfect to assault a championship of Rallycross. To the right and Martinet’s back, the concept Three, the prototype designed by Eduardo Ramírez, head of design in Europe of the brand, who will also give us some brushstrokes on it. Hyundai is full of Spanish figures in relevant positions. José Muñoz, his global CEO, is the last responsible for the brand worldwide. Two of these three appear have spoken with Xataka about their next release. The fair price “Today we are presenting the Concept Three. The production version will be launched next year. We do not confirm the official name but bearing the name of Ioniq … they can guess what it will be called,” says Martinet who refuses to speak directly of the company’s production model. The present, for the moment, is a futuristic prototype that could only be a design game if it were not because Hyundai has risked in its electric versions. We could say that we do not believe its frontal sharp or its pixel lighting but the second can be seen in all the company’s electric. For the first, only a few steps are needed and placed in front of the spectacular ioniq 6. The Hyundai Concept Three seems the logical and electrical evolution of the Hyundai CR-Z, a car for day to day, rational and logical but with a point of aggressiveness and risk that makes it attractive and different on the outside. Time will tell how far the company tense the company with the final image. “It is a concept thought of the European, aerodynamic client, very efficient … but also thought to have a large interior space,” Eduardo Ramírez points out that, as we said, is the head of its design and together with Martinet, is today the most sought after person. For that European client, the price is essential. “The Hyundai Inter starts at 23,000 euros and the electric Kona Kona in 37,000 euros. The production version of the concept Three will fit very well between them. For us it is really fundamental, really, to continue offering electricity in the heart of the European market, in segments B and C,” Martinet points out about the future position of the car. Here is one of the keys and one of the questions that is most repeated in this type of electrical approaches. Is the public willing to pay an electric of between 20,000 and 30,000 euros assuming that It will generate some discomforts When do you want to make a long trip? “The electric is not everything in Hyundai’s strategy. We are also continually developing hybrid technology, and right now we need to have this double approach,” Martinet already advances although he later points out that “it is very important to demonstrate that we can have a very strong supply of electric in all segments and demonstrate that changing to the electric is a possibility.” That jump has two variants that Hyundai’s CEO rensures us. “The electric are more expensive than combustion cars. But you have more technology. The total cost, however, it is interesting because you have lower maintenance costs, electricity is cheaper than gasoline … Electrification is the way to follow to decarbonize the automobile industry.” “At this time, we have a market share of 3.8% and we are quite stable compared to last year but we have space to grow. As a brand you have to add value, this component that we generate, say, the will of the customers to buy your vehicles. Hyundai has a distinctive positioning. The design is very important for us, technology also,” Martinet insists. “Let’s not be defensive, let’s play the attack. We are one of the brands is more likely to resist better against the Chinese,” says the Hyundai Europe CEO “A bold, modern and surprising,” those are the three words with which Eduardo Ramírez describes the brand’s design, a pillar on which the company’s models have been settled. “For the Ioniq range we have defined a characteristic language with the lighting of pixels, an interior space that is treated as a furnished space. Anyway, all Hyundai cars can be recognized because they have something in common in design even if they are different.” Thus, one of those pillars on which to lift the brand is, without a doubt, the design. The other is technology. “There you have the ioniq 6 N. we are demonstrating that you can have sustainability, advanced electrical technology, and still a lot of driving pleasure with the characteristics of N (its sports division). We are demonstrating … Read more

Sinai is one of the most iconic places in all Christianity. Now faces the threat of touristification

by

Few places in the world can boast of having the load of history and symbolism of Mount Sinaithe place where (according to the Judeo -Christian tradition) God delivered his ten commandments to Moses and where he stands The monastery that more time has managed to preserve its original function, an architectural jewel of the seventh century. Now both one and the other face radical changes while the Egypt government is committed to a new Tourist megaproject In the region. The debate is served. What happened? That tourism development and heritage conservation, two realities not always easy to combine, have unleashed a controversy in Egypt. And he has also done so in an especially sensitive area for its symbolic, cultural, historical, religious and even geopolitical value: Jabal museMount Sinai. There, where according to the Judeo -Christian tradition God delivered the tables of the commandments to Moses, a tourist megaproject called ‘Great transfiguration project’ and that the Egyptian authorities They present as “a gift” from the country “to the entire world and all religions.” Not all They see it that way. What do you want to do? The project is not new. He presented it In 2020 The President Abdelfatha el-Sisi And his name gives an idea of ​​what is his purpose. The ‘great transfiguration’ aspirates, In words of the Egyptian executive, to “develop” the city of Santa Catalinaa small population located in the Peninsula of the Sinai, “placing it in the place that corresponds to it, taking full advantage of its tourist attractions, as well as its rich archaeological and religious heritage.” The initiative includes 14 projects different in the area capable of arouseing the interest of Tourist operators and the development of the local airport. The Egyptian government It usually cite it in fact as one of his great tourist bets. Is more known? The idea is to turn Santa Catalina into A Tourism Pole Religious and environmental, with places, commercial spaces, luxury hotels, villas and infrastructure. The BBC Point out which even includes a cable car. “The project will provide all tourist and recreational services to the visitor, will promote the development of the city and its surroundings, at the same time preserving the environmental, landscape and patrimonial character. It will also contribute accommodation to those who work in their development,” celebrated In 2024 Minister Sherif el-Sherbiny. Is it just a project? No. It is already a reality underway. Over the last years the Egyptian authorities have visited the place to follow the advance of the works in situ and the transformation It is already visible In the plain of El-Raha. Moreover, at the beginning of the year the government came to affirm that the level of execution 90%. Shortly before, at the end of 2024, World Heritage Watch (WHW), very critical of development, he published A statement in which it included an image of how the environment was before and how it is now, with the buildings already advanced. Why is it controversial? For several reasons. One of the main ones is how it will affect the area, both at the environmental level and in what affects the locals. “Natural landscapes have suffered serious damage and the rights of the natives have been violated. The Bedouinos Jebelya of Santa Catalina have lost important parts of their old tribal territory. Houses have demolished. Places of special cultural sensitivity have been destroyed, such as a cemetery,” Whw complaint. “An urban world is being built around a town of nomadic roots.” The organization regrets that the Egyptian authorities “have ignored” recommendations from the United Nations and “act in a clear challenge to environmental laws” that protect the environment and the communities that populate it. Everything insists, while development captures the interest of private corporations as a popular hotel chain based in Germany. Meanwhile, whw and Other voices They warn of the negative impact for native populations, the government insists in which the megaproject will be “a gift to the world and religions.” Why is it so media? The megaproject of Mount Sinai has been on the table for some time. If in recent days he has starred in media such as The country, The BBC either The Art Newspaper It is because there is not only the population of Santa Catalina. Very close an icon of Christianity stands: the Santa Catalina Monasteryfounded in the seventh century and that has the honor of being the oldest Christian monastery inhabited by monks uninterruptedly. “Its walls and buildings are of great value for the study of Byzantine architecture and hosts a highlight collection of manuscripts and primitive icons,” Remember Unescothat in 2002 he declared him a World Heritage. It is not just that the monastery of Santa Catalina is in the same environment of the tourist megaproject. It is that over the last years he has lived his own judicial soap opera with the Egyptian State, which has raised suspicion. After years of disputes and lawsuits for the ownership of the land that occupies, in May a court He ruled that the religious enclosure is located in state land. He is recognized the right to use his soils and archaeological enclaves with religious value of his surroundings, but still the decision that has generated a remarkable dust. What does the sentence say? As you need The countrythe verdict granted to the monastery the rights of usufruct (not property) over 57 plots, but ordered to evict another 14 that were also in dispute. The problem is that part of the plots claimed by Egypt have a role in the day to day of the religious enclosure, linked to the Greek orthodox church and where monks live. “Many of the expropriated monastic properties are very old and were built and have been maintained by the monastery,” Ben Hoffler warnsfamiliar with the area. The monks will be stripped of orchards and fountains. What does one thing have to do with the other? Is it a coincidence that the sentence has arrived just when the new tourist … Read more

AI agents can not only plan your vacation from beginning to end. They are also the greatest threat to Booking and company

by

With the generative andn decelerationAI agents run like The next great revolution of the sector. Unlike a chatbot to which we ask something and respond, an agent is able to carry out complex tasks autonomously. The first reaction was to see them as A threat to many jobs. Expectations have fallen because technology is still quite greenbut there is a sector in which the threat seems very real and is already preparing for what can come. The threat. Travel planning is one of the fields in which an AI agent can be very practical. In fact, he was part of the demonstration of Chatgpt agentin which they asked him to organize assistance to a wedding and the agent organized the entire plan, including looking for flights and hotels. If an agent does everything for us, this could leave flight seekers and hotels out of play that act as intermediaries and take a commission for it. If you can’t with the enemy … They tell it in Financial Times. Online travel platforms are beginning to implement functions with AI in their portals. This is the case of Airbnb, which already implemented an AI agent in its customer service and plans to expand it to more areas of its app to make the most automatic experience. Booking signed an agreement with OpenAI to automate services and launch its own travel planner adjusted based on platform data. Expedia also integrated Openai technology and is working on an agent. Hotels and airlines. Unlike online agencies, both the hotel sector and the airlines see with good eyes the arrival of AI agents. If customers hire them directly with them, they would save the Commissions that in the case of the hotel sector is around 20%. Of course, nothing guarantees that these alleged agents do not implement other types of commission system for each hired trip. For Hotrec, the European hotel association, AI agents have potential, but can end up replicating the platform model and generating a new dependency cycle. A lot of at stake. We talk about a business that, according to Financial Times, moves 1.6 billion dollars a year worldwide. The leader travel agency is Booking, which In 2024 he billed 24,000 million dollarsfollowed by Expedia with 10,000 million dollars. The irruption of agents in business can threaten their domain by offering more options to consumers. Nervous. Last year, researchers from the University of Ohio They tested the capabilities of several AI models When planning trips and only achieved a 0.6%success rate. Although agricultural AI has improved, we have recently seen that It still has a long way to go. However, nervousness among those responsible for these platforms is evident. Jochen Koedijk, Expenditure Marketing Director, believes that online agencies have an advantage because they have many data on user behavior. “We know what it sells and what is not. That is the proposal of really important value,” he says. Glenn Fogel, Booking CEO, it’s clearer: “I’m not so dumb as it doesn’t worry me.” Image | Web Summit, via Flickr In Xataka | AI has become the best example that if you don’t pay for the product, you are the product

Google has been saved from guillotine thanks to its greatest threat: chatgpt

by

The judgment In the case of the United States against Google, published yesterday, it is one of the most important in the history of the world of technology. And in it Judge Amit Metha, in charge of the case, mentions 133 times the same word. Ia. Three years ago this sentence would have been very different, and there would probably have not had a single mention of that acronym. But the launch of Chatgpt in late 2022 has changed everything, and has caused a surprising consequence for Google. Despite having confirmed that it has a monopoly in the searches business, The punishment has been soft. Almost benign. Google will not have to sell Chrome As the accusation demandedand instead the judge has forced the company to share search data with its competitors already limit – but without prohibiting them – the exclusive search contracts that it maintains with companies such as Apple. The result of the trial is clear: Google has won, especially since it has lost much than what I could have lost. AND The great responsible for that legal triumph is not even Google, but chatgpt. Already in the introduction of the sentence, on its first page, the foundations of that decision are made clear: “Google is still the dominant firm in the relevant product markets (search). No rival has managed to fight with Google market share. And no new competitor has entered the market. But artificial intelligence technologies, in particular the generative AI (” Genai “)) can end up changing the rules of the game.” From there the sentence speaks of how generative technologies have been increasingly integrating into traditional search engines. It is something we saw first with Perplexity and that has ended up changing the search experience of the same Google. Chatgpt, the unexpected Salvador de Google From the results page with a list of links we have moved to a page in which more and more often The first thing that appears is an AI overViewan answer generated by AI and built directly from different sources. He NEW AI MODE It goes even further and raises the future transition from the traditional search engine – you are questions, he generates link lists – to one with whom we will talk. The AI has entered as an elephant in a potsweeping everything, and searches have been especially impacted. We are many who started using much more chatgpt, Claude or Gemini than the traditional Google search engine or some of its rivals, and that reality has been reflected in the sentence: the search engine, as we knew it, is becoming something else, so the classic search engine is no longer “so dangerous.” In fact, this sentence is from that very reasonable point of view: the AI ​​boom is creating such competition in the searches market to force Google to make drastic structural changes – such as selling Chrome – seems unnecessary. Of course, that does not make the sentence be content. Gabriel Weinberg, CEO of Duckckgo, believes that Google’s privileged position will continue to benefit and prevent free competition. In A shared statement in X He explained how “Google will continue to continue using their monopoly to stop competitors, including searches with AI.” Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic, went further and criticized the punishment that justice had imposed to Google, considering it absurd and raising an analogy of the most suggestive: “It is as if a defendant had stolen a series of banks and the court’s verdict had declared him guilty, and then he had condemned him to probation, by virtue of which he could continue to steal banks, but he would have to share information on how he does it with other thieves of competition banks.” It is an interesting way to see that sentence, of course, but it is clear that sharing that data from your searches – Gogle has already warned that will review that decision– Open a door to more competitors. Not only that: it raises changes for the panorama of future search engines, including those with whom we will not stop talking. Chatgpt, the unexpected Salvador de Google, included. Image | Xataka with chatgpt In Xataka | “I’m afraid we’re going to be more busy”: Jensen Huang Discrepa from Musk and sees at AF a deep labor transformation

What North Korea is a global threat by land, sea and air

by

It happened a few hours ago. Kim Jong Un revealed A plan to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile of solid fuelthus showing the advances of your arms program just before traveling to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping and Putin in the framework of the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Because North Korea has gone from being a possible threat To confirm as a challenge to international order. The new axis and an impulse. The weekend, The Washington Post dissected the latest advances by Pyongyang. Since 2021, when Kim Jong a presented a five -year plan to develop nuclear capabilities of great powers, North Korea has made unexpected advances thanks to a favorable international context and the direct support of Russia. We have gone counting. The war in Ukraine opened a Cooperation channel Strategic: Pyongyang He provided artillery and troops to a moscow eager for ammunition, I have already received Technological transfermilitary assistance and economic support. This turn reduces North Korean dependence of the United States as an interlocutor and reinforces Kim’s ability to challenge the West with a more diverse and modern arsenal. Progress in eyelets and deterrence. One of the recent milestones has been the presentation of the HWASAN-31a miniaturized tactical eye that reflects progress in the adaptation of nuclear weapons to missiles. Although it has not yet been tested in detonation or atmospheric reentry, its mere existence suggests that Pyongyang advances towards a more flexible and difficult arsenal to neutralize. At the same time, Kim maintains the ambition of completing the development of a bomb high -power hydrogensupported by continued production of highly enriched uranium, which reinforces the threat of an increasingly varied repertoire of weapons. Missiles, satellites and saturation. In the last four years North Korea has tried Intercontinental Balistic missiles with reach to American continental territory, in addition to tactical missiles for Japan and South Korea. After several failed attempts, he managed to put a Military Recognition Satellitea long -distance strategic objective. The current challenge lies in the development of multiple reentry vehicles (MIRV), which would allow a single missile transport several heads nuclear towards different targets, complicating the American antimile defense. An essay in 2024, although failed in its propulsion phase, confirms the seriousness of the project and anticipates more evidence in the immediate future. Nuclear and hypersonic submarines. It We also count. The regime has shown the structure of what it states will be its first submarine of nuclear propulsiona technology reserved for a small world club. Although experts believe that it is far from operability, the Russian experience in this field could accelerate the deadlines, as already happened with India in the 1980s. At the same time, Pyongyang has tried hypersonic missiles and a new generation planning vehicle, The Hwasong-16bwith an alleged flight of 930 miles at speeds superior to Mach 12. Although doubts persist about the veracity of this data, the continuous effort suggests that North Korea wants to enter the most advanced technological career of contemporary weapons. Drones and the lesson of Ukraine. The use of drones has become A plan pillar North Korean. Pyongyang has deployed recognition models and is producing armed devices capable of launching GPS guided bombs. His direct learning of war in Ukraine, together With Russian cooperation In manufacturing of geran drones (Derivatives of the Iranians Shahed), has allowed a qualitative leap. Russian instructors They train to North Korean pilots, consolidating a new dimension of the Technological Alliance. The slowness of Seoul to develop an equivalent strategy reinforces The tactical advantage of Kim in the Korean Peninsula. Satellite image that shows the Operational Base of SinPung Dong missiles in North Korea on August 12 The magnitude of the program. Had a few hours ago The CNN that the discovery of the secret missile base of Sinpung-Donglocated just 27 kilometers from the border with China, confirms the existence of strategic facilities that Pyongyang has never declared and that are part of a hidden network of between 15 and 20 complexes of storage and deployment of ballistic missiles. The report The Center for Strategic and International Studies warns that from there they could deploy to nine intercontinental nuclear capacity missiles with their respective mobile pitchers, configuring a direct threat not only for East Asia, but also for much of the United States continental territory. Location and base size. Raised in a mountainous valley and crossed by a stream, the base occupies an area of 22 square kilometerswhich makes it more extensive than, for example, the JFK International Airport in New York. The first evidence of its construction date back to 2004, and satellite images point out that it has been fully operational since 2014. Since then, it has remained in good condition, with continuous extensions that reflect the modernization of North Korean Arsenal. The site also gives a Geopolitical advantage: By being so close to the Chinese territory, any military operation against the base entails the risk of triggering an incident with Beijing, a strategic calculation that reinforces the deterrent value of the complex. So that. Although it is not known with certainty what type of missiles are stored in Sinpung-Dong, analysts consider it likely to be The Hwasong-15 or Hwasong-18both intercontinental and with nuclear capacity. The complex would also be equipped with Mobile transport units And launch, capable of leaving the enclosure in crisis situations, meeting with nuclear eyelets and executing shots from previously prepared scattered positions. This operation scheme increases the survival of arsenal and the difficulty of neutralizing it with a preventive attack. Camouflaged infrastructure. There are more, since The study details The existence of control stalls, warehouses, command buildings and small homes inside the complex, some of them camouflaged under thick trees and thickets, invisible in most satellite images except in winter. In other words, this degree of concealment seems to reveal a dispersion and deception strategy that seeks to guarantee the operational continuity of the program. The base fits what experts call The “missile … Read more

of inflationary threat to historical price collapse

by

For months, the world feared a reissue of The 2007-08 food crisisWhen the rice exceeded $ 1,000 per ton and caused disturbances from Haiti to Bangladesh. At the beginning of 2024, Thai rice for 5% – referring in Asia— ton $ 650 per tonits maximum in ten years, promoted by the child, protectionism and panic purchases. And yet, in August of this year the opposite has happened: the international price slid towards minimums, driven by historical crops and yields that do not stop improving. It is the silent victory of productivity: more rice with almost the same land. International prices in free fall. In recent months, rice has been drastically cheaper. According to Financial Times5% Thai party white rice is negotiated at $ 372.5 per ton, its lowest level in eight years, after a 26% decrease since the end of last year. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Confirm the trend: Its global rice price index (FARPI) was reduced by 13% so far this year, and in July another 1.8% monthly fell, standing 22% below the previous year. Abundant supply, absent demand. In an extensive report by the Financial Times They have pointed out That, on the side of the offer, India – the largest exporter – in September last year the restrictions on external sales, while reached the market with a record harvest in 2023/24 and public stocks that reached 60 million tons in May, up to 15 million more than the average of recent years. Part of those surpluses even went to ethanol to release space before the new campaign. In addition, good campaigns were added in Thailand and Vietnam, which brought world production to a record level. On the side of the demand, Indonesia advanced purchases last year and withdrew from the market, while the Philippines forbade imports until October to protect its main harvest. “It’s that simple: there are no buyers,” summarized Samarndu Mohanty, director of the Center for Studies of Agriculture and Sustainable Development of the State Agricultural University of Telangana, cited by FT. The result is easy to define: there are plenty of stocks and lack of buyers, and, therefore, prices collapse. An exception: Japan. While global prices collapse, Japan suffers the opposite scenario. According to Bloombergthe country lives an extreme heat summer and drought in key producing regions such as Tohoku and Hokuriku. Kazunuki Ohizumi, Professor Emeritus at the University of Miyagi, has anticipated the environment: “Ris -of yields and distribution volumes will almost certainly fall.” To contain the crisis, the Japanese government released hundreds of thousands of tons of reserves and allowed to expand the culture surface. However, the measures were insufficient. In May of this year, As my partner has pointed out for XatakaJapan took an unprecedented step in 25 years: import rice from South Korea. Shortly after, the Aeon chain announced the sale of American rice Calrose, 10% cheaper than El Nacional. Social and political pressure has been enormous: surveys show a collapse in the approval of Prime Minister Shigeru Ihiba, and the controversy was fueled after unfortunate statements of the Minister of Agriculture. In addition, the Japanese country maintains a strict protectionist policy: only 770,000 tons annually enter tariff, and outside that fee the rate amounts to 341 yen/kg (about 2.30 dollars). Even in a context of world abundance, its consumers paid up to 50% more than a year earlier, According to Bloomberg. The productivity lever. The global price collapse has a historical background. According to Javier Blas in his column for Bloombergrice yields have gone from 2.4 t/ha in 1975 to about 4.7 t/ha in 2025, thanks to the massive use of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation and improved seeds. The global rice surface has barely varied since the 80s, but the production has doubled, until reaching an expected record harvest of 541 million tons in 2025/26, According to FAO. The “monsoon proof” resilience. In particular, India has become an example of resilience. As Financial Times explained, The country has almost universal irrigation systems in the main rice regions, guaranteed minimum prices and state bonuses that protect farmers. This allows you to hold record crops even with erratic monsoons. The minimum guaranteed prices (MSP) and state bonuses ensure a mattress against international volatility. In addition, farmers buy new seeds every season, which increases yields and expands the surface. In this way, the result has been a leftover offer that New Delhi channels both the domestic and international market, and even industrial uses such as ethanol. Winners and losers. For consumers and importing countries, decrease is good news: less inflationary pressure in the basic basket. For producers, especially in Asia, it is the opposite: with increasingly expensive supplies and depressed international prices, margins narrow dangerously. Rice also becomes a stability factor or political instability. Blas Remember that in Asiawhere rice is central in the diet, a price rebound can overthrow governments. Japan is now experiencing it: the internal basis has tensioned to the administration of ISHIBA. What to wait for the future? The base scenario indicates that prices will remain weak. Analysts consulted by the Financial Times They foresee a possible additional drop of 10% if shocks do not occur as a new extreme climate episode or commercial restrictions. Blas in your column Calculate that world rice production of 2025-26 will be the largest in history, which will maintain the bearish pressure. But Japan remembers that climate change can decoupling internal markets from the global trend: a summer too hot is enough to transform world abundance into a domestic crisis. The grain that measures stability. Rice is, perhaps like no other food, the measure of our ability to feed the world. Today their prices sink because humanity has learned to produce more with less land, not because the weather has given a permanent truce. For millions of families, that means a more affordable table; For millions of farmers, the threat of an income in fall. The challenge is clear: to extend the benefits of productivity without leaving behind … 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.