war

In the war against illegal soccer broadcasts, France now attacks the VPN. VPN response: we are like

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The War that is facing LaLiga and Cloudflare In Spain it is not the only one that is being lived in this field. In France the fight against IPTV platforms is also intensifying, but in this case with a striking protagonist: the VPN suppliers. What happened. In recent weeks we have seen how the easiest way to avoid those indiscriminate IPS blockages is to use a VPN. The suppliers of these services act as DNS Resolversservices that resolve IPS and domain names so that we can access them, and do so in a way that the IP block is not effective. French content companies, against VPN. Companies such as Canal+ and LFP (Football Professionnel Ligue) claim that VPN suppliers are contributing to illegal sports emissions. Although legal demand is not publicly available, It has been shared By Marc Rees, journalist of L’Emport. In his research he reveals how Nordvpn, Cyberghost and Protonvpn are the objectives of Canal+ and LFP, although other companies such as Expressvpn and Surfshark are also affected. Suppliers deny such accusations. The objective, They explain in TorrentfreakIt is to prevent ususians from using these services to access these contents illegally. VPNS suppliers “believe they do not develop any role in this matter”; They claim in TF, and simply offer privacy and security services. A coalition of VPN services to protest. The so -called VPN Trust Initiative (Vti) includes companies such as Expressvpn, Nordvpn and Surfshark, and those responsible have shown clear opposition to these measures. VTI is part of I2coallionand those responsible published A statement At the beginning of the month on the subject. It highlighted how “content suppliers are using legal procedures to force VPN suppliers to block websites in France.” That, they explained, “threatens freedom on the Internet. VPNS suppliers could leave France. Christian Dawson, Executive Director of I2coalition, indicated that VPN companies that provide such service are considering leaving France and stop giving that service in the Gallic country. It is something that Cisco has already done to disrupt the OpenDNS service. Terrible examples. The VPNS blockade is not new, but it usually occurs in countries with very restrictive political regimes, both in the particular VPNS scope – India and Pakistan have already caused the departure of VPN suppliers – and in general. As Dawson explained, “This case in France is part of a broader worldwide trend of normative overreach, in which governments try VPN as part of broader censorship. “ Next steps. At the moment there is no locking obligation for VPN suppliers, and demand would have to be accepted. There is a scheduled view for next month in which both these companies and content suppliers can defend their position. Even if the content suppliers win, there will be news: Protonvpn has already notified that he is willing to take the case to the EU Court of Justice. Image | Jossuha Théophile | Rafael Garcin In Xataka | Cloudflare demand, LaLig

Three years after the beginning of the war, Europe wants to enter. The problem is that there is only one prepared nation: Ukraine

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Europe has decades without a direct armed conflict in its territory, with the exception of Yugoslavia wars in the 90sthe last great episode of violence in European soil. Since then, security in the continent has been marked by A strategy based on deterrence and diplomacymore than in military confrontation. And, suddenly, the conflict in Ukraine recalled that fireworks It is not the same as direct fire. Europe before Ukraine. As we said, the European armed forces have been reserve for a long time. In fact and how we will see, mostly they have been reduced and adapted to a context of stability, with investments limited in defense and a focus on Peace maintenance and humanitarian assistance operationssuch as missions in Balkans, Africa or the Middle East. Despite the growth of NATO and its presence in Eastern Europe, European armies have been more accustomed to acting in controlled scenarios that to prepare a direct confrontation against a weight opponent such as Russia. Fireworks. In fact, this approach has led to many military operations from European countries being Mainly exercises, joint maneuvers and drills in allied countries such as Slovakia, Poland or Latviabut without the real experience of a conventional combat against a military power. And it is not the same to deploy troops for an exercise in the Baltic countries to face in battle against a force like the Russian army. Enter the war. Under all this context we arrive at this week. A few days ago several European leaders have gathered in Paris to discuss the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine as part of A possible peace agreementalthough the viability of this measure depends largely on the support of the United States. In fact, the summit was promoted by the decision of the Trump administration of exclude Europe from negotiations They started in Saudi Arabia between Washington and Moscow, although Trump has suggested that Europeans could perform “a peace maintenance role.” Plans and divisions. And then Europe seems to have realized that the “defense” had it careless. According to The Washington Postsome European countries consider The deployment of up to 30,000 soldiersthat, yes, they would not be on the front line, but as a deterrence in case of a resumption of the conflict. Another option, or plan B, is the one that They have called “resettlement force” destined to protect Ukraine from future Russian attacks in case a peace agreement negotiated by the United States is reached. That said, France is the country with the most advanced plans estimating that could contribute almost 10,000 soldierswhile the United Kingdom, through its prime minister Keir Starmer, has opened The possibility of a British contribution. And so far, because the rest of the countries have shown a more ambiguous position. Sweden and the Netherlands, for example, They do not rule out the shipment of troopsbut they have not made a specific decision. Germany, Poland and Spain have rejected the idea, At least for now. Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz emphasized that Any solution should be based on a strong Ukrainian forcewhile Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland, said that Warsaw “does not contemplate sending Poles soldiers to Ukraine.” For its part, the Spanish government was blunt when pointing out that Peace is still far and only depends on Putinmaking it clear that any military mission should define objective, participants, mandate and leadership. Strategic objectives. If the “plan B” is given, with a peace agreement underway, the main mission of this eventual “resettlement force” would be guarantee the safety of Ukrainian airspaceallowing the reopening of commercial flights, and protect maritime trade in the Black Sea, fundamental for grain exports and other essential goods for the Ukrainian economy. It would also be prioritized The protection of key infrastructure such as Public Plant and Public Servicesthat have been constant target of Russian bombing since the beginning of the war. Ukraine proposes a broader approach. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky stated that Ukraine’s security does not necessarily require foreign troops in his territory. Proposed The creation of “Armed Forces of Europe”capable of responding on land, sea, air and artificial intelligence before any Russian aggression. He also stressed that advanced air defense systems would be effective measures to strengthen security without requiring permanent foreign troops. The elephant in the room. No doubt, Europe’s plan faces important diplomatic obstacles, the first of all: United States support It is, at the moment, uncertain. Although the Trump administration has insisted that European troops must guarantee the security of a future peace agreement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made it clear that They must be part of a mission not related to NATO and not be protected by article 5 of mutual defense. Not just that. Even in the uncertain scenario of a peace agreement, the mission and role of Europe would require an American “backstop”that is, a support from the United States in case of a military escalation. Although there are no specific details, this support is expected It focuses on aerial power with operations based on Poland and Romania. In this regard, Starmer and Macron will travel to Washington next week To press Trump and ensure that the United States provides this strategic support. “Old” defenses. In the background, what is showing is a great weakness in its defenses, possibly oxidized. In fact, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, warned this week at the Munich Security Conference that Ukraine is making weapons faster and less cost than any other country in Europe. It is not a trivial detail. It does so despite being at war, which shows the slowness of the continent in strengthening its military capacity. Frederiksen urged to reduce bureaucracy and increase arms production in collaboration with the United States emphasizing that Europe can no longer act as if it were in peacetime. The rise of the Ukrainian military industry. From the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine has exponentially increased its armament productionmanufacturing missiles, obuses and large -scale drones. In 2024, 30% of the military equipment used … Read more

15 years ago, a forest engineer decided to grow sponges in Galicia. The war against plastic has ended up giving him right

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In the mid -90s, Juan Carlos Mascato finished studying forest sciences in Hamburg and enrolled in a company in the area. He was lucky: of all the things that company could have needed, he needed someone to speak Spanish, someone to send to Paraguay. It was then that he met the Lugfa and began his crusade against the plastic. Today is the largest producer in Europe in the sponges and natural scourers. And all from a small town in Pontevedra. What is the LUFFA? The LUFFAS are a genus of plants slightly related to pumpkins, cucumbers and melons. In fact, in Southeast Asia is a Very popular food as long as they are collected soon. Otherwise it becomes too fibrous to be consumed. So fibrous that, duly processed, they can be used as exfoliating sponges. For centuries, this type of vegetables (or some of its variants) were widely used and were among the crops of any orchard that would be precious. But the irruption of plastic from the 40s sent them to the drawer of history. Until now what THE WAR OF THE PLASTICS They have returned them to the first line. And what does the European Luffa giant do in Caldas de Reis? It is an excellent question. As Silvia Rodríguez explained in the countrythe clearest reason is that the Mascato family (of German mother, but Father Gallego) had a farm available in a town with a very particular climate that made it a good candidate to try subtropical crops: Caldas. Chance does not end there, of course. Because the processing of the LUFFA includes a fermentation phase in which the hot springs of the Gallego municipality fit as a ring to the finger. No one is a prophet in their land … And in this case it doesn’t happen either. Because the truth is that Iberian vegetable sponges It is little known here in the country. Of the 200,000 sponges that manufacture a year, only 10% stay in Spain. The rest goes to countries such as Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Norwegian or East next … Right now, the company works on an online marketing project in Germany and expanding its productive infrastructure to the US. What sponges can teach us. Because although the story is already very interesting, there is something that really crucial: that for decades we have despised many traditional solutions simply because they were. And that is a mistake. This was made clear in 2015 Karolinska Institute of Stockholm when granted your youyou The Nobel Prize in Medicine. Many interpreted him as a prize for traditional Chinese medicine, but it was not accurate: your feat was incredible. Since 1965, your youyou It was analyzing thoroughly Each and every one of the remedies that the millenary Chinese civilization had been selecting. And, indeed, most pure superstition, pseudoscience and placebo. However, he found the Artemisininea revolutionary treatment against malaria. Rethink the past. This is an example of the book that if we approach us with an open (but rigorous) look at the technological history of humanity, we can find really creative solutions to the problems of our day to day. In the middle of a world invaded by plastics, natural sponges are an excellent example. Image | Jan Helbrant | Tony Buser In Xataka | How an idea can model societies with hundreds of millions of people almost 1000 years later: Schultz’s hypothesis

The rare earth war has arrived in Spain. And it is in Ciudad Real where mining and ecology are confronted

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If there is an resource that dominates the geopolitical panorama of today, that is that of the Rare earth. Are essential for many technological fields among which are electric vehiclessystem elements renewable energies and the technological world in general, and China dominates both its mining and its production. The rest of the world seeks a new ‘El Dorado’ of Rare Earth to be able to exploit, and it turns out that In Spain there is a very sweet site. It is in Ciudad Real, but it will not be so easy to extract its resources. I have land (rare). In Spain it is estimated that there are several rare earth deposits. Mount Galiñeiro in Galicia is one of them, In Gran Canaria It is also estimated that there are large quantities, in Cádiz and Almería there are also deposits and more of the same Between Salamanca and Zamora. Another important site is in the field of Montiel, in Ciudad Real, and something that practically everyone has in common is that their extraction seems complicated. Not so much because of the technical issue (extracting rare earths is not a problem, neither does its production), but by the environmental counterpart. It is a potentially polluting activity that is very regular in Europe (that is why China was doing with all the control) and that meets an added inconvenience: Spanish deposits are usually close to environmental areas of interest. Matamulas. Although in recent years it has been evidenced that rare earths are a Throwing weapon on the world geopolitical stageit really has been looking for the independence of China for years. In 2015, the Spanish company Quantum Mining It started to study the land in the Manchega region of Campo de Montiel, where municipalities such as Valdepeñas or Torrenueva are located. In general, the area of ​​mules, matamulas and auctione. It is Torrenueva the town that is right next to the great mining site that sought to exploit Quantum Mining And that, according to his studies, he is up to Monacita. Under this term we have elements and minerals such as Cerio, Neodimio, Torio or Lantano and is not very common in Europe. To the load. In a recent one video (Although, as we say, this comes from long), Quantum Mineria affirms that the production of Montiel’s Camp Build 350,000 electric cars or 10,000 wind generators. There is a problem: those rare earths are under large extensions of cultivation, mainly cereal. The company’s plan is to temporarily remove the half -meter vegetation layer that, they affirm, will carefully retain, once the mining process is over, restore it and leave it as it was. The backhoes remove the layer of land containing the monacite and all this takes to a plant in which the interesting thing is signed of what does not. This is done without using polluting chemicals and, once the monacite is on the one hand and the earth without interest on another, return it to the ground and place the previously removed crop. The machinery works by sectors of one hectare, without interrupting adjacent agriculture and claim that, once the land is restored, it can be re -cultivated “in better conditions than the originals.” Criticism. They complement their allegation by stating that they would create industry, help repopulate the area, attract jobs and encourage conditions for traditional agricultural and livestock activities. It is not something that has convinced neighbors or environmental organizations. In 2016, Ecologists in Action alleged that the environmental impact on the 27,500 hectares in which it was projected to work would be severe. Worry. Among other issues, water worried. From the organization, they affirmed that between 310,000 and 500,000 cubic meters of water a year, which would have to multiply for ten years of mining activity to cover all the estimated hectares. It was not logical in a region in which the problems of water supply in droughts are not rare, with overexploited aquifers and an intense agricultural activity of the economy in the area. Brake. To this we must add that in the area there are two Zepas (Areas of special protection for birds) and is a place of presence of the lynx. With all this in mind, and after two years of social struggle, the CLM government gave folder to the matter in 2017. Load return. In recent years, in different forums it has been followed defending The suitability of the area as a strategic enclave so that Spain – and Europe – stop depending both on the importation of strange earth elements of China, arguing that it is key to decarbonization and energy transition, but also defending the environmental respect of the activity. It was at the beginning of 2024 when Quantum Mining He returned To request permits to carry out a research project to quantify the amount of rare earths in the Montiel field, referring to the “high risk of supply interruptions” due to China’s strategic movements of the previous months. Quantum affirms that his process is respectful of existing crops Abandoned mines. Given this new attempt, environmentalist in action reacted again, but also proposed a solution. Joan Evans, responsible for mining in the organization, pointed out that the abandoned mines that are already in Spain could be exploited again, in whose dump there are “very important quantities” of rare earths. Before the resurgence of Quantum, both neighbors and the Diputación de Ciudad Real and the Platform ‘Yes to living earth‘They returned to oppose to the granting of permits. Given this new rejection, Javier Merino, president of Quantum Mining, affirmed that its activity would be “totally compatible with the traditional activities of the area” and that the rejection climate is due to the propagation of “false news with photographs of mining farms that have nothing to do with our project.” “The most ecological in the world”. As a support for the activities of Quantum, the Secretary General of Primigea -the Spanish Confederation of the Mineral Raw Materials Industries – affirmed Recently that “a … Read more

The war between the Azores anticyclone and Iceland depression will have a clear winner in the coming weeks: Spain

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If there is any field in which what was said by the famous physicist Niels Bohr that “it is difficult to make predictions, especially of the future“That is meteorology. Although it is not always the case. There are times that, with all the uncertainties we want, “we see them come long before normal.” And that is what just happened: the main prediction models in the world They say we are going to a negative nao stage. Something that, in the face of spring, can be excellent news. What is NAO? ‘Nao’ are the acronym in English of ‘North Atlantic oscillation‘And basically refers to the’ dance ‘between the Azores anticyclone and the loss of Iceland, the two great atmospheric phenomena that govern the meteorology of the North Atlantic. When the index we use to “measure who is winning” is negative, the anticyclone of the Azores is weaker than normal and, therefore, cannot block the deep storms of the Atlantic. The direct consequence is that, they circulate further than normal: in our latitudes. Kristian Strommen et als. (2021) The news is that, indeed, it seems that we are going to Noa negative. Both the NOAA American and the European ECMWF They coincide in which “we are at the gates of a Nao phase in descent.” And what consequences would this have? The combination of a negative nao and a large mass of stagnant polar air in the continent would cause the circulation of deep storms to pass us over and, therefore, the weather conditions are stirred. A summary of the situation. In the short term, we are in the midst of that cyclogenesis festival that we have already talked about, but when the stability will be installed again. That means that nocturnal temperatures will lower, the frost will return and the fog will return. From then on, if the NOA phase change is confirmed, the situation becomes difficult to predict. The good part of this type of diagnoses is that it is very solid (that is, it is quite likely to pass); The bad is that the details become more complex: it can be triggered from a sudden stratospheric warming that froze everything that caught its path to almost nothing. It is reasonable to wait for rain in one way (deep storms) or another (retrograde danas), however the prognosis is in the air. Image | Tropical tidbits In Xataka | In the next few days, Spain will be in the middle of a hall of Atlantic storms. It is good news, but not for everyone

The time of the year in Japan has arrived where everyone has a mask. The fault is World War II

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It is one of the great paradoxes in Japan. Also one of those images of postcard of the nation. When spring arrives, a colorful veil of vibrant flowers and intoxicating fragrances covers the entire country, nature reveals itself beautiful, but under that harmonious layer it runs and displays a more strategy ruthless For humans. Almost in unison, millions of people begin with uncontrollable sneezing, irritated eyes and low productivity. Today, the seasonal crisis has become a social problem, and all because of a war. An invisible enemy. In 2023, the then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told that he called it as hay fevereither Kafunshō (Literally, “pollen disease”), was, de facto, a national emergency that demanded an immediate response. With pollen levels in Tokyo reaching record figures in the last decade, Kishida cataloged the crisis as a government priority, announcing A plan that left no room for diplomacy with the enemy: trees. With 42.5% of the affected population and An estimated economic impact at 2.2 billion dollars annuallythe problem had reached a national scale that forced the government to consider it a matter of public policy. The origin of everything: war (and man). Unlike other countries where hay fever is an annoying but manageable condition, in Japan its impact is due to a historical political decision. During World War II, Japan suffered an unprecedented devastation. The incendiary bombings of the allies destroyed a large part of the cities built in wood, generating a crisis of construction materials in the country. After the end of the contest, The government promoted mass reforestation with cedars and cypresses to boost the national wood industry. It had logic: they are native species of rapid growth and with straight trunks ideal for wood production. However, over time, the demand for wood decreased due to the importation of cheap wood from abroad and these forests were abandoned to their fate, vast extensions of abandoned monoculture forests becoming gigantic pollen factories. Today. In The present, More than 40% of Japanese forests are dominated by these highly allergenic specieswhich has caused even people without allergic history to develop symptoms after a few years of residence in the country. The situation is so serious that Some companies have begun to offer subsidies for medical treatments and antiallergic products to its employees, since hay fever reduces the productivity of one third of the population. The counterattack of Japan. The Japanese government response has been radical: In 2023 he ordered the trees responsible for pollen. In an unprecedented campaign, the country began a massive logging and forest replacement plan, replacing current ceders and cypresses with species that produce less pollen. Although the process will take years, the objective is clear: to weaken the production of pollen and relieve the load on the millions of Japanese affected every year. A more intense (and early) seasonal season. This weekend counted the Japan Times media that Japan faces this year one of Kafunshō’s most severe severas in its history, with pollen levels that could double in some regions compared to the previous year. The early detection of cedar pollen in Tokyo, recorded on January 8, marked the beginning of that particularly challenging period for millions of people suffering from symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, irritated eyes, conjunctivitis, fatigue and skin problems. Given such a panorama, the need for protection measures has promoted a transformation in the allergy product industry, merging aesthetics. A society adapted to seasonal war. While the government advances with its selective deforestation plan, the population has developed its own defense against the plague of pollen. In Japan, Hoating fever has generated an entire economy of specialized products ranging from ergonomic masks with antipole filter to protective glasses, repellent sprays and personal air purifiers. Leading brands have developed increasingly advanced solutions. Shiseido, for example, has perfected The antipolen spray Ihada Aller Screen Ex, which creates an invisible shield on the skin to avoid allergenic particles. Fumakilla Allergy Shut Virus, meanwhile, not only blocks pollen, but also the yellow sand transported from the deserts of China and Mongolia. Another level. Companies have brought the fight against hay fever to another level, incorporating avant -garde technology to minimize the effects of allergy in everyday life. This has resulted in the integration of masks designed not only for pollen filtration, but also To enhance facial aesthetics and protect the skin from environmental damage. The masks, omnipresent in Japanese society even before pandemic, They have evolved from simple filter barriers to products that incorporate additional benefits. Before 2020, the options were limited to white surgical models without greater visual attraction. Today Demand has promoted market diversificationallowing the masks to align with standards of beauty and skin care. The role of aesthetics. As we said, the new mask designs not only focus on protection, but also on aesthetics, Reflecting the Japanese beauty ideals, where a well -defined jaw and a stylized nose are desirable features. The brands have responded by creating masks with angled cuts, reinforcements on the nasal bridge and strategic folds that enhance the user’s features. A trend that has been well received by consumers like Hana Satowho recognizes that current models, in addition to offering better filtration, “are more attractive and better mold the face.” The functionality and appearance now go hand in hand in the fight against hay fever. The principle of a new era. Hoating fever has been, for a long time, A cruel nature of nature, an ambush disguised as spring. But Japan seems to be raising against that invisible enemy with an unprecedented strategy: eliminating the root problem, literally. If the government offensive manages to significantly reduce pollen levels, The nation will become the first country to win the war against hay feverestablishing a model for other affected nations. Meanwhile, hay fever has ceased to be simply a seasonal discomfort to become a phenomenon that has promoted innovation in the beauty and well -being industry. The evolution of masks, sprays and skin care routines reflect that growing integration between … Read more

In the war between communities of neighbors and tourist floors there is a key date, on April 3. And favors the first

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With the influx of tourists in Historic maximumsthe residential market Tensioning and the price of housing climbing until Nourish With those of the brick bubble, administrations have launched themselves to regulate tourist floors. In Madrid, Barcelona either Valencia The municipalities have moved file to put limits and in Seville they have even considered ending the illegal offer by closing the tap. Literally. From April 3 who want to devote themselves to holiday rental will have to deal with a new challenge: neighborhood communities. If until now they were the ones that suffered the most tourist floors, they are about to become the opposite: a way to stop their proliferation. What happened? That on April 3 a change of the Horizontal Property Law which will fully affect the relationship between neighbors communities and tour floors. And it will also do so in favor of the former, expanding its margin to stop the proliferation of vacation rentals. Legal change is included in the Organic Law 1/2025a rule published in the BOE earlier this year, but which has a period of three months to enter into force. What does the law say? Basically it establishes that anyone who wants to rent their apartment to tourists must get permission from most of its neighbors. And what is more important, has to have that collective ‘ok’ before leasing the floor. “You must previously obtain the express approval of the community of owners”, Clarify the new standardwhich also specifies that the decision must be made with a broad support of the three fifths of the owners. Wasn’t it so far? The legal change gives more tools to neighbors communities when limiting tourist rentals within their block, but that does not mean that until now they have had their hands tied. On the contrary. He Royal Decree 7/2019which entered into force six years ago, already provided that the communities could “limit or condition” the holiday rentals in the building if the three fifths of the owners agreed so. And can they report? Yes. Now the law goes a step further. It speaks of the need to obtain “previously the express approval” of the community and pronounced on the margin of maneuver that the neighbors have, even about the possibility of denouncing in case they detect a rented floor without their placet. “The president of the community, on his own initiative or of any of the owners or occupants, will require those who carry out the activity, without expressly approved, the immediate cessation of the same, under the warning of initiating the judicial actions,” indicates the law published in January. Does it have retroactive effect? No, the legal change will not have retroactive effect on the apartments that are rented respecting the norms. The text Published in January it is quite clear about it: “That owner of a house that is exercising the activity prior to the entry into force of the law, which has previously been accepted to the tourist sector regulations, may continue to exercise the activity with the conditions and deadlines established in it. “ The new law also echoed another of the powers that communities have and appeared already reflected in The 2019 decree: The whole of the neighbors may apply to the owners of tourist floors a “special quota” or “an increase in the participation of the common expenses of the house”. Of course, that increase should never exceed 20% and the decision must also be endorsed by a lazy majority of the three fifths of the owners. Is it a novelty? It is a novelty the entry into force of the law on April 3, but probably caught by surprise a few owners of flats and communities of neighboring. And not only because the regulations have been published in the BOE January 3. The government had been looking for the way to “empower” the neighbors in the face of the proliferation of vacation rentals and months ago he acknowledged that one of the ideas he had in mind was to give communities a veto power. “What we want is that the authorization of the neighbors be necessary, with a major I advanced In July, Minister Carlos Body in RNE. Images | Stay Grouted (Flickr) and Tomáš Gal (Unspash) In Xataka | In Spain, floors are being rented as tourist accommodations without a license. Now also elderly residences

We believed that the price of coffee could not rise much more. The diplomatic “war” between Colombia and the US thinks otherwise

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Of the tens of thousands of words that make up the English lexicon, Donald Trump has one that he especially likes and for which he has declared his love in some or other interview: tariff (tariff). This weekend he reminded the Colombian president of this in a quite practical way, threatening to impose 25% rates (or even 50%) if he did not give in to the aggressive immigration policy which is promoted from the White House. Everything indicates that it will remain that way, a threat, but it serves to warm up a market that has been facing strong shocks for months. turbulence: the one with coffee. Yes 2025 It looked complicated For lovers of morning espressos, your outlook has just become more complicated. What has happened? That Trump has shown that, indeed, he feels a special weakness for the word “tariff.” Over the last few weeks it has announced more or less clearly that it will apply taxes on imports of China, Mexico, Canada, Europe, Denmark and even Spainalthough it is still not entirely clear whether the latter was said deliberately or as a result of a geographical ‘slip’. Curiously, it has been another country that has been on the verge of suffering tariff fury from the republican: Colombia. Screenshot of Trump’s announcement on Truth Social. Why’s that? For something that actually has little to do with the international market, trade balances and tax policy. The trigger has been migration. And a political fight between Washington and Bogotá. Basically, yesterday the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, refused to allow two planes from the US loaded with deported Colombians to land in his country. What’s more, he threatened not to welcome them until Trump adopts protocols that guarantee treatment. “with dignity and respect” for immigrants. The response of the Republican, who has managed to return to the White House after an electoral campaign that largely pivoted on a hardening of immigration policy, it did not take long to wait: through its platform Truth Social advertisement a 25% rate for the import of Colombian merchandise that would rise to 50% in a matter of days. Petro responded after a few hours with the same currencyordering a sudden increase (25%) in the tariffs that Bogotá applies to US goods. How did the crash end? In dispatches and without reaching customs. At least for now. Despite its initial reaction, the Petro Executive ended up giving in to Washington’s demands and agreed to receive the planes with deportees. Enough so that Trump has not yet signed the economic sanctions, which have already been drafted and will be activated if his southern neighbor “does not comply” with the agreement. “The Government of Colombia has accepted all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returning from the US,” they boast from the White House, which reminds that Bogotá will also receive them “without limitations or delay.” Click on the image to go to the tweet. What does it have to do with coffee? Simple. The announcement of Trump’s tariffs and the fight between the White House and the Nariño Palace did more than shake up American diplomacy. He also put on guard various sectors Colombians who have important interests in the United States, such as oil, floriculture (which is preparing for the millionaire campaign Valentine’s Day) and coffee. Of all of them, the one more expectation generatesdue to the state of its market and price driftis the latter. At the end of the day, Colombia is not just any country on the international coffee map. And the United States is not just another market for Colombian producers either. This double condition means that everything that affects the relationship between the two, including of course the threats of 25% tariffs or even 50%, interest (and quite a bit) to the market. But… What does the data say? To begin with, Colombia is one of the main coffee powers on the planet. The own tables The US Department of Agriculture places it as the third largest producer, only behind Brazil and Vietnam. Other observatories leave the same drawing, like Statista. A 2024 reportThe USDA office, linked to the US Government, estimated that during the 2024/2025 campaign, Colombian coffee exports would total around 12 million GBE bags. Colombia matters on the global coffee map. And its relationship with the United States is also important, something that is better understood with the help of a couple of figures. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), in 2022 Colombia exported 15.6 billion dollars to the US, of which almost 1.8 billion corresponded to coffee. This data makes it the second largest exported commodity in terms of value, only behind crude oil. The footprint of Colombia in the flow of coffee that reaches the US is also considerable. Click on the image to go to the tweet. But the rate would affect the US, right? The US tariff policy is that, the US tariff policy, and as warned The New York Times Yesterday, basically imposing 25% taxes on Colombian goods would mean that Americans would have to dig deeper into their pockets to buy flowers and coffee. However, if we talk about grain, what happens on the other side of the Atlantic interests us. And the reason is very simple: shocks like the one on Sunday put even more tension on a market that is already go through turbulence. “If the US imposes a 25% tariff on all Colombian exports, the already red-hot coffee market will heat up even more. Colombia is the third largest coffee producer in the world (and a key source of rabi beans). premium)”, I was reflecting yesterday in X Javier Blas, Bloomberg columnist. In the same tweet he included a column written by himself a few days ago in which he warned of the complex panorama facing the coffee market. And what situation is that? In Xataka we have talked already several times her. And it is summed up … Read more

“2000 Meters to Andriivka”: Mstyslav Chernov re -impacts with his images of the Ukraine War

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Park City, Utah – The first 10 minutes of “2000 meters to Andriivka” have already justified having moved to the Utah mountains to attend the Sunday Film Festival. If I didn’t watch any other good movie in the next few days, I would still take the trip. This powerful is the new journalist and filmmaker’s documentary Mstyslav Chernovwinner of the Oscar two years ago for “20 days in Mariupol”. If this focused on how civilians suffered the first brutal attack of the Russian invasion, the new film leads us to the activity of the soldiers – mostly volunteers – in the first line of the front. With images taken with Gopro cameras in the soldiers’ helme Brutal of a war in the middle of Europe that is fought in trenches and almost melee as if it were a contest 100 years ago. For months, years already, to gain or go back ridiculous distances in which the bodies and ruins are stacked. Mstyslav Chernov, director of “2000 Meters to Andriivka”.Credit: Sundance Film Festival | Courtesy With his work, Chernov humanizes conflict without moralisms or doctrines. An exceptional work that will speak throughout the year. More premieres on the first day of Sundace The Ugly Stepsister This debut feature film of the Nordic director Emilie Blichfeldt offers a dark, comic and very “gore” reinterpretation of the classic Cinderella story. The film focuses on Elvira, one of Cinderella’s stepsisters, who pushed by her mother takes extreme measures in her desperate search to become more desirable. This twisted narrative addresses issues such as beauty, self -injuries, value and social pressures, presenting a visually shocking and disturbing experience. Marlee Matllin: Not Alone Anymore The deeply documentary personal “Marlee Matllin: Not Alone Anymore” premiered with the presence of Marlee Matllin herself, deaf actress who is still the youngest winner of the Oscar for Best Actress, a prize she received in 1987 for “Children of a Leser God ”, when I was only 21 years old. During the question and answers session, Matllin shared his thoughts: “I knew it was the time for (Shoshannah Stern, director of the tape) to show the world what I have happened. I waited, and my four children, who are now adults, was a good time to show them what Mom has spent all her life. So I’m glad they are here. I’m glad they are here to see it. ” Jimpa John Lithgow, Aud Mason-Hyde and Olivia Colman.Credit: George Pimentel for candy film festival | Shuttersock The premiere with more stars on the first day was “Jimpa”, which brought together a cast that includes Olivia Colman, John Lithgow, Aud Mason-Hyde, Daniel Henshall and Eamon Farren, who accompanied the director Sophie Hyde in the “line of line of Press ”, as the red carpets prior to a premiere is called in Swimo. The cast also participated in a lively question and answers session after the projection. Twinless The emotional Twinless premiere caused enthusiastic cheers of the public, especially during the question and answers session, where the cast shared sincere reflections. The director and member of the cast James Sweeney, along with Dylan O’Brien, Aisling Franciosi and Lauren Graham, participated in the press carpet and answered questions from the public. Dylan O’Brien reflected on his collaboration with Sweeney: “Meeting James was like the final seal, watching his first movie and realizing that he is a complete filmmaker. We have been on this trip together for five years, so it is a very special moment to see him come to light in this way ”. Sly Lives! (Aka The Burden of Black Genius) Oscar Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s musician and director premiered his latest biographical documentary, “Sly Lives!” The projection, which focuses on the life of the legendary musician Sly Stone, received an ovation of an enthusiastic audience. Questlove was accompanied by members of Sly’s family, including Ninth Carmel, Phunne and Sylvester Stewart Jr., as well as producer Joseph Patel. By design Juliette Lewis had a triumphant return to Sundance with the premiere of “By Design.” She was accompanied by Robin Tunney, Samantha Mathis, Mamoudou Athie, Miranda Bailey, Betty Buckley and the scriptwriter and director Amanda Kramer. The group participated in the press carpet and a question and answer session, offering perspectives on the topics and production of the film. Continue reading:· The Sundance Festival starts with an eye on Los Angeles (Tagstotranslate) Sunday

China set up its own “OPEC of solar panels” to avoid an internal price war. It came out regular

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If there is currently a power in renewables, it is China. The country installs 60% of the world’s renewable capacity and has huge projects underway like his ‘Solar Great Wall‘, he largest wind turbine in the world and ambitious plans offshore energy both wind and photovoltaic. In the solar energy segment there are so many companies competing for the same piece of the pie that even the biggest ones are drowning. And with problems everywhere, the industry wanted to emulate the oil sector with a great self-control pact. The first attempt has gone wrong. Saturation. The storm began in 2021. It was the year in which China presented its net zero emissions plan for 2060 with a very ambitious goal: at least 1,200 GW of solar and wind capacity installed by 2030. Energy companies got down to business , but there were also companies not endemic to the energy sector that jumped on the bandwagon of what aimed to be a very lucrative business. The problem is that it was carried out without apparent control, with everyone fighting the war on their own. The result? Large projects throughout the country and such a beastly production of solar panels that it has stifled companies from outside Chinabut also an annual production capacity of around 1,200 GW of panels. So we don’t all fit. This might seem good, but it is not: it represents double global demand in 2024 and is more than expected for 2030. The situation pushed many companies to deduct prices, sometimes below costs, creating a kind of ‘Ice Age’ of the photovoltaic sector with companies such as GLC Tecnology – the second solar company in China and one of the largest in the energy sector– asking the state for help. The reason is that the prices of the entire production chain (from silicon to photovoltaic modules) had fallen below costs and companies were losing money with each sale. As we read In South China Morning Post, the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, or CPIA, estimates that prices in each segment of the panel supply chain fell between 60% and 80% in 2024 from their peak in 2023. Following in the footsteps of OPEC. The problem is that demand also did not follow the trend. According to the energy think tank Ember, global solar installations grew by 29% in 2024 compared to 87% in 2023. In China alone, the expected growth in 2024 was 28%, far from 55% the previous year. In addition, 39 of the 121 publicly traded photovoltaic producers, reported losses in Chinaand giants like Longo Green Energy had to lay off 5% of their workforce. It was necessary to take control of this unlimited production, and it is something that was attempted to be tackled at the CPIA meeting in December of last year. In the la, 33 of the main manufacturers signed a self-control commitment based, according to SCMP, on the agreements of the OPEC -Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries-. The idea was to agree on production quotas based on their capacity, respect the minimum recommended price established by the Association and, with this, wait for the market to regulate itself. First problems. It is curious that, just two weeks after the signing of that self-control pact, the CPIA issued an open letter criticizing a solar project in Xinjiang that was violating the agreement. The problem? The company, a subsidiary of the China Energy Investment Group, set a price “significantly lower” than the 0.68 yuan – about 0.09 euros – per watt stipulated by the CPIA. It is something that has weakened the morale of an industry that considered an OPEC-style pact as one of the last realistic resources to save solar-related companies and jobs in the country before taking actions that end with closures and layoffs. The Government puts its hand. This is something that worries government institutions and companies themselves because a negative climate in which companies are operating at a loss or without achieving financial objectives can have a disastrous consequence: compromising the quality of the panels and the industry, prevent innovation and, therefore, make China blur what has been achieved in recent years, disappearing the competitive advantage and causing the loss of talent. And the CPIA is not the only one that has tried to control the situation. The central government also imposed some measures to curb the expansion, such as increasing minimum capital requirements for new panel manufacturing projects from 20% to 30%, lower export tax rebates, and stricter limits on water and energy consumption. . For example, the permitted electricity consumption for existing manufacturers was reduced from 80 kWh/kg to 60 kWh/kg. It’s complicated. The problem is that the industry is, at this point, too big. With the new government measures on energy use, it is estimated that production capacity will be between 20% to 30%. But the problem is, as Jessica Jin – an analyst at S&P Global – points out, that the main obstacle will be controlling all the factories in the country to ensure that they comply with the measures. In the end, what is happening in China is something that has been brewing for months: they lead the solar panel market (by a lot), but they have grown without control and this accelerated boom is currently being regulated based on demand both internal and external. Images | Korea Aerospace Research Institute Xataka | China is regularly hit by typhoons. Now it has a mega wind turbine to take advantage of them

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