war Archives - Page 24 of 29

Byd has opened a new price war in China. The fall of your actions confirms that it is a risky play

June 2, 2025 by usatoday24

Remove muscle or a sign of weakness. That is what we ask ourselves when we see the last Byd movement in China where the company has applied aggressive discounts to its fleet. The movement has been rejected in the markets but shows that the company has strength to stir the market alone. The discounts. Last May 23, Byd announced a significant reduction in its Chinese fleet. In total, 22 cars received discountsincluding the Byd Seagull, the cheapest electricity in the market and one of the company’s great hits in the country, saw its price another 20%. It is the most striking example of discounts that began in April but have intensified in May. In some cases discounts of up to 34%have been established. A drop in actions. The market response, however, has been clear: a drop of 13% of its actions. It is the figure we have since May 23 were announced the discounts. Investors have seen a sign of weakness or, in any case, greater difficulties in taking out performance from vehicles if prices fall so strongly. And a high sales. 382,476 units. That is the number of units sold by byd last May 2025. It is the highest than we have been for the year and took the electric cars (204,369 units) above the plug -in hybrids (172,561 units), which did not happen since the beginning of 2024, they point out in Bloomberg. The growth of BYD sales comes, without a doubt, promoted by the attractive discounts that the company has put in the last week of May that, remember, add to those of April. In the absence of weekly data, so that we get an idea, Carnewschina Collect the data from May 19 to 25. Those days, Byd put 53,320 units of electric cars on the market. The following manufacturer was Tesla with 10,970 units. So? So, investors seem to be worried, among other things, about profitability. In fact, it is the Chinese association of car manufacturers itself that, without naming any manufacturer, has assured that “disorderly price wars intensify fierce competition, even more compressing corporate benefit margins,” according to Bloomberg. The same medium ensures that regulators have given a touch of attention to the company for fear that unleashing a price war can be carried in front of its competition. He always requested, always according to the American media, “loyal competition” to manufacturers not to generate a monopolistic context. An open war. What is clear is that with discounts, ByD opens a price war With the rest of the companies. At the moment, from Great Wall Motors they have assured that maintaining this path is the confirmation that we can attend the “automotive Evergrande”, in words collected by CNEVPOST. Although, again, no concrete names were given, the association points directly to Byd that is one of the manufacturers that does not sell the most cars seems to have in the market. In fact, the media have also reported that regulators have summoned a meeting with manufacturers to work in The treatment of kilometer 0 vehicles. Why has Byd opted for this? There are several reasons that explain why the Chinese company has undertaken an open race to reduce the prices of its cars. It has a large stock of unsold cars to those who need to give way after Their own promises left them obsolete Its great objective is to sell 5.5 million cars. That would force him to get into almost half a million monthly vehicles and he is not getting it at the moment It is an opportunity to clean the market and get companies in competition. Your sales muscle allows you to press more than anyone in the market and take companies to a bankruptcy of which some analysts have not notified time. Photo | Byd In Xataka | Byd set out to win the electric car race. And then a TSMC factory went on sale

North Korea was going to throw his greatest war boat and ended up sinking it into the sea. Everything points to a culprit: Kim Jong-un

May 31, 2025 by usatoday24

Making a fool of it is something that It is not anyone’s pleasure. Surely you have ever stumbled down the street and looked around to see if someone had seen you. Now, imagine that what stumbles is a Military ship of 5,000 tons and several million dollars and sinks at the time of its premiere. That is what happened last week when Kim Jong-un He witnessed how His brand new war ship sank before the impotence of all those present and under the watchful eye of the rest of the planet. And everything indicates that the error was because, as the Spanish proverb points, the hurry are not good. Short. Days before the event, satellite images They showed both the vessel and a scenario in which what seemed to be an observation zone. Probably, the place from which Kim Jong-un was going to witness that historic moment. And the truth is that it was historic, but not for the reasons he would have wanted. On May 23, during the launch ceremony of the new North Korean destroyer (the second of its most advanced class), all attendees in the front row and the world was witnesses of a Technical failure that ended in disaster: the ship overturned. That symbol of power, with 143 meters in length and 74 vertical missile launch cells, ended up ridiculous. How do we float it? Satellite images later Analyzed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, they showed the ship partially sunken with tarps that covered the disaster. And, although at first the rush was blamed, we now have more clues about everything that could go wrong. Obviously, there is no official information from North Korea, but in The New York Timeswe can see that there are analysts who are quite clear what the problem was. Or the sum of them. Image | CSIS/BEYOND PARALLEL/MAXAR When a ship is finished, there is Several ways to ‘throw it’ into the water. We have the sliding launch in which the ship slides on a ramp into the water. The dry dock in which the ship is built in a dry dock and, once finished, the water dike is filled (That is done with cruises). Also the mechanical launch by cranes, the launch with airbags that are placed under the ship and allow it to slide to the water. And the side launch that drops the side ship into the water. Normally, a single technique is used, but in the North Korean destroyer disaster it seems that sliding and side techniques were used. And not because that’s how it was planned. Perfect storm. As noted The New York TimesIt was the first time that analysts watched North Korea use the side launch to throw a war ship. This technique is sure if it is done well, but in Large ships It is more likely that a problem appears, with dire consequences if it happens. The reading of the analysts is that, using that technique for a 5,000-ton ship points to a lack of experience added to the political pressures by Kim Jong-un to achieve rapid results. The destroyer was manufactured in the port city of Chongjin that has experience assembling ships of such magnitude, but not something as huge as this ship. This puts on the table that a possible trigger was that inexperience When throwing such large ships. In the absence of a dry dike of the appropriate size, it is estimated that the engineers tried the lateral launch to throw it into the water, but the angle was not correct and, when trying to slide it, the ship was unbalanced and ended up lying on the right side. When it goes well, as happened with this fighting ship of 3,500 tons in 2013, it is worth seeing: And it can also go wrong: The hurry are not good. Interestingly, this destroyer is from Choe Hyun classwhose first model was inaugurated successfully Last month. It was going to be the second great frigate of North Korea and the new example of that naval remodeling that Kim Jong-un is promoting. And the precedents were good: the first It was built In the city of Nampo and, because it is a larger shipyard, they could put it afloat through the technique of dry dock. There were no major problems and, at the inauguration, the ruler saw how test missiles were thrown successfully. However, there are hurry in the government dome to follow demonstrating to the world its military potentialwhich has led the president to visit the shipyards who are building new ships to accelerate delivery deadlines. In addition, there are information They point out that, although the ship could have thrown out correctly, the ocean exit street is narrow and has a questionable depth. I made a. pic.twitter.com/urflog6leo – Dr. Jeffrey Lewis (@armsControlwonk) May 22, 2025 Firm hand. And who will pay for this? At the moment, the ridiculous has resulted in several arrests of members of the responsible shipyard itself. The Central News Agency of Korea reported that the chief engineer, a senior armament official and another member of the installation had been arrested, and Kim himself described The accident as a “criminal act”, demanding An urgent restoration of the ship before June. Country engineers estimate that, pumping seawater, they can straighten the ship and repair damage. And it will take about ten days to do it, but it seems complicated because, after a week, Keep as it was. Sentinel-2 images of May 23 and 28. Despite the clouds, we can see that the destroyer continues exactly at the same point And sarcasm. From South Korea, which always have an eye and a half placed in what their neighbors doThey think something else. Yang UK is an expert in North Korean military affairs of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul and, as Tnyt comments, the incident may not be only an accident, but something caused by a structural imbalance on the ship itself. … Read more

In the fierce war for augmented reality, China has five “dragons” willing to win it

May 31, 2025 by usatoday24

I’ve been observing from the barrier how the career of The augmented reality. And, I must be Franco: so far no one had taken it seriously, not even Apple. Vision Pro It is a brilliant product, but niche. Very niche. Google herself renocated in her most important event of the year, the I/or 2025 which believes to recognize as a key to democratize access to this product category. “We know that glasses can only be really useful if you want to wear them all day.” And Android XR arrived Android XR marks a before and after. It is the first real effort to create an accessible mass platform for every manufacturer that bets on augmented or mixed reality glasses. What seemed An initial project in conjunction with Samsung To develop a VR helmet, it has ended up materializing in a paradisiacal garden on which any manufacturer can walk. This operating system will play a fundamental role in the popularization of A format with great sale potential: Traditional glasses with augmented reality. A platform through which users can use (naturally) apps such as Google Maps, photos and, the most important, Gemini, on reduced size devices. Google is not winning only the race when developing an open platform that gives life to a product that free us (at least partially) of the smartphone, is also leading Who offers the best assistant driven by AI. The Gemini native integration In augmented reality glasses it makes even more sense than a mobile. The voice command becomes almost an essential when the physical interaction with the device is minimized. It is, in fact, Google’s goal. Free ourselves from the smartphone in daily tasks How to call, follow addresses towards some point or something as simple as adding a reminder to the calendar. The friction is minimized to remove the mobile from the pocket for any of these purposes. Glasses, voice command, effective execution. THE BATTLE FOR PRICE AND FORMAT Vision Pro or even Quest target are born as niche products. Apple sells mixed reality at almost 4,000 dollars (taxes included), with results below analysts’ predictions. About 175,000 units sold in a year. Goal has been Selling the Oculus Quest as hot breadwith an accumulated of 20 million units. Perhaps the quality-price has something to do. So much that Apple considers to focus efforts on more economical vision. “We know that glasses can only be really useful if you wanttake them all day. “ Virtual reality has its niche, But the augmented opens to products mainstream (glasses that you can wear almost all day), a formula that starts working. Not satisfied with Meta Quest figures, the company started four years ago an incursion into the world of traditional format glasses next to Ray-Ban. First with Ray-Ban Storiesand Three years later with Ray-Ban Meta. A new product, a “new” format, and One million sales in their first year of life. The “traditional glasses with headphones and things” works. But the goal is missing a platform adapted to this format and less limited hardware (these glasses can barely record some video, receive notifications and call). And there China comes into play China has been engaged in a career to lead the technologies necessary to create traditional format glasses with augmented reality. And there are five big names in it: XREAL Rayneo Rokid Immobile Meizu It is curious how, beyond giants like Huawei (whose platform Harmonyos does not currently prioritize AR devices) innovation in this territory is in the hands of small businesses. XREAL It is a start-up that already works in some Badge glasses Under the Android XR platform. It will be a product to take into account and relevant to China, since Most hardware is produced nationwide (currently 65%, with the aim of reaching 100% on a two -year horizon). Instead of betting on Qualcomm technologies, Xreal has its own chip for glasses, the X1. Rayneo It may sound more, and it is a subsidiary of the Chinese giant TCL. He is working with Alibaba to take AI models to smart glasses and, for the 2028 Olympic Games, they plan collaborate with COI to create promotional videos in which the perspective of athletes (which will wear scratch glasses) is the protagonist. A look at your website It lets us see that they are focused on markets beyond the Chinese, with the focus currently on the projection of content. Rokid It is founded by an ex-alibaba, and manufactures glasses that use the QWAN model (precisely Alibaba) to translate into real time. It has enough state support, and works with national companies. Although it has a consumer product, it is quite focused on specific solutions. Immobile He is one of China Mobile’s main collaborators in his attempt to develop one of the great national language models. Jiutian LLMone of the first models, and is being tested in the glasses of augmented reality of immobile. Their abilities are multimodal (voice, text, compression of what you are seeing), and the connection is direct by 5G to the cloud of China Mobile, without the mobile as an intermediary. Finally we have Meizua historic Chinese manufacturer who tried in Spain with its mobiles but could not with Huawei and Xiaomi. The company has developed Llm Flyme a multimodal AI engine that vertebra both its XR devices and its connected car systems. They also combine text, voice and visual recognition, integrated in recent launch glasses, such as their Starv Air 2. A company recently acquired by the Geely engine giant, with expansion plans outside China. The keys to winning this format race Although Google has put the platform on the table and has set your hand to companies that want to collaborate with it, this It is still a war to dispute And in which there are still no proposals for attack to the generalist public, beyond the first goal approach with Rayban … with glasses that do not even execute augmented reality. Google has important strategic advantages: its Android ecosystem is unbeatable … Read more

The great AI companies have declared a underground war to a pillar of education: human teachers

May 31, 2025 by usatoday24

We would all like to have a Keating Professor In our lives. One that made us get on the desks to see things from a different perspective and that he would teach us that the most important lesson he has for us is summarized in the words “Carpe Diem”. There are very few who approach that image, but all of them, bad or good, threatens them the same future as Other professions: Be replaced by an AI. Professor 24/7. The narrative of several AI companies is clear: the human teacher is a bottleneck. Each of them serves many students, their knowledge is limited and their finite availability. The AI, they assure those companies, proposes a remarkable alternative. Personalized professors 24/7 with infinite patience and access to all the knowledge of the world. There is a clear problem: that message devalues the teacher’s function as a guide, mentor and catalyst for curiosity and reduces it to a mere transmitter of information. Continuous evaluations. Another of the pillars of the educational system – and one of the tasks that most consumes the teaching staff – is Student evaluation. The AI promises to correct efficiently, massively and immediately, releasing the teacher for other tasks. But again in human evaluation there is much more than a mere correction of errors. The effort, the reasoning process, creativity, originality or even the personal context of the student are evaluated. Biases also pose a clear threat to these evaluations, in addition to promoting a model Based on the correct answer and not in the reflexive process. My school is OpenAi. So far schools, universities and other academic institutions are the guarantors of a theoretically coherent and quality curriculum. The approach of the companies of AI would be that of Become them In “Guardians of knowledge” deciding what is important to learn and how. The risk: lead to a fragmented education and dictated by the interests of the market, eroding the role of education as a pillar of society. Threat to humanities. The AI also raises the irrelevance of memorization – it can already respond to all known knowledge – and bet on skills such as “Prompt Engineering“(know how to ask things to AI) or Technical subjects (Stem). That suggests a clear impact to matters of humanities and critical thinking that we do not apply directly. Fields such as philosophy, art or social skills, hardly quantifiable, would go to the background. The objective would not be as much to train and prepare workers for the technology industry. Goodbye to social investment. Companies that bet on that model have a clear objective: climb and be profitable. AI technology applied to education promises a lot of savings (less physical infrastructure, less teachers) and a highly scalable business. But also imposes a worrying revolution to one of the pillars of society. Bill Gates believes in the future of the teachers of AI. Among the experts who outline that idea is the figure of Bill Gates, co -founder of Microsoft. His commitment to the teachers of AI It was early: Chatgpt had been in the market for just five months when he said that “AIs will reach that capacity, to be as good tutors as any human being.” For him, this technology should also be a “leveling” for society. According to Gates “having access to a tutor is too expensive for most students, especially if that tutor adapts and remembers everything you have done and review your work.” Openai and Khan Academy have the same vision. A year ago the presentation of GPT-4O surprised among other things for that capacity offered by this AI model to talk directly to him. One of the OpenAI demos, carried out in collaboration with Khan Academyhe showed Sal Khan, his founder, contemplating how his son used the model to receive a geometry lesson. The interaction was impeccable and pointed to a future full of teachers of ia locked in our tablet, our mobile or our computer. Khan is of course interested, but it doesn’t hurt see your ted talk on “how AI could save (not destroy) education.” Schools converted into nurseries. Luis von ahn, Founder of Duolingothe poular application to learn languages, it also takes time turning towards the AI. A few days ago he participated in the podcast No priorsand there he commented how although there are very good teachers, “there are not many.” For him, education will change radically because “it is much more scalable to teach with which with teachers.” Even so pointed out That does not mean that teachers disappear: “You will continue to need people who take care of students”, but focused on a new role: “I don’t think schools disappear, because you need nurseries.” Image | Buena Vista Pictures In Xataka | Towards the end of duties: how chatgpt has been inserted in the center of the great debate on education

If something did not need the Ukraine War it was to enliven the conflict in an occupied nuclear power plant. Russia thinks different

May 30, 2025 by usatoday24

The paradox of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is that it has been closed for three years and everyone wants to “open.” Without going far, the United States was the last nation to hint that it would be delighted to restart her. The problem is that it is in Ukraine, although Taken by Russiaand in the middle of a war whose end does not stick. Moscow knows that he has an energy pressure tool, but some satellite images have revealed much more. The space betrays. The story took this week The New York Times. Through new satellite images analyzed by Greenpeace and verified by the American environment, it has been revealed that Russia is building more than 80 kilometers of electric lines in the south busy of Ukraine with the aim of connecting the Zaporiyia nuclear plant to its own energy network. Covert reopening. This maneuver, until now without Russian official confirmation, represents the clearest signal until the intention of Moscow’s intention to reactivate and exploit the largest central in Europe, forcibly in the first bars of the invasion. Although its six reactors were gradually turned off (the last in 2023) for security reasons and due to nearby fightingRussia seems determined to return it to operationchallenging the warnings of international experts that consider that operating it under these conditions would be a nuclear risk first order. The Russian Plan seeks surround the current damage In the old 750 kilowol lines that connected the central with the Ukrainian network, two of which are going through areas under Kyiv control, and two others that have been useless or deteriorated by the war. Unprecedented use. If specified, this would be the First time in history in that a power at war restarts and uses an occupied nuclear plant for its own energy benefit. Russia, through the state Rosatom, has openly shown Your ambition: its general director He said recently that the dream of reactivating Zaporiyia is still alive and that there is already a technical plan to return the plant to full capacity. The Russian intention does not seem to maintain territorial control of the complex, but to integrate it directly into the national electricity network, possibly and According to the Timesconnecting it with the Russian region of Rostov, which would require even more infrastructure. As we said at the beginning, the United States proposed a peace plan that included the return of the plant to Ukraine under international management (specifically American), In an attempt to avoid its use as a geopolitical tool. Russia He rejected sharply said option. Various risks. No doubt, we don’t talk about simply pressing the “ignition” button. In fact, the possibility of reactivating the central has awakened alarms Among nuclear experts. Since his shot, much of the Ukrainian technical staff has fled, leaving the plant No qualified operators. In addition, the Kajovka dam hole months ago (widely attributed to Russia), it eliminated the main source of water from the reactor refrigeration system and spent fuel, raising thermal and fusion risks in case of a failure. For its part, the Minister of Energy of Ukraine He warned that any Russian unilateral attempt to restart reactors could have unpredictable consequences. To all this is added The possibility of sabotage, military attacks or operational failures in a plant already located in an active combat zone. The consequences of a nuclear escape would not be limited to the region: the impact on the environment, human health and the energy stability of Europe would be unpredictable (and possibly devastating). A high voltage piece. As we have coming countingthe status of the Zaporiyia plant has become a power sheet in the peace negotiations. While Russia progresses (slowly) in her Technical reconnectionThe United States and its allies press to include their status in the terms of any future solution. The satellite images Recent, which reveal transmission lines advancing near the town of Shevchenko and towards a key substation linked to the complex, confirm that Moscow not only wants to retain control, but to turn the plant into a Active source of energy for your network. If you want also, snapshots from space reveal a deeper strategy: to consolidate the economic and energy control of the territories occupied as part of a Possible post -stroke. However, any attempt by Moscow to reactivate the plant without international consensus not only defies the rules of war law, but also brings us an unpublished threshold of nuclear insecurity. Image | Planet Labs, Via Greenpeace In Xataka | The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been closed by the war in Ukraine. Now the United States wants to reopen In Xataka | We already know a hole that Russia has left in Ukraine: the Chernobil shield is still open and there is no money to close it

brings us closer to a nuclear spatial war

May 28, 2025 by usatoday24

The antimisile shield that Donald Trump wants to put in the land orbit has triggered a forceful reaction of the Kim Jong-un regime. The word is Nuclar. The North Korean Foreign Ministry has described the Golden Dome project as “the height of arrogance and arrogance”, according to North Korean state media. The Pionyang cabinet accuses Washington of being “determined to militarize the outer space,” and warns that the initiative It could trigger “a global nuclear and spatial arms race”, turning the earth’s orbit into “a potential nuclear war field.” What is the Golden Dome. An antimile shield that, despite its name Inspired by Israel’s iron domewould use multiple layers of detection and interception “by land, sea and space”, including a network of sensors and interceptors deployed in orbit, such as a satellite constellation. So ambitious is the project that, as announced by Trump and its Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegesh, would mean a “generational investment.” The White House has spoken of 175,000 million dollars over three years to be operational before 2029. The Congress Budget Office estimates that only space interceptors could cost up to 542,000 million dollarswith a two -decades deployment period. The promise is ambitious. A shield capable of demolishing hypersonic, ballistic and cruise missiles, even if they are thrown from the other side of the world or from space, in all phases of attack. Technology would be based on both existing systems and new developments. According to Reuters, a consortium led by Spacex, Palantir Technologies and Anduril Industries leads the race To display detection satellitesbased on the Starlink constellation. The hypothetical armed satellites for missile interception from space are the technologically most challenging and mysterious part of the project, among other things because they would have to be resilient to attacks with anti -attack weapons, that several powers have. An armed space. North Korean critic of the Golden Dome resonates with China’s, which Last week he expressed His “serious concern” for the “strong offensive implications” of the American antimile shield. Beijing accuses Washington of seeking “absolute security for itself” under a “United States first” policy, which “undermines global strategic balance and stability.” However, countries such as China and Russia have also advanced positions in the militarization of space, with satellites that pursue other satellites, secret deployments and spy spy airplanes. Image | White House Archives (2019) In Xataka | Russia, China and North Korea have hypersonic weapons. The US has decided to defend itself with its own iron dome

The war in Ukraine had a red line of 70 kilometers. West has just eliminated it after Russia’s last attack

May 27, 2025 by usatoday24

The last 48 hours in Ukraine have been plagued by actions and decisions that can change the course of the conflict. Russia has carried out The biggest attack to date on Ukraine with a swarm of drones and a number of missiles released as not remembered. kyiv, meanwhile, needs the help that does not arrive (Patriots) from the United States to deal with Moscow’s disposses, and in the meantime, the West has taken A decision that could change everything. The resurgence of TU-95. In the early hours of March 26, Russia executed the Most significant aerial offensive of the last months, by deploying ten strategic bombers TU-95msm To launch a wave of KH-101 cruise missiles About Ukraine. Six of these aircraft took off from the Olenya Air Base, to the north of the country next to the border with Finland, and the remaining four from Engels, east of Sarátov, in the heart of the European Russia. The trajectories of the missile substantial increase of Russian troops in the northeast of the front. The operation underlines the renewed Centrality of TU-95 In the Kremlin air strategy, despite being a design that sinks its roots in the Soviet era. We talk about a bomber that He was born In 1950. Intercontinental scope. But as important as this vestige of the past are the weapons it carries. Each Tu-95msm can load up to eight KH-101 missilesmounted externally and capable of traveling more than 5,000 kilometers, which allows them to attack objectives throughout the Ukrainian territory without abandoning Russian airspace. Empharged with pools, electronic countermeasures and 400 kilos, these missiles have become one of the pillars of the Russian offensive since the beginning of the war. Although its high cost and the existence of cheaper and smaller alternatives have generated debates about its efficiency, Russia plans to increase its production 600 units per year In 2025, a sign of its commitment to maintain strategic pressure through high precision attacks from long distances. Tu-95 Acorralado Ukraine. On the other sidewalk, Ukraine faces a new and alarming phase in its aerial defense in the face of the increase in Russian attacks With ballistic missilesthe most feared for their speed, destructive power and difficulty of interception. These projectiles, responsible for having destroyed almost half of the country’s energy capacity, have evidenced again the Patriot systems shortageunique capable of dealing effectively. Ukraine failed to intercept any of the nine Russian ballistic missiles launched, including two directed against kyiv, despite having deployed there Patriot units. Although the rest of the more than 900 drones and 65 cruise missiles were mostly neutralized, ballistic missiles represent an uncontrollable threat that has caused dozens of dead only so far from 2025, including lethal attacks against Sumy and Kryvyi Rih. Washington: Yes but no. The change of administration in the United States has meant a drastic turn in military assistance policy. While Trump has verbally condemned the last Russian attacks (he reached Call Putin “Crazy”), he did not offer new aid commitments, and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, was sharp by stating that “we don’t have” more patriots to send. Instead of direct donations, Washington is pressing its European allies To give Part of its own arsenals, something that does not progress, because no country wants to weaken its internal defense. Raytheon, American manufacturer of the Patriots, has not yet achieved increase your production to meet the post-2022 demand. Under this new paradigm, kyiv believes that the White House would be arranged to sell systemsbut not give them awaywhich forces Ukraine to adapt its strategy to a more transactional relationship: the defense is now negotiated, it is not granted. West breaks its limits. A few hours ago, and in a significant turn in Western military policy towards war in Ukraine, Germany, together with the United Kingdom, France and the United States, has first eliminated the first time the scope restrictions in the weapons that supplies Kyiv, allowing him to directly attack military objectives within the Russian territory (beyond the 70 km). The announcement was made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after The biggest attack With Russian drones that we commented, an offensive that stressed the need to allow Kyiv to respond forcefully. The news marks a Posture change Regarding previous fear To provoke an escalation with a nuclear power such as Russia, and according to Merz, it establishes an essential difference between the legitimate military purposes of Ukraine and the deliberate attacks against civilians by the Kremlin. With this, they open new strategic possibilities For Ukraine, which until now had acted with containment regarding the use of western armament beyond its borders. The open doors. Although Merz He did not confirm If Germany will send Taurus missiles long range, that during your political campaign He openly supportedavoided detailing any concrete step so as not to offer informative advantage to the Kremlin. Since his arrival to power just a few weeks ago, the new chancellor has adopted an approach more discreet and pragmaticstating that total transparency can play against national security. Despite this public reserve, in Berlin the expectation that Merz could soon announce the Armament delivery For greater scope, especially in the context of the imminent visit of the Ukrainian President Zelenski to the German capital. The moment suggests that Germany is preparing the land to take that step, but wants to coordinate it carefully with its allies. The red line evolves. No doubt, the elimination of scope restrictions represents a rupture with narrative maintained by Western leaders since the beginning of the conflict, when they warned that allowing Ukraine to attack within Russia could be interpreted by Moscow as a direct involvement of NATO In war. However, the wear and tear of the diplomatic front, the repeated negative of Kremlin to participate in significant conversations and the growing brutality of Russian attacks have weakened those old red lines. For Merz and his allies, deterrence is no longer to limit the Ukrainian response, but to give Kyiv the ability to dissuade … Read more

Spain has declared the Airbnb war. So hotels have uploaded prices

May 26, 2025 by usatoday24

Last week the Ministry of Consumer claimed Airbnb that Block about 66,000 “illegal” ads of tourist apartments spread throughout Spain. The fight against Break of Tourist Floors In our country it continues to give many headaches, but blocking those ads points to a direct consequence already known and feared by tourists. New York is more exclusive. The city that never sleeps He planted face to short -term rentals offered by Airbnb, VRBO or Booking. The goal was to alleviate the abuses and exorbitant prices with which the New Yorkers dealt every time they had to look for residence. Eighteen months later the conclusions of the measures were worrisome and universal: the prices of the floors that were maintained in that catalog of services rose, and what people did when looking for rentals to live (not holidays) was New Jersey end. And the lesson of Barcelona. The city is the only one that has limited tourist floors since 2014. This would allow many of them to return to the traditional rental market and thus the average rental price would fall. As indicated in In the countrya PWC report demolishes those two myths after analyzing what has happened since 2014 to 2023 in that city: The accumulated growth of traditional rentals has been 2.2%, totally insufficient. Much of the homes that were rented via Airbnb have not returned “to the traditional market The rental price has fired 72% in that period More expensive hotels. And those who have benefited from the situation have been hotels. In 2024, the average price per room and night It was 187.8 euros In Barcelona, 8% more than in 2023 and 30% more than in 2019. Barcelona is already the third most expensive destination in its hotel offer in Spain only behind Marbella and the Balearic Islands, according to a study by Cushman & Wakefield’s consultant. 12,000 empty homes. The Apartur Association of Tourist Apartments in Barcelona indicates that there are 12,000 empty homes that do not go on the residential rental market. They do not according to them for two reasons: the price limitation, which reduces profitability, and the High Okupation. The solution would be to offer both legal certainty and tax incentives for owners. Otherwise, those responsible for the association say, the situation will continue to be equally problem or more. Madrid points to the same (worrying) destination. The housing problem goes beyond tourist floorsand although the intention of the Ministry of Consumer is good, it is not likely that these more than 65,000 homes will pass to the residential market to relieve the situation. A report From ESADEECPOL reveals how homemade prefer seasonal rentals (between 1 and 12 months) because it does not force signing five -year contracts or limiting prices as in some areas (Caraluña, the Basque CountryNavarra and Asturias). The other consequence: empty houses. Adolfo Meras is the president of Madrid, an association that represents 5,000 homemade housing housing. According to him, “there are many homemade who They leave their empty houses due to the lack of guarantees and because they are not willing to do without their homes during the five years that the Law of Urban Leases marks. “They prefer to have their empty houses to be able to dispose of them occasionally and if they need it, to rent them with the conditions imposed by the law currently. My apartment like bonus. The Mabrian firm has conducted a tourist offer monitoring study, and according to data cited in the country, the photo of the tourist rental is different from the one that We imagined. Tourist floors are not controlled by large funds: large holders (more than 11 homes) represent 2% of total hosts. Individuals (a home), 74.1% and small holders (two to 10), 23.9%. Three out of four hosts, therefore, “use their properties as a route to obtain additional income, while extending the ability to accommodate tourist accommodation in the destinations,” emphasizes Carlos Cendra, partner of Mabrian. Tourism punishment. The limits that have been imposed on Airbnb in the past in cities such as Barcelona or New York, and that gradually leave extending to other citiesthey are not relieving the housing problem because those tourist floors They do not become residential rentals. The direct consequence is the rise in prices in the existing tourist offer, both in Airbnb or Booking and in hotels, something that ends up being a problem for tourism. It can reduce it, which will placate the anger of those who criticize mass tourism, but it does not seem to be causing these cities to solve their housing problem. Image | Jorge Fernández Salas In Xataka | After expanding throughout the planet, touristification has reached Antarctica. And it is already taking its toll

It is a cold war relic

May 22, 2025 by usatoday24

In the month of March, the United States announced a strategic turn for Boeing’s military arm to Boomo and saucer: they gave him the device contract that must replace Washington in the highest drawer of military technologies. It was called F-47aspiring to replace the F-22 and overcome its scope. In other words: since then, if someone wanted to face the United States should have the new hunt among their thoughts. China does not have it so clear. What infuses them “fear” is more than 70 years old. Technological hierarchy. The result comes through an analysis prepared by researchers from the Early Alert Academy of the Air Force of the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) in Wuhan, where they have identified the strategic bomber B-52 Stratofortress (A relic of The cold war With more than 70 years of service) as the nuclear attack platform most threatening in the United Stateseven surpassing modern poachers like The F-35a and invisible bombers such as B-2 Spirit. The study, published in the magazine Modern Defense Technologywas based on simulations of a penetrating air operation against naval or land objectives in China, within the conceptual framework of an American air counterattack campaign (PCA). Against all forecast, the analysis concluded that the B-52H represents the greatest danger in the phases of deployment, penetration and attack. The key? Your ability to carry four nuclear bombs Tactics B61-12 already its constant modernizations in radar and electronic war. Obsolete only in appearance. There are more, of course, since the study highlights that B61-12 bombswith a power equivalent to 300 tons of TNT, they are designed mainly for deterrence, but could be used to neutralize critical nodes and access denial systems (A2/AD) In case of conflict. Despite its longevity, the B-52H stands out in front of more modern platforms for its load capacity, its operational scope and the robustness of its updated systems. Consequently, Chinese researchers conclude that, in a limited nuclear attack scenario, this veteran bomber would offer the greater “strategic value” For Washington. Moreover. The report even refers to a motion from the US Congress to restore the nuclear capacity of about 30 units of the B-52H, which reinforces its tactical relevance in the current context. B61 bombs on a portabombas Deterrence from the air. The EPL team was not limited to identifying threats: proposed concrete response measures, such as strengthening surveillance, interception and air defense capabilities along strategic routes. In addition, he stressed the need for INtensify military intelligence To discern if air attacks are conventional or nuclear, given the dual nature of many American platforms. In front of poachers such as the F-35A or bombers such as B-2, the researchers recommended the intensive use of Electronic War and Cyber attacks as tools to disturb your navigation and communications. A list of priority objectives was also established based on their relative threat, being the plane of Early alert E-3 Sentry considered key in conventional scenarios, while airplanes as the C-17 or the B-1b Strategic Bombarder They were classified as minor threats for their limited roles and outdated systems. Tactical precision. Finally, the work tells that he avoided predictive models Based on artificial intelligence. He did, as they explain, for the concerns about their opacity (“Black Box”), opting for methods based on games and human judgment assisted by objective data. The assessment of threats was developed from sensitive technical information on US and Chinese systems, although at this point the sources were not specified. For example, it is mentioned that furtive aircraft such as B-2 and F-22 have transverse radar sections of only 0.1 m², this means that, a priori, it would allow its detection by Chinese radars at 400 km. This technical precision is framed in the context of the rapid development Chinese of Hypersonic missiles Antiacereos, which could intercept white to more than 1,000 km away, and reflects a regional denial strategy that Beijing has expanded in sensitive areas Like Taiwan and the sea of South China. Nuclear and Taiwan. In fact, the report does not seem that it has been commissioned just becauseof course. In a recent essay, former Undersecretary of Defense of the United States, James Anderson, already He warned That any future crisis in Taiwan would probably imply nuclear threats (implicit or explicit) by China, despite its official “not first use.” Under that prism, and in this framework of growing tension and bilateral technological sophistication, the recognition of B-52 such as the more serious nuclear threat Not only redefines strategic perceptions about the military balance between great powers, but also underlines how, in the era of drones (Ukraine) and the Cybernetic wara colossus From the twentieth century it can continue, even today, the biggest carrier of the Apocalypse. Image | US Air Force, United States Department of Defense In Xataka | If the Russian nuclear doctrine needed a signal, Ukraine has just tightened the button: it’s called Storm Shadow and comes from the United Kingdom In Xataka | In the middle of the Cold War, France designed a nuclear rearme plan for Europe. Now sound strongly

The price war that is destroying the parcel

May 21, 2025 by usatoday24

The delivery of packages in the last mile has become a fierce battlefield in Spain. The competition to offer increasingly fast and economical shipments has unleashed a descending spiral of prices and margins that threatens the viability of the sector. The parcel operators compete eroding their margins in order to win or not lose customers. This price war has its origin in the rise of e-commerce and in the consumer’s expectation to receive their purchases fast and No extra cost. Why is it important. Great platforms such as Amazon, Temu or Shein have normalized free and ultra -grape delivery as standard, forcing the entire market to match this value proposition. Online stores now use shipments as a commercial weapon, especially in promotional periods, even if it implies delivering at zero cost. That is, they assume it as an operational expense or have an impact indirectly. It is another leg of its commercial strategy. In figures. The parcel sector managed 1,014.3 million shipments in 2023. Is A 15.4% increase compared to the previous year and 80% more than in 2019. However, income only grew by 7.2%, reaching 6,050 million euros. This means that the average income per package fell around 7% in a single year. The pressure of the giants. Behind this crisis are, to a large extent, Marketplaces global and their aggressive strategies. Amazon has built its own cast network in Spain (Amazon Logistics), relying on small collaborating and particular companies that distribute with their cars. This model has allowed you to offer ultra -grape distributions at low cost, but it has meant a small earthquake for the rest, which have seen how the one who was a client is now competition. The context. Next to Amazon new Asian actors such as Temu and Shein have broken, whose price policies are changing the market as Aliexpress already advanced. They offer free or very economical shipments despite the fact that their products travel from China thanks to subsidizing the cost thanks to logistics agreements and their enormous volume, in addition to benefiting from certain exemptions now in danger. At the same time, the operating costs are triggered: the fuel has come to rise more than 25% – although it has fluctuated a lot -, The minimum wage has grown by 32% between 2019 and 2024, and environmental regulations They demand investing in more ecological vehicles. And now what. The sector is in a dilemma: continue with unsustainable low prices or reinvent your model charging what the service really is worth it. Some operators have already announced Rate ups for 2024 (as DHL Express), while others seek solutions in consolidation by mergers. Recent experience shows that “delivering everything, to all, the next day and free” is not a lasting business model. The sector is verifying that no more volume means more benefit. In Xataka | Amazon breaks his roof in Spain: he already exceeds 8,000 million in income and manages to be profitable Outstanding image | Claudio Schwarz in Unspash

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