threat

The horchata is one of the staples of the Spanish summer. Now faces an existential threat in Valencia: pests

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As soon as the heat squeezes in summer, there is no more emblematic image in the Valencian Community than terraces full of high and cold horchata vessels: few drinks better represent the Mediterranean identity. But after that refreshing tradition a crop as fragile as essential is hidden: the chufa. A stain expanding. For years, this small tuber has been the economic engine of much of the Valencian garden. Its cultivation, located mainly in L’Horta Nord, not only gives flavor to summer, but also work, identity and landscape. However, As denounced by the Valencian Association of Farmers (Ava-Asaja)the cultivation of the chufa is going through an unprecedented crisis: despite the high demand and the stability of prices at origin, profitability collapses. In data. The situation is clear: in just a decade, production costs have risen 40 %, while productivity has fallen by 25 %, As explained in the press releaseAs a consequence, this year a thousand hanegades have been cultivated less than the previous one, which represents a 15 % reduction in the surface dedicated to the chufa. The Chufa de Valencia is cultivated in some 16 municipalities of L’Horta Nord, where They produce approximately 5.3 million kilos of chufa Dry a year, of which 90 % have a denomination of origin. In total, the crop occupies about 600 hectares with an estimated production of 7,300 tons. Although the figures may seem modest nationwide, the chufa is a characteristic culture of the area and key to hundreds of Valencian families. A plague with fifteen years of history. One of the main factors that Chufa production is putting in check is the disease known as “black spot.” This condition, which is manifested in the skin of the tuber, reduces its commercial value and multiplies the destroys (product that must be discarded in the dryers for not complying with the standards). First detected for fifteen years – coinciding with the first plantations of African chufa seeds on Valencian soil, According to Ava-Asaja-, the disease is still well characterized. In statements collected by Europa PressThe Agrarian Organization regrets that the Ministry of Agriculture has not provided the sector with “sufficient information about the type of disease, the causes of its introduction or the effective methods to combat it”. Therefore, they ask the Valencian Institute for Agricultural Research (IVIA) to intensify their studies to improve the control of this plague, whose incidence is increasing. A weed that sweeps everything. To the threat of black spot is added a more recent but equally worrying problem: the appearance of an invasive weed in the Chufa fields. As Ava-Assaja has denounced-In information also collected by Levante-EMV-, This species could have been introduced through chufas from third countries prosecuted in laundries of the Valencian garden. The difficulty of this problem is that the weed has the same vegetative cycle as the chufa, which prevents using herbicides without damaging the crop. In addition, its manual extraction is ineffective, since unmovered fragments can re -root the following year. “Being a more vigorous plant than cultivation, you can infest whole fields,” The Agrarian Organization to the Valencian media has warned. The result is devastating: lower performance, more manual work without results and, in many cases, fields that must cease to be temporarily cultivated by the impossibility of eradicating the plague. The future of crop, at stake. Given this scenario, Ava-Asaja has asked administrations an urgent and sustained action plan in time. The proposal includes short -term measures to contain immediate damage, as well as a long -term strategy to guarantee the viability of the crop: new phytosanitary solutions, biological research, control of imported material and aids to compensate for cost overruns. Antonio José Gimeno, responsible for the Sector of Chufa in Av-Asaja, The Levante has been clear in the middle: “If the citizens want to have a living garden, crops such as the chufa must have a dignified and lasting profitability. And that necessarily goes through solving problems as pressing as the black spot and this invasive herb that are reducing productivity to historical minimums.” But is this crisis reversible? Yes, but time runs. The crop still has a future thanks to its economic value and the growing national and international demand. Horchata, healthy eating, natural cosmetics … All these sectors trust the Valencian Chufa. But without production, there will be no raw material. As Gimeno said: “Little will it serve that demand and price are maintained if we do not manage to get sufficient production in the fields.” A warning beyond the chufa. The chufa crisis is not an isolated case. It is the sign of what can happen when the primary sector does not have the investment, research and policies necessary to protect it. What happens today with this tuber can be repeated tomorrow with other crops if it does not act on time. Keeping alive the garden is not just a matter of profitability: it is preserving a landscape, a way of life and a cultural heritage that has defined the Valencian Community for centuries. Image | Dorieo Xataka | Every summer fires ravage to Spain. There is a usual guilty that goes unnoticed: old tractors

Drones have become the great threat of Ukraine. So you are covering kilometers of roads with nets

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Neither tanks nor mines nor sophisticated fighters. What really removes the dream of the soldiers who fight in the Ukraine War (and it is a feeling shared by both sides) are The dronesunmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) loaded with explosives. So much so that the military have baptized the 10 km strip that extends to each side of the front as “Zone of Death”an area infested with remote piloted drones and that can neutralize their objectives with a much lower investment than would require a similar missile. The UAV play such an important role in the war that a curious picture is left: kilometers and more kilometers of road protected with networks. A landscape covered with networks. To complicated problems, imaginative solutions. The France-Presse (AFP) agency has published A chronicle in which he tells how the war between Ukraine and Russia is having a curious effect on the wide range of the front: it is covering it with networks. Networks and more green networks that are installed on post -high posts along kilometers of road in the region of Donetskone of the great stages of war. AFP recounts how Ukrainians are riding that vast tangle of networks to cover their main supply routes, but the panorama is not very different on the other side of the front. The Russians have also set to work to perform a similar task. “Let’s weave nets, just like spiders! We do it for birds without extremely dangerous feathers,” Ironiza In April a nicknamed ‘Ares’. But what birds are those? Drones Drones swarms, surveillance vehicles, kamikazes or equipped with explosives that suppose a serious threat to soldiers and civilians. With meshes the military seeks to repel them in a seemingly as simple as effective way. “When a drone impacts the network, a short circuit occurs and cannot attack vehicles,” Explain To the French agency Denis, a commander of the 27 -year -old engineers. The initiative is not entirely new. A few months ago We told you Already how Ukraine was taking advantage of tons of old Danish fishing networks to repel Russian drones. Now already measure that the Ukraine War is on its way to turning three and a half its use seems to be extending on the front. In March a small sailor town of Jutlandia, Thyborøn, It was news precisely by donating 450 tons of drag networks made of nylon fibers. In origin, meshes were thought to capture tons of fish, but they have also been useful to keep drones away from strategic objectives, especially as the expanding the Fiber optic modelscapable of making fun of devices that cut the connection with the pilots. The drone war. It may seem exaggerated, but if for something the Ukraine War is highlighting, it is precisely because of the role that drones and the threat they represent for soldiers. Reuters cites today Internal reports of kyiv that confirm that the UAV already represent about 69% of the attacks against Russian troops. Moreover, in 2024 they were behind 75% of the attacks undertaken against vehicles and equipment. They are percentages that far exceed those of the use of conventional artillery, which move between 15 and 18%. The great threat. Reuters cites a squad commander, Ivan, 35, who Openly recognize That the soldiers of both sides see the unmanned aerial vehicles already as the main threat to their lives. Your swarms too They take away the dream In the cities, kilometers away from the front. Yesterday Russia launched An attack against Dobropillia as part of an offensive that included the use of hundreds of drones. His role is so relevant that Mark Boris Andrijanic, Slovenian politician, has published An analysis in which it slides that an increase in drones financed by the West would allow war. Images | Ann-Sophie Qvarström (Flickr), Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (Flickr) and Trong Khiem Nguyen (Flickr) In Xataka | The Ukraine War is getting rid, first of all, with drones. And that is leaving an infinite fiber optic trail through the field

Drought is a real threat after an extremely warm, and also dry June

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The month of June has been the warmest since we have records, as confirmed by the State Meteorology Agency (Aemet). Perhaps more striking is the fact that, despite successive storms interspersed among the warm episodes, the first summer month of 2025 has been drier than average. Warm and dry. Aemet has published Your meteorological summary of the month of June. In this confirm something that we already sensed: last month it was extremely warm, with an average thermal anomaly of 3.6º Celsius above what would be common at this time. It has also been drier than usual, with 68% of the rainfall that would be expected from the sixth month of the year. 23.7º. According to the published summary, the average temperature during the month of June was 23.7º in the Peninsula, which implies the aforementioned anomaly. June 2025 has become the hottest in the historical series for a wide difference: 0.9º above the previous record, marked in 2017. The Balearic Islands also saw a month “extremely warm”, with an average 3.1º above the average. The Canary Islands however remained in a somewhat less extreme record: with an anomaly of 0.7º, its June was listed as “very warm.” Returning to the Peninsula, in some areas of the northeast thermal anomaly in this month exceeds 4.5º. Lack of water. The Meteorological Summary Results With regard to heat they are expected, but there is another important detail and is referring to rainfall. Last month it was also drier than usual in peninsular Spain, with average rainfall of 21.7 mm, more than 30% below the average June. This can be striking if we take into account the various stormy episodes seen throughout the month. These storms were interspersed, serving as relief among the successive warm episodes that occurred during the month. Balearic Islands, with hardly any water. But the most extreme case was not that of peninsular Spain but the one lived in the Balearic Islands. In the Mediterranean archipelago, rainfall fell about 99% compared to the average. During the past month the archipelago received only 0.1 mm of rain. Without reaching such an extreme, the Canary Islands also experienced a dry month: 0.7 mm, 27% of what would be conventional in June. In the peninsula some isolated areas saw rainfall higher than average, especially in the northern plateau and in the Ebro valley. Change in the trend? Between the past fall and the last spring, the high rainfall managed to get a good part of the country out of the drought situation in which it was. Swamps and reservoirs before under minimums saw their volume of water significantly grow. Great news that was welcomed with a certain degree of skepticism after more than a year of drought. June is not the first month dry than usual we see in the last year, but the less a reminder that the hydrological bonanza era will not be eternal and that we must prepare for when the drought prevails again. In Xataka | “Clouds of fire”, the phenomenon that makes escape from sixth generation fires can make it impossible Image | Aemet

An existential threat looms over several US chips companies. And China is just one of its problems

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Several US companies involved directly in the integrated circuit industry are suffering. Some of them, in fact, They are flirting with bankruptcy. In this context it is inevitable not to think of Intel and The difficult stage that crosses Currently, but from the company Led by Lip-Bu Tan We have spoken a lot in recent months. The companies in which we are going to investigate in this article are smaller, but, even so, they play a very important role in the US chips industry. The worst is happening is, without a doubt, Wolfspeed. And this company of Durham (North Carolina) It has officially declared in bankruptcy. Its specialty is the development and manufacture of silicon carbide (sic) and gallium nitride (GAN) semiconductors for high -power electronics applications, which positions them as extraordinarily attractive integrated circuits for the electric car industries, renewable energy, data centers, fast -charged infrastructure and aerospace and military industries. Robert Feurle, the general director of Wolfspeed, has declared That “after evaluating the options available to strengthen our balance and adjust our capital structure we have decided to take this strategic step (declare in bankruptcy and look for new financing routes) because we believe that it will place Wolfspeed in the best possible position for the future.” An interesting note before moving forward: Spain has launched The Godic project with the purpose of contributing to the independence of Europe of silicon carbide semiconductors from China and the US. China is not the only cause of the problems of American companies Wolfspeed is not at all the only company in the US chips industry that is in difficulties from a financial point of view. The American subsidiary of the Israeli company Tower Semiconductor, Globalfoundries, on semiconductor, Skywater Technology or Ayar Labs are some of the companies that are also facing economic difficulties. The competition from China is subjecting them to a pressure that does not cease to increase, but the competitiveness of Chinese companies is not the only factor that is putting in trouble some US chips companies. The competitiveness of Chinese companies is not the only factor that is putting in trouble some US chips companies Tariffs linked to Imports from China which has deployed US administration seeks to protect the business of US companies within your market. However, most of the companies that I have mentioned in the previous paragraph also sells their semiconductors outside the US. And the competitiveness of Chinese companies in other markets is very high due mainly to two crucial factors: their prices are moderate thanks to contained production costs and the quality of their products is comparable to that of their western and Asian competitors. In any case, the economic problems faced by some designers and manufacturers of American chips do not have their origin solely in China’s competition. Wolfspeed is at a very delicate moment because, beyond the pressure exerted on it, its Chinese competitors, The global demand of the high -power semiconductors it produces has fallen. In addition, during the last five years He has borrowed To be able to build new integrated circuit factories, and currently you cannot assume this economic burden. The panorama of other US companies that are dedicated to chips is not very different to the context with which Wolfspeed is dealingso it is possible that in the short or medium term other companies also enter in bankruptcy. Image | Xataka More information | GLOBALDATA In Xataka | The US is willing to do anything for advanced chips not to reach China. And Malaysia is an obstacle

Thousands of ASUS routers have been committed to an intrusion campaign: restart them does not eliminate the threat

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A new intrusion campaign has put several models of ASUS routers. According to GraynoiseSpecialized in cybersecurity, at least three different devices would be exploited by an actor “highly trained and with sufficient resources.” Sophisticated threats are usually aimed at very specific objectives, but this campaign has a broader pattern. Researchers have already detected about 9,000 committed devices, and ensure that the number continues to increase. It is believed that the foundations could be laying for a future botnet, Key piece for DDOS attacks. Persistent access without malware The attackers get initial access through brute force techniques And the use of evasion strategies that still do not have an identifier Cve. In cybersecurity, a CVE (acronym for common vulnerabilities and exposures) is a standard reference that is used to catalog known vulnerabilities publicly. {“Videid”: “X801AZU”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “How to protect your Android from viruses and malware: tricks and advice”, “tag”: “”, “duration”: “271”} After that first step, cybercriminals take advantage of a specific vulnerability already documented, identified as CVE-2023-39780to execute arbitrary commands and modify the router configuration from within. The objective is not to install a traditional spy virus or software, but something more subtle: open a remote rear door. To do this, they enable SSH access in a specific port (TCP/53282) and insert their own public key into the NVRAM memory, a type of internal storage that It is not erased by restarting the router nor when updating your firmware. In this way, the attacker’s access persists in time, without leaving obvious signs. The researchers have replicated the attack on several specific models, including the ASUS RT-AC3100, RT-AC3200 and RT-AX55. It is not an official list of committed devices, but a clue to which they could be in the spotlight. At the moment, it is not ruled out that there are other models also exposed. Greynoise has not officially attributed the campaign to any specific group. However, he points out that the techniques used (the use of legitimate functions of the system, the deactivation of the activity records and the absence of visible malware) are usual characteristics of Very elaborate attacks and long -term planned. These types of operations are usually linked to the calls APTacronym in English of Advanced Persistant Threat. These are cyber -cyber -acting groups that act with advanced technical means, great discretion and very defined objectives, often related to strategic or governmental interests. The finding occurred the past March 18thanks to SIFTan analysis tool developed by Greynoise. The publication of the details It was intentionally delayed to facilitate coordination with public agencies and companies in the sector before making it public. How to know if your router has been committed Asus has corrected vulnerability CVE-2023-39780 In a recent firmware update. However, if the device was compromised before applying that patch, remote access can remain active. Greynoise offers a series of steps that can help detect whether a router has been affected, although it is true that some of them They can be complex for those who are not familiar with technical concepts or do not handle with ease in the advanced device configuration. Even so, it is convenient to meet them: Access the configuration of your router and verify if the access by SSH is enabled in the TCP/53282 port. Check the file called Authorized_Keyssince it could contain an unauthorized public key. Block these IP addresses, associated with the campaign: 101.99.91.151, 101.99.94.173, 79.141.163.179 and 111.90.146.237. If you suspect that your device is affected, perform a complete factory restoration and configure it manually. In Xataka Openai has just demonstrated that the AI ​​no longer completely obeys: O3 sabote its own shutdown to continue working The scale of the attack and its ability to stay hidden reinforce a key lesson: the safety of domestic routers should not be taken for granted. Although in this case malware has not been installed, the attackers They have left an open door. We have contacted Asus to request comments on this campaign and know if they plan to offer new additional measures or recommendations. This article will be updated if we receive an official response for its part. Images | Freepik | Asus In Xataka | Alcasec is not any youth hacker: he set up a Spanish criminal infrastructure that even had customer service bot (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news Thousands of ASUS routers have been committed to an intrusion campaign: restart them does not eliminate the threat It was originally posted in Xataka by Javier Marquez .

Colombia’s archaeologists have been fearing looting for years. Now they add a major threat: Guaqueros influencers

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The Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH) launched A statement To celebrate a relevant finding for researchers studying the country’s history: 114 archaeological pieces, especially ceramics, discovered in the south of Huilain the Andean region. So far nothing striking. The funny thing is that these treasures were not found anthropologists or archaeologists, but agents of the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office. Nor were they extracted from an ancient indigenous grave, a pre -Hispanic necropolis or A cave unexplored. No. The pieces were in the houses of two Influencers. It is the last example of a problem that worries the authorities and Colombian archaeologists: the rise of Influencers Guaqueros. Network slopes. Huila’s is just one more example of a phenomenon that has called attention of the Colombian press And he has done Jump alarms Among the defenders of the country’s archaeological heritage: the guaquería through the networks. Or otherwise, the people who are dedicated to lounge deposits and presume the process and the results through Tiktok or other platforms. It is concerned about the damage that they can cause to the Colombian heritage during their excavations, rudimentary and without the supervision of professional archaeologists and anthropologists; But worry about the speaker they find on the networks, which allows them to spread their activity and attract the attention of possible buyers or followers willing to point out the location of other deposits. @Laboyanos.com They capture guaqueros “influencers” in Saladoblanco Huila. They seized 144 archaeological pieces. In an operation carried out in the last hours in the rural area of ​​this municipality, the authorities managed to capture two known men in social networks for making Guaqueria and publishing the findings on their social networks. According to the report, 144 archaeological pieces and a replica were seized that the subjects allegedly passed the community and their followers. According to research, men promoted the looting and illicit traffic of archaeological goods through their publications, because in videos and photographs they were seen taking the assets of their original context, which caused the loss of invaluable information about the history of those objects and pre -Hispanic cultures to which they belonged. #Saladoblancohuila #Huilacolombia🇨🇴 #Guaqueros #Guaquerosencolombia #archeology #Laboyanoscom ♬ Original sound – Laboyanos.com Is it a new phenomenon? Yes. And no. The guaquería itself is not something new. The looting of indigenous graves in search of treasures It can go back To the colonial era, although there are those who point out that the boom of the guaquería would arrive much later, between the end of the 19th and early twentieth centuries. During a time of fact the search for treasures in The guacas (The graves of the ancient indigenous people) became a key activity for the economy of places like Quindó. Its history is extensive enough to Your approachlegacy and impact has varied over time. The guaqueros did not always seek their personal enrichment and in a way they played a key role in the history of archeology. “If it had not existed at the beginning of the 20th century, we would not have San Agustín or Teyuna,” I recently recognized to The country Alhena Caicedo, from ICANH. “At first what they did was find where the great deposits were. In the 19th it was the one that allowed, among other things, that archeology appeared.” What is new is that guaqueros use platforms like Tiktok to show their work, share their findings and disseminate an activity whose impact on heritage They already warn archaeologists. Huila’s is a clear example. According to Incahthe Influencers to those who withdrew the 144 pieces “promoted the looting and illicit traffic of archaeological goods through their publications.” “They were recorded by damaging and looting the goods and then making it public.” Is it common? In An article About the phenomenon published in March, Time He speaks of “hundreds” of videos disseminated over the last years, some with millions of reproductions and that show that the problem has spread to regions such as Antioquia, Huila, Caldas or Cundinamarca. Not just that. The newspaper ensures that between 2020 and 2024 the ICANH identified 13 accounts (some with several hundred thousand followers) related to the guaquería. “Irreparable damage”. What means and authorities do so much attention to the subject is explained for a simple reason: the guaqueros presume from the ceramics they find during their campaigns, but often when they are extracted by a valuable source of information for experts. After all, professional archaeologists obtain data from both the vessels themselves and their surroundings. “The problem with guaquería and improper extraction is that people do not know that the value of each piece is not only in itself, but especially in the context in which it is found,” Underline ICANH director. “The looting of archaeological pieces constitutes irreparable damage to the reconstruction and understanding of the past of the different human groups that occupied our territory,” insist From the Colombian Institute. “This practice produces irreversible losses of unique information about archaeological objects and its sites of origin.” With each looting, experts emphasize, stubble on the study of society, economy, religion and culture of indigenous people. “It’s not about our roots”. In videos you can see guaqueros manipulating mud vessels, necklaces or even bones, pieces that can lose part of their historical value if they are extracted rudimentary and without the supervision of professionals. “Data on the history and rituals of the indigenous peoples who inhabited these lands are being lost. It is not only about objects, but of knowledge about our roots,” warns Juan Pablo Ospina, coordinator of the ICANH Archeology Group in an interview in Huila Diario. Beyond the impact it may have for Colombian history, the looting of heritage can lead to legal consequences, such as warns The ICANH, who recalls that Law 397 of 1997 establishes that the pieces with archaeological value are “unattainable, imprescriptible and inalienable.” “Its alteration, undue manipulation, marketing or unauthorized export can generate irreversible effects and carry economic sanctions of up to 500 … Read more

There is a great threat to the US if you send thousands of advanced chips from AI to the Middle East. That end in China

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These days we have seen how Donald Trump has reached a series of unique agreements with countries in the Middle East. In them the protagonists are the advanced chips of AI that the US will export to Saudi Arabia or United Arab Emirates. The problem is who will really use those chips. Data centers in the desert. These countries announced projects for the construction of large data centers, although It is not too clear that they can complete them or that their dimension is what they promise. Even so, the agreements are very significant and promise the sale of thousands of Nvidia or AMD chips that will end up arriving in the countries of the Middle East. Internal doubts. As they point out in Bloomberg, some members of the Donald Trump administration are trying to slow these agreements. In the opinion of these politicians, the United States has not imposed enough barriers to prevent these chips from ending where they should not. China. According to that newspaper, agreements include clauses that theoretically They prohibit China You can access these chips through countries in the Middle East. However, US government officials believe that there have been too many details without closing and that the agreements should not be announced without being totally defined in that and the rest of the senses. Middle Chinese relationships. The company that leads in AI in the United Arab Emirates is G42, and the problem is that this company has historical ties with Huawei. It is true that it ended theoretically cutting those ties To get close to US companies much morebut there are suspicions by some US government officials about whether there is still a relationship with China. And there are other risks. Trump’s policies were supposed to reserve the vast majority of these most advanced AI chips for this country, but this agreement raises a danger: that Middle East nations have access to toe technology would give them an important competitive advantage. But better to make the agreements than them. Sources close to the situation reveal that if the US does not reach these agreements, those countries – and others in the future – could reach those same agreements with China. The Asian giant has been advancing in the development of AI chips, and although it still cannot compete with those of the US, its proposals They are increasingly promising. A strategic issue. David Sacks, advisor to AI for the White House, is the one who defends that argument the most. That would allow to avoid or at least mitigate the phenomenon of “shrinking” of the US advantage over China in advanced chips. It is something that Jensen Huang has spokenCEO of Nvidia, who believes that with all the measures to prevent China from having access to those chips what has ended up causing is that this giant activates its machinery to get rid of the dependence he had of the US. The great winner. Meanwhile, the truth is that Nvidia will be one of the great beneficiaries of the agreement, because it has closed an agreement with Saudi Arabia valued at $ 7,000 million. The impact on Nvidia’s shares has been immediate: the company’s stock market capitalization grew by 12,000 million dollars in a single afternoon. Image | The White House In Xataka | The United States prevents Huawei from manufacturing more Windows PCs. Your answer: launch your first laptop with Linux

In the middle of the cold war, the yoke had the honor of becoming “the worst car in history.” Threat with returning as electric

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It was manufactured for almost thirty years and those who remember it do so with that half smile that only brings you the nostalgia and paternalism of those who love a child knowing that his brother is much smarter. It will return in 2027 in electrical format and retain some of its hallmarks. Hopefully, for the good of all, that it does not retain all its hallmarks. We talk about the yoke, a car that became famous in the Soviet Yugoslavia and that will return to life in 2027 in purely electric format. At least That is what Serbian businessman Aleksandar Bjelić wants. Congratulations, has created the worst car in history Small, simple, affordable … Soviet. The yoke was one of those cars that went down in history on the other side of the steel curtain for its proposal to motorize the masses. Like the Riva Lada in Russia or the Trabant in the Berlin and Communist Germany, the Yugo was part of the history of Yugoslavia during the 80s. In fact the car survived the country itself as eThe yoke remained in production until 2008. His secret resided in the simple of the proposal. Fiat 128 shortened variant, the car was a small utility that was manufactured in Serbia. A three doors that set everything to sit the passengers on top of four wheels and in front of a steering wheel. Its origin must be sought in Kragujevac, Serbia. Over there, Zastava Automobili He assembled cars that exploded a Fiat license. That is, the same as I was doing Seat before Volkswagen passed. Among those licensed cars was the Fiat 128 that the company exploded in Yugoslavia with the novel name of Zastava 128. Jokes apart, the car was a success that added 1.5 million units sold by adding its different bodies between 1971 and 2008 when the car stopped selling. In the 80s, Zastava He decides that he has to offer a cheaper version and puts on the market the Zastava Yugo or Zastava Koral, a cut version derived from Fiat 127. The car is a success in Eastern Europe in part because of its iconic image. It has logic taking into account that the car looks like Volkswagen Golf. In fact, if we observe the first generations of both, it looks a lot at Volkswagen Golf. As much as to affirm that Giorgetto Giugiaro He should not have given the concept many turns when he was commissioned to look for a form to the yoke. Thus, with the firm of Giugiaro and the promise to put on the market a simple car the Zastava Yugo began to make a name. Under his hood he set up a simple Fiat engine of 908 cc and 45 hp. A power that gave the last name to the car when it was exported out of Serbia as a yoke 45. Later a slightly more powerful version of 1.1 liters and 55 hp would arrive. A 1.3 -liter and 65 hp option was even put on the market. As we see, it didn’t seem The car you would buy to travel large kilometers. In spite of everything, you have to understand the time and that, of course, neither Yugoslavia first nor Serbia later had to invite those kilometers. That was what Malcolm Bricklin should not have understood, the businessman who in 1985 wanted to introduce the yoke into the US market. Let’s review, a small, simplistic car and with a dwarf engine on a highway in the United States. It didn’t seem the best of ideas. And it wasn’t. “Cheap to buy. Terrible to drive”. With these words they define Hagerty from the United Kingdom to the healthy yoke that was sold in the United States as a Florida yoke. And that was a version above the aforementioned yoke 45. A car, the healthy one, which mounted a more powerful engine, in versions of 1.4 and 1.6 liters to get a better performance on the road. The lower version, that yoke 45 was sold in the United States with the name of Yugo GV. It was, by far, the cheapest car on the market. But the rolling quality was as bad that it was considered the worst car in the world. The criticisms were so bad that it quickly became a joke, it would have been a meme with wheels if at that time The word “meme” would have existed. Almost immediately, the car was made a hole in the hearts of the fans. In fact, you can find a book written by Jason Vuic entitled exactly like this: Yoke. Boom and fall of the worst car in history. The fascination was huge by a car that simply accounted for breakdowns due to pairs and offered poor results in security tests. So bad was the experience that was the car with the worst note of customer satisfaction in the prestigious JD Power in 1986. Precisely In JD Power they explain that in the Consumer Reports analysis it was specified that “the car dragged up to 100 km/h” and that in the best case the peak speed reached 86 mph (about 138 km/h). But those criticisms arrived after many buyers had already done with the car. A yoke giving everything Its price was so low that they sold more than 1,000 units on the first day. Then, the nightmare of the owners began. The spark plugs collapsed Because the United States gasoline was not adequate, the distribution strap had to be repaired at 30,000 miles (about 48,000 kilometers). Little by little, the ear mouth extended and the lawsuit plummeted. So plumme that according to the American portal they were sold with 2×1 offers despite its low price, with the idea of ​​the concessionaire to take them off as soon as possible. The performance was so bad that in 1992 the American subsidiary of the company broke. However, the car continued its performance in Serbia. The company came to 2008 When it … Read more

Revolution is not just a threat to traditional banks. Now it is also for Teleoperators

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Revolution has announced that will launch mobile plans from this year. It will, in this first phase and without more confirmations, in the United Kingdom and Germany. Their plans will offer text messages, calls and unlimited national data. Of course, without any fixed contract or commitment to permanence, something that has characterize virtual mobile operators for years. The next step after its esim. In March 2024 Revolution launched its own esim. It thus became the first digital bank to do so, with a target target on trips abroad. This ESIM provided 100 MB for all its users (as long as they install it before May 1, 2024), and 3 GB for Ultra Plan users. It came from the 1global pannus, London company of telecommunications. The ESIM was focused on offering data abroad, not as an alternative to use for user mobile plan. It is something they want to change with their new movement. Mobile Plans. Revolution has announced its entry into the market of virtual mobile operators. It will do it with rates that start from 12.50 pounds per month, and offer full connectivity in the United Kingdom and Germany. Users will have access to a line with their own number, complete integration within the Revolution app itself, and presuming a 20 GB data itinerance for users traveling to Europe and the United States. When. The company has not closed a date for the implementation of its mobile plans, although it guarantees that they will reach the end of this year. Nor has it confirmed what the partners will be responsible for supporting the network connection. From Neobanco to Servicios Hub. Revolut is preceding in the world of Neobancos. The company doubled in 2024being Spain its third market behind the United Kingdom and Portugal, with 4.5 million users in our territory and the ambition to duplicate them in 2025. After launching install payments for credit customersand raise the launch of mortgages and ATMsbecoming OMV is a step that closes a circle. One in which Revolution ceases to be a bank to become a digital service provider. A new threat. Revolution has started in the United Kingdom and Germany, without confirmed plans to land in other markets. However, if you want to conquer territories such as Spanish in the medium term, you will not have it easy. As of December 2024, despite their popularity, OMVs are minority in Spain: Movistar, Masorange and Vodafone Spain centralize the market share. Revolut would go to compete in a specialized niche with ultra-competitive prices as in the case of Digisupport of giants such as Telefónica in the case of O2. Image | Revolution In Xataka | Revolution: What is it, how it works and main advantages and disadvantages

Europe has focused on stopping Chinese electric cars. The true threat is in its cars with combustion engines

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He returned with other motor partners of the motor of the presentation of a new model or of a first contact. I do not remember the car that was but it was at Frankfurt airport, almost a second house for whom we have entered this world, and we were in 2023. I receive a call from a phone that I didn’t have saved. To the answer, the person on the other side of the phone is presented and explains that Chery, the company that owns Omoda and Jaecoo, are finalizing the details for their first events in Spain. The Chinese group was going to land In our country. It was already an open secret But I talk a few minutes on the phone to learn more details. They explain that they are very clear: they will enter the market with combustion vehicles. It is not that its bet is clearly focused on low ranges but they are sure that their arrival in Europe should be through models with thermal motors. The electric car is perhaps the future (and yes, they have options saved to launch) but for now they will focus on gasoline and hybrid vehicles because they are still preferred by European customers. Although logical, the speech did not stop crashing. It is not that they rejected the electric car but they were clear that they were going to follow that very own philosophy of Toyota to sell in each market what the client asks. And the client, in Europe, continues to prefer the hybrid car or the pure combustion. When Omoda made his long in Spain, we explained that he had MG as a reference. Saic’s company is the Chinese manufacturer who More cars is selling And, in fact, this Chinese state group is the most successful in our continent at the moment. His MG4 Electric It is one of the great supervants because by size and autonomy it was much cheaper than its rivals. However, Saic knew how to smell very well what the client claimed. The MG4 Electric is especially interesting in markets such as Spanish, where we prioritize cheap cars. But for all those who do not want or cannot afford the jump to the electric car, the former British company has offered a good handful of pure combustion products that have managed to place themselves in the lower market. And the results have not been waiting. We looked at the electric car … Given that electric offensive of Chinese cars for Europe, with the MG4 Electric leading a landing to which Byd has joined as a great reference between plug -in vehicles, child, Xpeng, Dongfeng, Leapmotor and, more discreetly, Chery (omoda/Jaecoo), the European Union decided to lift commercial barriers to the cars arrived from the cars arrived from the Asian country. Those commercial barriers are translated, Since October 2024in specific tariffs on each company, taking into account the alleged help that the brand has received from the Chinese State and the degree of collaboration they have shown with the European authorities in their investigation. The Tariffs apply to electric cars And even those brought by European companies from there as a result of their association with Asian companies. But those commercial barriers They do not apply to combustion vehicles nor to the plug -in hybrids that is where, truly, China is hurting. We do not know if it is part of a strategy not to make tariffs a direct attack on the Asian country or because from Europe it was considered that the real danger was in the Chinese and cheap Chinese car and that local businesses could fight with low -end combustion cars. But the truth is that where they begin to get a part of the cake is exploit those cars with combustion engines. For proof, the SAIC growth presented in Europe under different brands. According to ACEA dataThey sold in Europe 157,340 units in 2024, 6.7% more. A figure that places them above Jaguar-Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Honda. Its market share stood at 1.5%. And in what we have this yearSaic keeps making his way. In what we have been registered 52,508, a third of the cars that placed in 2024, with a 52.3% growth in the first quarter of the year. At the moment, he has left Suzuki behind, who had it ahead in 2024, he is shot by Volvo, and his market share has grown up to 1.9% (compared to the 1.2% last year at this point at this point). As for the other Chinese companies, we have no data at European level. We do know that Chery has announced That Omode and Jaecoo will extend to a total of 19 markets this year. So far, they only operated in eight markets but in 2025 we will see them. With this extension they expect to sell about 10,000 units when April ends and reach 75,000 units at the end of the year. It is a small figure with respect to what we have seen with omoda but will allow them to place themselves above companies such as Honda or Mazda if the figures end up closing. In Spain, Registrations reflect that Omode is already selling almost as much as Fiat, accumulating 2,539 units in what we have been over, and surpassing brands fully settled in our country such as Honda or Suzuki. In addition, Chery adds 1,945 units of Jaecoo and 1,154 of Ebro. Right now, their more than 5,700 units sold as a group place them in a competitive position despite only offering a handful of models and without having received the options with eco or zero emissions stickers They are a claim. With very little time in the market, the Jaecoo 7 plug -in hybrid is already the fourth most selling model in our country. For its part, Byd already sells more than Tesla In our country (3,809 units compared to 3,169 units of Elon Musk cars) but focuses the bulk of its registration on … Read more

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