As Europe fights Russia’s hybrid war, a Spanish invention simplifies how to take down its drones in seconds

Europe attends a wave of drone raids that have violated its airspace, closed airports and exposed the fragility of its defenses. Faced with this hybrid and growing threat, the European Union study get up an “anti-drone wall”: a technological network of radars, sensors and neutralization systems designed to shield the continental sky against an invisible, cheap and increasingly closer enemy. In fact, Spain has several developments underway that it is about to test. The awakening of Spain. The advancement of drones in modern conflicts has completely transformed the nature of warand Spain is preparing to face it with an ambitious military modernization plan. The Armed Forces will celebrate from October 20 to 24 the Atlas 25 exercise in Huelva, the largest joint meeting of Land, Air and Navy for defense and attack with drones. There, Spanish observation, interception and electronic warfare systems will be tested, with the participation of the Defense Operations Command and INTA. It is not just a tactical maneuver: it is a awakening demonstration technology of the national industry, in which companies such as Indra, Arquimea, TRC and Escribano seek to position themselves at the core of European defense against an enemy that already dominates the sky with cheap and lethal swarms. Atlas 25: the great showcase. The exercise will serve as a testing ground for solutions ranging from offensive drones like the Q-Slam 40 of Archimeacapable of operating without GPS, to inhibition and defense systems developed by Indra and Escribano. But it will also be an industrial showcase in which Spain will show its capacity for technological integration and public-private cooperation. The war in Ukraine has shown that every platform is vulnerable to surveillance and air attack, and that survival depends on the speed with which new electronic warfare tools are developed. Following the recent incursions of Russian drones into European airspace, the need for this “anti-drone wall” has become a priority. The Atlas 25Therefore, it is not only a military exercise, but a political and strategic gesture that places Spain at the forefront of that continental response. Nexor Nexor full integration. The Army has chosen the Nexor systemdeveloped by TRC, as the cornerstone of its new electronic warfare strategy. We are talking about a new platform modular command and control which centralizes the information from all deployed sensors in a single interface. In recent maneuvers in Ciudad Real carried out by the 31st Electronic Warfare Regiment, Nexor (militarily named like Cerberus) has demonstrated its ability to detect, intercept and inhibit hostile drones or enemy communications, even in crowded electronic environments. He integrated system artificial intelligence and machine learning, and its open architecture allows the incorporation of new sensors or updates without redoing its structure. On a front where every second counts, Nexor promises to reduce the gap between detection and responseoffering the soldier a unified and simplified view of the environment to overthrow drones in fractions of a second. Nexor National product. In other words, with this system that is being tested, Spain takes a step towards technological sovereignty by processing and storing its own data, without depending on foreign codes or transferring sensitive information to allied or competing powers. The collaboration between TRC and the Army has led to a 100% national tool that reinforces the country’s strategic autonomy and anticipates the type of war in which so much waves like data They are as (or more) decisive than missiles. Strategic investment. The Ministry of Defense promotes a program of 646 million euros intended to reinforce the electronic warfare of the Army, awarded to Indra under the protection of article 346 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows certain contracts to be excluded from common regulations for reasons of national security. 60% of the investment will be allocated to light capabilities, with 16 mobile systems equipped with Vamtac vehicles and interoperable sensors. The forecast is that Indra will rely on specialized companies as CRTwhich has worked with the Army to adapt the solutions to their real needs. The objective seems clear: to create a Spanish, scalable and sovereign system, which combines industrial experience with the technological agility that the battlefield demands today. Spain and the new border. There is no doubt, the lessons from ukraine have exposed both the vulnerability of armies against drones and the urgency to adapt to a war where control of the spectrum is as important as that of the land or the air. Atlas 25 comes at a time when Europe is seeking shield your skies in the face of the Russian hybrid threat and in which Spain emerges as a unexpectedly prepared actor. If you also want, the national industry has gone from being a secondary supplier to becoming a tactical innovation laboratorywhere the integration between technology, intelligence and digital sovereignty set the course. If the future of warfare is a fight between algorithms, sensors and autonomous machines, the nation seems willing to not to be left behind. And Atlas 25 will ultimately be the litmus test of that commitment. Image | CRT In Xataka | Europe has found the antidote to Russian drones. So demand for a 100-year-old gun has skyrocketed In Xataka | Europe has decided to take action against Moscow’s hybrid war. So Germany has started hunting for Russian drones

iPhone from 289 euros at PcComponentes Replay, a reconditioned section with a two-year warranty

Many stores, in addition to selling their own products or those of other brands, have their own reconditioned section. We see it in The English Courtin amazon (along with second-hand products) and even also in PcComponentes through PcComponents Replay. In this section there are quite a few refurbished mobile phones with certification from the store itself to give them a second lifeand with two years warranty. There is plenty to choose from, but if you are looking for a iPhone for daily use or to have it as a second mobile phone, in this article we are going to review the five best deals on Apple phones. iPhone 14 Pro Max by 669 eurosa good mobile that still has a few years of software updates left. iPhone 14 Pro by 619 eurosbasically the same mobile as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but with a smaller format. iPhone 13 Pro by 469 eurosa very good purchase option both for its price and for what it continues to offer today. iPhone 13 by 339 eurosa more affordable option that also has a few years of software updates left. iPhone 12 by 289 eurosthe ideal Apple mobile for those looking for the best price. iPhone 14 Pro Max He iPhone 14 Pro Max It is one of the best mobile phones, and one of the most current, in the Replay section of PcComponentes. Its price is 669 euros and your operating system will be updated until 2029. It is ideal for those looking for a good balance between price, large size (6.7 inches) and good performance. Its chip is the A16 Bionic, it has IP68 certification With resistance to water and dust, it offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz (ProMotion) and on the back we find a camera module made up of a 48 MP main sensor, a 12 MP ultra-wide angle sensor and a 12 MP telephoto lens. iPhone 14 Pro Max (128GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links iPhone 14 Pro If what you are looking for is an older mobile, but in a small format, the iPhone 14 Pro It also has a good price in the refurbished section of the store. By 619 euroswe are talking about an iPhone that It will also be updated until 2029 and that it has slight differences with respect to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the most obvious being its size, which in this case is 6.1 inches and, in addition, it offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz (ProMotion). The price could vary. We earn commission from these links iPhone 13 Pro Its previous generation was, without a doubt, the one that managed to position itself as the best in terms of quality-price ratio, and that is because we were able to see very good prices and, in many cases, similar features to the iPhone 14 generation. iPhone 13 Pro Right now it is on PcComponentes Replay by 469 euros and will be updated until 2028. It comes with a 6.1-inch screen that offers a 120 Hz refresh rate (ProMotion) and incorporates Apple’s A15 Bionic chip. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links iPhone 13 The younger brother was, by far, the Apple mobile that had the best quality-price ratio in the iPhone 13 generation, and it was largely due to having the same chip as the iPhone 14. He iPhone 13 It is found in PcComponentes Replay by 339 euros and also will be updated until 2028. Among its most notable aspects, it has a compact size of 6.1 inches, its chip is the A15 Bionic, its speakers are compatible with Dolby Atmos and it is IP68 certified. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links iPhone 12 If you look for the most economical possible within the Replay section of PcComponentes, the winner is the iPhone 12whose price is 289 euros. The Apple mobile will be updated until 2027comes with a 6.1-inch screen and has wireless charging via MagSafe. In addition, its speakers are compatible with Dolby Atmos and are IP68 certified. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | PcComponentes and Compradicción (header), Apple In Xataka | Best iPhones. Which one to buy in 2025 and recommended models based on budget, tastes and quality-price In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2025), we have tested them and here are their analyzes

Half a year after the blackout, Red Eléctrica still has problems stabilizing the voltage. And there is a geographical reason

Just six months ago, Spain was left in the dark. The “electric zero” of April 28, 2025 was the most serious warning of a system that he believed himself invulnerable. Since then, Red Eléctrica (REE) operates in “reinforced mode”with dozens of gas plants turned on every day to prevent tension from skyrocketing. But, half a year later, the problem is still there: the Spanish grid is faltering not because of a lack of energy, but because the gas is in the north and the sun is in the south. How are the measurements now? At the beginning of October, the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) approved, at the request of REE, an emergency resolution to introduce exceptional measures “in the event of sudden voltage variations” detected in the system. The document details changes to several operating procedures that affect the way the electrical grid is programmed and regulated. In practice, the rules of the game were tightened for everyone: from solar producers to gas plants. Among the most significant measures is the obligation for renewable plants to carry out their power transitions in a minimum of 15 minutes, when before they did so in two. The intention, have explained from REEis to avoid sudden changes that could destabilize the system and give the thermal power plants time to react. As explained in Cinco Díasthis instruction allows gas plants to “absorb” excess renewable energy without causing power surges. But for many expertsthe underlying diagnosis is different: the problem is not speed, but geography. Two electric Spains. The country is experiencing a geographic imbalance that we already saw it coming. On the one hand, the north and the Mediterranean coast concentrate the majority of thermal power plants and combined cycle plants – the only ones capable of providing the so-called “rotating mass”, that is, inertia and reactive power that stabilize the network. On the other hand, the south of the peninsula—Andalusia, Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha—has been filled with solar plants and domestic self-consumption, technologies based on power electronics that do not generate natural inertia. “During peak radiation hours, the south produces more electricity than it consumes, the lines are discharged and the grid becomes extremely sensitive,” explains in his column Joaquín Coronado, president of Build to Zero. Under these conditions, starting a thermal power plant in Asturias to stabilize a voltage problem in Seville is as useless as trying to put out a fire in Andalusia with water pumped from Galicia. The tension starts from the local. The error of approach is in confusing frequency with tension. The electrical frequency is a global magnitude: it is the same throughout the synchronous network. But the voltage is a local variable, which depends on the reactive power flows in each area. Coronado sums it up clearly: reactive power “does not travel well.” On 400 kV lines, its radius of action is 30 to 80 km. In 220 kV networks, from 15 to 40 km. And at 132 kV or lower, just 5 to 20 km. This means that a turbine in the north cannot stabilize the voltage in the south, no matter how much power it has. The CNMC, in its resolutionrecognizes precisely that “rapid voltage variations” appear in periods of low demand and high solar production, aggravated by the growth of self-consumption that “reduces the observability of the system” and leaves the operator without control over thousands of small installations. In summary and how we have explained in Xataka: we have more sun than cables. This shows in the pocket. REE’s response has been to maintain lit every day between 20 and 30 combined cycles to ensure stability. This “reinforced operation” has cost more than 1 billion additional euros since April and could add 3 billion more with the new measures. Adjustment services – energy that is paid outside the daily market to keep the network stable – have gone from 240 million in 2019 to 4 billion in 2025, according to Cinco Días. The result is paradoxical: Spain has one of the lowest wholesale prices in Europe, but one of the highest electricity bills. Ember’s report explains why: the market price only covers half of the bill; The other half are fixed network costs, tolls, taxes and system stability, which do not go down even if energy is cheap. Slowing down is not stabilizing. The decisions adopted by REE and temporarily endorsed by the CNMC are “a defensive strategy” for Coronado. Furthermore, he points out that instead of providing the system with rapid response capacity, it is chosen to slow it down to give time to the thermals. The result is maintaining “a 21st century system operated with a 20th century mentality.” Slowing down the renewable ramps does not provide voltage control where it is needed, because the problem occurs in seconds and in specific places, not in the 15 minutes that these ramps last. The measures, therefore, gain time, but they do not gain effectiveness: they mitigate the frequency, not the tension. Is there any future perspective? The solution is to bring the control capacity closer to where the energy is produced. In fact, we have already discussed in Xataka some of those possible solutions that agree with what Joaquín Coronado says. Grid-forming inverters in solar and wind plants, able to behave as synchronous generators and stabilize the network in milliseconds. Batteries strategically distributed in the southern nodes, which provide instantaneous active and reactive power. Devices FACTS and synchronous compensators in critical substations (Guillena, Mérida, Puertollano…) to dampen local voltage changes. Flexible demand from large industries to modulate consumption in real time. And predictive algorithms based on artificial intelligence that anticipate local instabilities. Some of these solutions are already underway. Spain prepare the installation of eight synchronous compensators and 2,600 MW of batteries, with 340 MW already approved. These devices could save 200 million euros annually by reducing the use of gas for network services. A model that is exhausted. Beyond the technique, there is a structural dilemma: how … Read more

The first law that regulates ‘AI friends’ is here

The debate about the effects of AI on mental health is beginning to transform into tangible measures. OpenAI announced on ChatGPT parental controls after the lawsuit for the suicide of a teenager and now we have the first law that regulates the so-called friends or AI companions popularized by apps like Replika either Character.AI. What has happened? California Governor Gavin Newsom has just signed the first law to control AI companions, as reported in TechCrunch. “We can continue to lead the field of artificial intelligence and technology, but we must do so responsibly, protecting our children every step of the way. The safety of our children is not for sale,” the governor said in a statement. Why is it important. There is other proposals on the table in the United States, but California is the first state to make the issue of AI companions a law. The risks of using these types of chatbots, especially among teenagers, are no longer expert warningsnow there will be legal consequences. Companies that do not comply with the rules could face fines of up to $250,000. What is an AI companion. They are chatbots that seek to replicate a human connection and can offer everything from emotional support to intimate relationships. By design, they are the most sensitive form of AI in terms of potential mental health effects. The most popular apps are Replika and Character.AI, but also There are those who establish these types of connections with “normal” AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude. There are even companies that They “resurrect” a loved one with the use of AI to help cope with grief (although experts believe it is achieve just the opposite). What the law says. It will come into force on January 1, 2026 and is designed especially to protect younger users. Between the measures included There is an obligation for companies to integrate age verification systems. In addition, they must display warnings that make it clear to users that the interactions are generated by AI, as well as integrate suicide or self-harm detection protocols. Other measures. As we said at the beginning, the lawsuit from the parents of the teenager who discussed his suicide plans with ChatGPT sparked a crisis at OpenAI, which soon announced new safeguards for ChatGPT such as parental controls. AI companion apps are also bringing this topic into their discourse. Character AI already has parenting tools and Replika assured TechCrunch that they dedicate a lot of resources to filtering content and directing users in complicated situations to help lines. In Xataka | Humans are falling in love with AIs and they are not isolated cases: they already number in the thousands

Bernard Arnault follows in his footsteps

Amancio Ortega, founder of the Inditex empire, is known worldwide for his success in fashion, but perhaps he has gone a little more unnoticed with his second empire based on brick: Pontegadea. In a similar vein, Bernard Arnault, founding architect of the LVMH luxury fashion holding companyhas also been diversifying his fortune by adding mansions, mansions, hotels and vineyards to his assets, consolidating a second real estate empire. Diversifying in brick is also luxury. Bernard Arnault ousted Elon Musk as the world’s richest person for much of 2023 and from February to the end of May 2024, at which point weak sales at Louis Vuitton made that his fortune suffered. According to ForbesArnault is currently the seventh greatest fortune with assets estimated at 160.3 billion dollars. This drop from first place is partly due to the decline in LVMH’s profits, with a 2% decline in turnover in the first quarter of 2025 and a 17.3% drop in net profits in 2024. The loss of assets has prompted Arnault to intensify the diversification of your wealthespecially in the real estate sector. Although his real estate investment is significant, it does not reach the scale of Amancio Ortega, who has positioned Pontegadea as the largest real estate agency in Spain and one of the mmost promising in Europe. Mansions and mansions: luxury jewels in exclusive locations. As and how they count in PurePeopleamong Arnault’s latest acquisitions is his villa in Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez, an exclusive enclave on the French Riviera. Bernard Arnault paid about 40 million euros for a 400m2 area with private access to the beach and shares a neighborhood with other great French fortunes. It also has the historic castle Casa degli Atellani in Milana restored 15th century building that has the peculiarity of having been the former residence of Leonardo da Vinci while the artist was under the protection of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. In addition, Arnault has several mansions and palaces around Paris. The last of them has been a 2,000 square meter property owned by film producer and businessman Jérôme Seydoux in the central 7th arrondissement of Paris for almost 100 million euros. Strategic investment in wine. The wine business is one of the main pillars of LVMH, which is why Arnault has made important acquisitions in recent years to strengthen his empire with vineyards and wineries that produce high-end wines. At the end of 2024, with his fortune in marked decline, the millionaire bought 1.3 hectares of vineyards in the Poisot domain, in Aloxe-Corton (Burgundy) for 15.5 million euros. In 2023, the luxury magnate took over Château Minuty, a true Saint-Tropez institution. The same year, bought Château d’Esclans in La Motte and the 55 hectares of the neighboring Domaine du Jas d’Esclans, thus completing an operation that made Bernard Arnault one of the largest landowners in that wine-growing area of ​​eastern France. luxury hotels. Arnault did not limit himself to investing in mansions or vineyards, he has also invested heavily in the luxury hospitality business. In July 2025, through his company Agache, the millionaire acquired the legendary five-star hotel Cap Estel in Èze on the Côte d’Azur for 200 million euros. This hotel was the usual holiday retreat for celebrities such as Greta Garbo, The Beatles and members of the Irish band U2 when they visited the area. As and how he published Financial Timesvery close by, in Saint-Tropez, the millionaire had already bought the Château Cheval Blanc vineyard, and converted the main building into an imposing luxury hotel with 72 rooms at a rate of 1,150 euros per night. In the same town, Arnault is also the owner of the White 1921, an iconic boutique hotel on the Place des Lices where each suite costs about 650 euros. Nearby Cannes is not far behind. There the magnate owns the Villa Bagatelle, a 3,000 m2 building that the millionaire bought in 2024 for 46.5 million euros, and which now serves as a setting for parties, exhibitions and presentations by houses such as Dior, Louis Vuitton or Moët & Chandon, especially during the Cannes Festival. Everything stays at home. In Xataka | Bernard Arnault, the richest man in the world, is already planning his “Succession”: who are his heirs and what positions they occupy Image | Flickr (UNESCO Headquarters Paris)

Lockheed Martin has had an idea to make the Black Hawk a more lethal weapon. He removed the cabin and made it autonomous

During the annual fair of the Association of the United States Army, The Black Hawk reappeared unrecognizable. The helicopter that has accumulated decades of service lost its cabin and controls to gain a bow that opens into two doors and makes way for an expanded hold. The new name is U-Hawk and the conversion is carried out by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company. Within ten months, a UH-60L became an unmanned prototype with autonomy architecture, presented for the first time in public at AUSA. The U-Hawk was officially shown on October 13, converted from a former UH-60L of the US Army. According to Lockheed Martinthe project went from concept to demonstrator in that period and is in the validation phase before its first flight, scheduled for 2026. For now, the development has been financed internally by Sikorsky and is supported by the company’s previous experience in flight automation. From Black Hawk to U-Hawk: the old helicopter that is reborn without a cabin The most visible change is in the bow. Where controls and instrumentation were once concentrated, there are now two type gates clamshell that open to the sides and a motorized ramp that allows loading and unloading even with the rotors running. Integrate a system fly-by-wire third generation together with MATRIX, Sikorsky’s autonomy technology that coordinates sensors, cameras and algorithms to manage flight without human intervention. The redesign provides 25% more useful space compared to a conventional UH-60L. The extension of the front fuselage not only frees up space, it also multiplies cargo options. The U-Hawk can carry up to 3,175 kilos inside and lift another 4,080 kilos using the external hook, just like a conventional Black Hawk, but with more room for bulky objects. The warehouse supports four standard JMIC containers, twice as many as before, or a full pod of six HIMARS rockets. It can also accommodate two Naval Strike Missiles anti-ship missiles and an unmanned ground vehicle that enters and exits via its own ramp. One of the most striking new features is the internal launch system that Sikorsky calls quiver. This module, installed in the warehouse, can house between 24 and 50 drones or loitering munitionsready to be deployed in mid-flight. Each payload can be configured for surveillance, reconnaissance or electronic warfare tasks, and the system supports mixed combinations depending on the mission. The company maintains that this design will allow the U-Hawk to act autonomously before the arrival of troops, clearing or analyzing the terrain with its own means. Autonomy is one of the strong points of the U-Hawk. According to Lockheed Martin, it can cover up to 1,600 nautical miles without assistance, about 2,960 kilometers, and stay in flight for up to 14 hours without refueling. The company indicates that it can carry internal tanks to extend the range or time on station, but has not specified whether they are necessary to achieve these maximum figures. In any case, the operating margin presented by these data is unusual for a helicopter of this class. Sikorsky describes the U-Hawk as a forward reinforcement of the air assault. In a typical mission, the helicopter would take off before the troops and release several launched effects for reconnaissance or attack. It would then land, deploy an unmanned ground vehicle and rise again without human intervention. This sequence seeks to reduce the exposure of soldiers and open a path in hostile areas, with an approach that also contemplates non-military uses such as support in fires or natural disasters. Sikorsky wants to make operating a U-Hawk as simple as using an app. Operators enter mission objectives from a tablet, and MATRIX software calculates the route, controls takeoff, and manages the flight autonomously. The level of intervention can be modified depending on the circumstances, from closer remote monitoring to minimal supervision. Additionally, the system recognizes whether it is in civil or military space and adjusts its behavior. The U-Hawk was also born as a commitment to efficiency. Sikorsky is taking advantage UH-60L fuselages retired of the US Army, which it replaces flight systems and electronics with its own simpler and lower cost versions. The company claims that this vertical integration, by manufacturing its own management computers and actuators, reduces the total cost of the system and facilitates its maintenance. Being based on the H-60 ​​family, it also inherits a fairly consolidated supply chain. If the schedule is met, the first flight of the U-Hawk will take place in 2026. It will be the decisive step to check whether full autonomy can be integrated into the H-60 ​​fleet, a model that the US Army plans to keep operational until at least 2070. The idea of ​​converting a classic helicopter into an unmanned platform points to a future in which machines with and without pilots coexist. Whether this vision is translated into a new generation of aircraft will depend on how this first prototype works. Images | Lockheed Martin In Xataka | A new army has arrived to put order in the Arctic: an F-35 squadron that does not belong to China, Russia or the United States

It is already the most delivered aircraft in history

If you’ve ever taken a short or medium-haul flight in Europe, there’s a good chance you’ve traveled on an Airbus A320 or a Boeing 737. They are the two most common models in the continent’s airports, silent protagonists of millions of takeoffs each year. They have been operated by airlines of all types, from large national companies to the low cost companies that dominate the European market. Entire generations of passengers have flown on them, without knowing that they were part of a rivalry that has been in the air for almost four decades. For years, the A320 and 737 have been the heart of global air traffic. Their versatility made them the natural choice for airlines looking for a cost-effective aircraft capable of operating on both regional and medium-haul routes. In Europe, this combination of efficiency and size made them protagonists of the expansion of low cost and the growth of tourism. Their rivalry not only drove technical innovation, it also defined the economic balances between Boeing and Airbus on both sides of the Atlantic. A milestone that does not go unnoticed in Europe On October 7, Airbus reached a historic turning point. According to data from the British firm Cirium cited by Reutersthe European manufacturer surpassed Boeing in accumulated deliveries: 12,260 units of the A320 family since its entry into service in 1988. The record was materialized with the delivery of an A320neo to the Saudi airline Flynas, which became the 12,260th aircraft in the series. With this milestone, Airbus snatches from Boeing the title of most delivered aircraft in history, a recognition that the 737 had maintained for more than half a century. When we talk about “deliveries” in the aviation industry, we are not talking about orders or manufactured aircraft, but rather aircraft that have been completed, certified and officially transferred to an airline. It is the most tangible indicator of a manufacturer’s real activity, and also the one used by analysts like Cirium to establish comparisons. Airbus and Boeing have not publicly commented on the data, but industry sources agree that the count reflects a sustained trend: the A320 has been delivered at a higher rate than the 737 for years. The A320 was born with an idea that changed the game: carry the fly-by-wire to the single aisle plane. Launched in 1984 and operational since 1988, it consolidated a family with high communality that allowed training pilots and maintaining fleets with lower costs. Boeing, which had the historical lead with the 737, reacted after a contract from United Airlines in 1992 and evolved its range with the 737NG. Since then, the competition focused on who offered the most efficiency and flexibility to the airlines, rather than in visible advances for the passenger. The dominance of the 737 suffered after the MAX model accidents in 2018 and 2019which left more than 300 victims and forced production and service to be temporarily paralyzed. Those accidents triggered a reputational crisis that took Boeing years to stabilize. The company, now under the direction of Kelly Ortberg, is trying to regain the industrial pulse, but the halt in deliveries and regulatory reviews marked a before and after in its ability to compete against the sustained pace of Airbus. The dominance of the 737 suffered after the accidents of the MAX model in 2018 and 2019 Airbus is going through one of the busiest times in its history. With assembly lines in Toulouse, Hamburg, Mobile (USA) and Tianjin (China), the European manufacturer has progressively increased its capacity to respond to a demand of more than 7,000 earrings, according to Airbus. Its strategy is to increase the production rate up to 75 aircraft per month in the coming years. Boeing, still weighed down by delays and revisions to the MAX, maintains a lower flow, which consolidates Airbus’ industrial advantage in the most profitable segment of the market. Beyond the symbolic data, the leadership of the A320 has a direct translation into the European economy. Airbus coordinates a chain that distributes the workload between assembly lines in France and Germany and aerostructures and systems centers in Spain and the United Kingdom. In Spainspecialization in compounds, stabilizers and fuselage sections has consolidated a network of SMEs and large suppliers that export technology. Each increase in cadence implies more shifts, new certifications and medium-term contracts, a dynamic that supports qualified employment and knowledge transfer. At Boeing, the focus is on stabilizing the present before thinking about a successor for the 737. The company has accumulated considerable debt after years of crisis and faces technical limitations derived from current engines, which already operate close to their maximum efficiency. The managers have admitted that there will be no new development until there are clear advances in propulsion and materials. Meanwhile, the priority is to recover the pace of deliveries, reinforce manufacturing quality and maintain the confidence of the airlines. The pressure does not come only from the United States and Europe. China appears with COMAC and its C919 as a domestic alternative that aspires to gain traction outside its natural market, while Embraer debates whether to make the leap from regional jets to a larger capacity aircraft. None of this changes the board tomorrow, but it does mark a horizon in which Airbus and Boeing would no longer be alone in the single aisle. The A320 record does not mean that Airbus has definitively defeated Boeing, but rather that it has managed to prevail in a specific indicator: deliveries. The competition is still alive and the single aisle market It still has a lot of room for growth, especially in Asia. For the passenger, nothing will probably change in the short term: they will continue to board an A320 or a 737 depending on the airline. But behind each banknote there is an industrial story that explains how Europe has managed to balance the sky against its historic American rival. Images | Jan Rosolino | David Syphers In Xataka | The Comac C919 symbolizes China’s … Read more

Libya has decided that the full weight of Islamic law must fall on one thing in particular: crows

At 900 meters above sea level, the Green Mountain is actually a fertile plateau of lush forests in northern Libya. It is by far the wettest place in the country: one of the jewels of North Africa’s biodiversity. one that a religious ‘fatwa’ is about to load. A ‘fatwa’? Not only that: a ‘fatwa’ (that is, an Islamic legal opinion issued by a qualified jurist) whose content is almost entirely dedicated to crows. They told it in El PaísAhmad al Dalansi, of the Investment Authority of the National Salvation Government, made it clear “there is no religious objection to killing them.” In his view, “the prophetic tradition that classifies them as harmful (fawasiq) and dictates that they can therefore be eliminated “just like rats and snakes.” But why would anyone want to kill crows? That is to say, it is one thing that it is not prohibited to kill them and quite another that people are willing to do so. However, the matter is more complicated than it seems: because the truth is that crows are becoming a real problem. What is a crow like you doing in a place like this? Let’s start at the beginning: the crows (Corvus ruficollis) are not new to the Green Mountain area. However, in recent years the corvid population has not stopped growing and this seems to be causing problems in other animal populations. Especially in land turtles and a native type of short-toed eagle. This, although it may not seem like it, is part of the problem. Because, unlike other animals, crows do not attack crops. However, they are “very intelligent creatures, who do not fear humans and are capable of adapting to various environments.” The growth of its population, like a chess game, is what is pushing an ecological imbalance that triggers (in turn) rodents and snakes. Hence the consultation and the fatwa. It makes sense, right? If crows are a problem, the most direct question is whether they can be eliminated. AND the Al Dalansi edict maintains that culling them is not only Islamically acceptable, but that “preventing harm is a more important priority” than maintaining current populations. The problem is that, upon seeing it, the Libyan Heritage and Wildlife Authority came out to report that such an eradication would be disastrous. Not only because crows also have a very important role in regulating the ecosystem; but, above all, because the problem is not the crows. What is the problem? The problem is the garbage. In recent years, as explained by journalist AMR Fathallah“the crow population (…) has multiplied spectacularly in Shahat, (due to) poor waste management.” Shahat is in the heart of the mountain. The lack of urban planning has caused housing to get out of control and that has caused “secondary landfills to proliferate in the forests, valleys and even roads of Shahat.” And there the crows feel at home. And, of course, killing the crows won’t end the problem. Fathallah himself explains that the last time an attempt was made to eliminate the crow population, it was followed by a history-making infestation of ticks. It is reminiscent of the mass killing of Chinese sparrows that caused a famine that killed millions of people. Ecology is too complex to be solved with fatwas (or pseudoscientific theories). The central issue in all of this is that these are not isolated cases. As climate change accelerates, “magic” responses are becoming increasingly popular. The problem, as we see, is that this has consequences. Image | Sasha Matic | Aldin Nasrun On Magnet | 400 years ago, Chinese women invented a language to speak only among themselves. Today it is resurfacing

The popular hair drug hides a big problem behind depression

Finasteride has long been a popular solution for the treatment of androgenic baldnesswhich has long been a very popular solution to stop hair loss. However, behind its apparent cosmetic success hides an alarming reality that has taken more than twenty years to receive greater attention: a significant association with depressionanxiety and suicide. The analysis. Published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry by Professor Mayer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, systematically reviews the accumulated evidence and exposes what he describes as “a systemic failure of pharmacovigilance.” The study concludes that both the drug’s manufacturer, Merck, and regulatory bodies, such as the US FDA, failed to take relevant action despite growing danger signals about serious health problems. The evidence. Although concerns about depression associated with finasteride arose as early as 2002, it was not until the last decade that the evidence became overwhelming following studies done after the product was marketed. Brezis’ analysis is based on eight large independent studies published between 2017 and 2023, which used two main methods: disproportionality analysis in adverse event reporting systems and analysis of massive health registry databases. The results. The study carried out in countries such as Sweden, Canada and Israel points to very consistent results: the use of finasteride is associated with a significantly higher risk of developing depression, anxiety and suicidal behavior. All of this with a good statistical significance that shows that it is not due to chance. The human cost of this two-decade delay is devastating. The report estimates that, globally, “hundreds of thousands of people may have suffered from depression, and hundreds, or even thousands, may have died by suicide.” The data. One of the main reasons why it took so long to react was the massive under-reporting of cases. In 2010, the FDA was already discussing internally the possibility of including depression as a side effect, but noted that reported suicides were lower than expected in such a large user population. Brezis’ analysis puts figures on this discrepancy: For 2011, with a base of 4.6 million users worldwide, between 6,440 and 12,880 suicides were expected over a period of 10 to 20 years. However, only 18 cases had been reported to the FDA system (FAERS). By 2024, reported suicides amounted to 320, compared to the 19,320 that would be expected over a 30-year period. FDA inaction. The report is especially critical of the manufacturer and the regulator. Despite suspicions, none of the eight studies analyzed were conducted by Merck or requested by the FDA. This is striking, since Merck itself had validated in 2006 the usefulness of the pharmacovigilance tools used in these investigations, concluding that they had “sufficient sensitivity and specificity.” For its part, the FDA was disconcertingly slow. In 2011 it recognized depression as an adverse effect and in 2022 it added suicidal ideation, but not as a formal warning on the label. It took the agency five years to respond to a citizen petition requesting the drug be removed from the market. Internal FDA documents from 2010 show entire sections redacted as “confidential,” hiding key data about the drug’s safety. The case in Europe. In addition to the report issued by the FDA, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has also launched an alert following its research on this same medication and suicidal tendencies. This is something that the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) has collected on its website, pointing out that from now on the packages of finasteride 1 mg will include a patient information card with the aim of reinforcing these warnings. In France they wanted be much more critical with the recommendations made by the EMA to confront this serious problem. Specifically, they have pointed out that the introduction of this alert card or the dissemination of a letter to professionals is not enough. Especially considering that the latest recommendations made by the regulator have not reduced the incidence of suicidal ideation in treated patients. Because. The relationship between finasteride and mood disorders is not a simple correlation, but has a plausible biological basis. The drug inhibits the enzyme 5α-reductase, reducing the conversion of testosterone. This process also decreases the synthesis of brain neurosteroids, such as allopregnanolone, which are crucial for mood regulation. For some users, the effects do not go away when they stop treatment. The so-called “post-finasteride syndrome” describes severe neuropsychiatric symptoms that persist for months or years after stopping the drug. Call to action. Brezis emphasizes that, as it is a medicine for a cosmetic indication, the balance between benefit and risk is radically different. “It wasn’t about a life-or-death medical need. It was about the hair,” he emphasizes. Images | Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 In Xataka | A natural, safe and already approved sweetener for consumption: the new and unexpected solution against baldness

SpaceX has said goodbye to Starship v2 with an unprecedented maneuver

The largest rocket in the world has once again taken to the skies, and it has done so to say goodbye. He Starship’s eleventh test flight It has been the finishing touch to a season with lights and shadows. SpaceX has exhausted the Starship V2 prototypes and has used for the last time the launch pad from which the 11 flights have taken off. One last trick to say goodbye to the Super Heavy we know Once again, the 33 Raptor engines of the Super Heavy booster started without problems to launch the Starship into space. For the second time, the prototype on the platform was the Super Heavy Booster 15, which had already taken off and landed successfully on flight 8. The first big news about Flight 11 arrived after the separation of stages. The booster tested a new engine ignition sequence to stop when returning from space, the same one that the Super Heavy V3 will use. First he turned on 12 engines to brake suddenly (there had to be 13, but one took a while to start). He then turned off all but five to fine-tune his trajectory. Previously, the Super Heavy fired three engines instead of five during this braking phase. As SpaceX propulsion engineer Jake Berkowitz explained, during the flight broadcastusing five motors “adds an additional layer of redundancy for spontaneous motor shutdowns.” But what was noticed was not the redundancy, but the additional smoothness in the maneuver. SpaceX did not intend to recover Booster 15 with the tower’s arms, but rather to virtually rehearse the maneuver over the Gulf of Mexico. The rehearsal went smoothly, but the SpaceX broadcast from the point of view of the rocket did not do justice to the precision of the maneuver. Fortunately, NASASpaceflight cameras captured the moment from shore. With the NASASpaceflight video We witness the last seconds in flight of the Super Heavy V2. And to the last trick that SpaceX has pulled out of its hat. The imposing 70-meter-high steel cylinder, equivalent to a 24-story building, seems to stop time over the ocean. The braking is so smooth and vertical that it gives the sensation of standing still, magically floating dozens of meters above the water. Then it plummets and self-detonates. The deployment of satellites with Starship is already looking much better As for the ship, it completed one of its most roundabout flights in a long time. After finishing his eight minute climbturned off its six engines and began a suborbital trajectory toward the Indian Ocean. He later opened a slot in his cargo bay and slowly deployed but this time gentlyeight Starlink satellite simulators. Starship 38 has shown that SpaceX is very close to being able to deploy cargo with its mega rocket. Starting in spring (in the time of Elon Musk), Starship will begin launching new generation Starlink satellites, much larger than the current ones and with the capacity to offer gigabit bandwidth to customers. Another critical maneuver that they already have under control is deorbiting. For the third time in its history, Starship restarted a Raptor engine in the vacuum of space, which in the future will allow it to return from space to land or make orbital corrections on missions to the Moon and Mars. The final phase of the mission was, perhaps, the most risky. SpaceX had purposely removed even more tile patches from the heat shield with the goal of increasing stress on the vehicle and collecting data on its tolerance limits for the extreme heat of reentry. Despite the mistreatment, the ship survived the inferno surrounded by plasma while the cameras on board once again gave us spectacular views. Just before the end, the ship executed another novel maneuver: a “dynamic turn” to simulate the trajectory that future Starships will take to align with the tower at Starbase. Like the booster, the ship will attempt to be trapped by the mechanical arms of one of the two launch towers. Finally, 66 minutes into the flight, Ship 38 made its iconic turn prior to splashdown, started its engines for a final braking and fell into the water in one piece. Of course, several tiles of the heat shield fell off along the way. The end of an era and a presumed wait for the next Starship In addition to being successful, Flight 11 has been a turning point for several reasons. First, it closes the chapter on Block 2 vehicles, a generation that has had a turbulent history with the failures of Flights 7, 8 and 9 (as well as a large explosion on the ground), but which redeemed itself with the successes of Flights 10 and 11. On the other hand, it is the last mission from Platform 1 in its current configuration. This ramp, which suffered catastrophic damage on the first flight and was rebuilt with a massive flame deflector that shoots water jets, will be completely renovated to accommodate the third generation rockets. However, the next launches will be made from Platform 2, which is about to go live. With V2 retired, attention now turns to V3, the version that will be the first to reach Earth orbit and begin deploying next-generation Starlink satellites. Despite the advanced status of both the V3 prototypes and the second tower, Starship is not expected to fly again for a few months. This new iteration and its engines still have tests to complete before taking flight. Starship 3 will be more powerful, taller (about 124 meters, adding the two stages) and will be better finished. The Super Heavy will have the integrated hot separation ring and a new design in the aerodynamic grilles, which become three. It will debut Raptor 3 engines and fuel lines so large they resemble a Falcon 9. The Starship will include adapters that will allow it to transfer fuel in orbit (an essential maneuver for lunar missions). Although no one is confident that NASA’s Artemis 3 lunar landing mission can occur in 2027, the … Read more

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