Month: November 2025

A new and “extraordinary” 3I/ATLAS anomaly keeps controversy alive as the comet approaches Earth

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Avi Loeb is back at it. While NASA deploys an unprecedented fleet of cameras and telescopes to observe the third interstellar visitor in history, the Harvard physicist points out an orbital coincidence with Jupiter so precise that, in the absence of explanation, it defies chance. A little context. The solar system has a new guest object and, as it happened with its only two known predecessors‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, has not arrived without controversy. The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, discovered in July 2025, is on track to make its closest approach to Earth. For NASA, it is a golden opportunity to study the chemistry of another solar system. For the controversial astrophysicist Avi Loeb, director of the Galileo Project, the orbital data has just revealed an “extraordinary anomaly” that, for the umpteenth timehas been associated with a possible artificial origin. A chance of 1 in 26,000. According to the latest trajectory data from NASA’s JPL, 3I/ATLAS will pass the closest point of its trajectory to Jupiter on March 16, 2026. But what’s surprising is not the approach itself, Loeb says, but the exact distance at which it will occur. If a mother ship wanted to “seed devices” on Jupiter or take advantage of its Lagrangian points to park with a minimum expenditure of fuel, it would have to arrive right at the edge of the so-called Hill Radius, which delimits the sphere of gravitational influence of the gas giant. By the date of the encounter, Jupiter’s Hill Radius will be 53.502 million kilometers. The fact that has raised Loeb’s eyebrows? The minimum approach distance of 3I/ATLAS is 53.445 million kilometers. According to the cosmologistthe probability of an interstellar rock randomly passing with this precision by the edge of Jupiter’s Hill Radius is about 1 in 26,000. Engines or degassing? NASA had already ruled out that the “non-gravitational acceleration” observed in 3I/ATLAS came from artificial engines. 3I/ATLAS It is an active comet. As such, as it approaches the Sun, the heat sublimates the ice in its body, creating jets of gas that act as natural propellants, pushing the rock and altering its orbit. However, Loeb argues that this observed acceleration during perihelion (the closest point to the Sun) was of the exact magnitude needed to correct course toward that precise intersection with Jupiter’s Hill sphere. If it were a technological spacecraft, Loeb argues, those observed “jets” might not be ice sublimating, but thrusters performing a gravity-assist maneuver. We will clear up doubts. The outcome of this story will come in the coming months. On December 19 we will have the comet’s closest approach to Earth, an ideal time for detailed spectroscopic observations. A spectroscopic measurement of the speed and composition of the jets will reveal whether they come from the sublimation of ice packs or from technological propellants. If in March 2026, after passing by Jupiter, we detect new objects orbiting the gas giant that we did not send, the history of humanity could change. If not, we will have had the unique opportunity to closely study a fragment of an alien world, which, as NASA tries to argue, is already extraordinary in its own right. Image | POT In Xataka | NASA has been accused of “kidnapping” the 3I/ATLAS photos for a month and a half: it has had no choice but to publish them

Gray hair is not wear and tear, it is a cleansing of our tumor cells.

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For centuries, gray hair has been the universal symbol of aging, a simple aesthetic issue that reveals the passage of time or the excess of stress that sometimes occurs. it’s about covering with dyes. However, having gray hair can be good news for many people, since a study published in Nature Cell Biology just turned this idea on its head: white hair could actually be a biological defense mechanism. The fact that we begin to grow gray hair is for many people a great condemnation that reminds us that age forgives no one, and we even see young people with a lot of gray hair at an early age. But having gray hair can be a sign that is related to the risk of suffering from melanoma, which is one of the most aggressive skin cancers, especially when it is not caught in time. The dilemma of the cell. To understand why having a large amount of gray hair is good news, we have to go to the root of the hair. Here you will find the bulb of the hair folliclewhich is where the hair will grow. One of its fundamental components is the melanocyte stem cell, which is responsible for the pigment that gives color to the hair. That is why when these cells are affected is when you begin to have a color deficit. In this way, research indicates that when these cells suffer damage to their DNA, such as from exposure to the sun or according to agethe body activates a “checkpoint.” The mechanisms of action. When a cell with broken DNA appears on the scene, there is a chance that it will cause cancer if it begins to divide uncontrollably. In order to avoid this, stem cells use a process called “senodifferentiation” that causes the cell to stop dividing and be removed from the tissue. When these stem cells are eliminated, we are left without pigment reserves and the hair is born white, but the body has made sure to eliminate a potentially dangerous cell that could have generated a tumor if this defense system did not exist. The system may crash. Although our body has many defense systems to stop the proliferation of tumor cells, sometimes they fail and cancer is generated. Specifically, the study points to different carcinogens (including chemicals or UV radiation) that can ‘hack’ this cellular decision. Unlike pure radiation damage (which causes gray hair), carcinogens activate specific metabolic pathways (such as arachidonic acid metabolism) that force stem cells to survive and reproduce despite having damaged DNA. In this way, the stress of these carcinogens stimulates the stem cell niche to secrete a molecule called ligand KIT. This signal has the ability to block the “senodifferentiation” that we mentioned before, preventing damaged cells from being eliminated. The ‘good’ news is that the gray hair does not appear, but the bad news is that the damaged cells accumulate and expand, greatly increasing the risk of melanoma. There is, therefore, an antagonistic relationship: The fate of stem cells determines whether we will have gray hair or cancer. If the system works well, the cell is sacrificed and a gray hair emerges. If the system is circumvented by a carcinogen, the cell persists and the gray hair does not appear, but there is a greater risk of a tumor appearing. Aesthetic medicine. One of your goals right now may be avoid gray hair without the need for artificial dyes with the reactivation of these stem cells that have been ‘arrested’ and do not offer their pigment. But for these researchers we are facing a very bad idea. And they specifically point out that the repigmentation of gray hair in certain areas of the scalp could be, paradoxically, an early warning sign of melanoma, indicating that cells that should have ‘retired’ are returning to activity in an uncontrolled manner. In short, the next time you see a gray hair in front of the mirror, don’t just see it as a sign of old age. See it as a small victory for your body: a stem cell that decided to “retire” in time to protect you. Images | Alexandra Tran Natasha Brazil In Xataka | The rarest element on Earth aims to cure cancer. And Europe is already accelerating its production

BYD pours cold water on its hypothetical factory in Spain

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BYD does not have a plan on the table to open a factory in our country. At least, that is what Alberto de Aza, general director of BYD for Spain and Portugal, maintains, who in an interview with EFE has stated that the company is focused on its Hungarian factory. According to De Aza, there are neither production problems nor are there intentions to open a plant in Spain. BYD is interested in Spain. Spain has sounded strong on two occasions to be the home of a BYD car production plant for Europe. He did it first in 2023 when it was learned that the company was touring Europe looking for a location to a factory. Before the end of that same year, we knew that Hungary had been chosen. Now, information has suggested that BYD is once again studying the opening of a factory. And, according to ReutersSpain was once again one of the first candidates. Its operating costs and good performance in the country seemed to be two incentives to take into account for the future. There are no plans. That is what Alberto de Aza, general director of BYD for Spain and Portugal, answered in an interview with EFE. The head of the company in our country has indicated that “there is no specific plan at this time to implement a production center in Spain.” The response is a bucket of cold water to the information that indicated that Spain was the first on the starting line of this new race. In fact, just a few days ago the Generalitat of Catalonia confirmed that they had held conversations with company representatives. And shortly before, in October, the De Aza spoke of Spain as “an ideal place” to expand the company’s European manufacturing. For now, Hungary. At the moment, BYD seems to be focused on opening its plant in Hungary. Everything indicates that “you’ll see later.” And the company has started very strongly in our country but a good part of the European market is resisting. The commitment to plug-in hybrids at attractive prices, such as the BYD Atto 2 DM-i It is confirmation that they try to find solutions and alternatives. To this we must add that the company has faced some complications related to its Hungarian plant. The first is whether you are using enough local employees. The second is whether it is going to create a sufficiently dense industrial network around it. complicated lace. BYD is not the only company that is in the eye of the European Union for how they manufacture (in this case, hope to manufacture) their cars on European soil. At the moment, electric cars coming from China are taxed with specific tariffs for each company but not so with plug-in hybrids. To avoid this specific and general tariff (10% on imports arriving from China), Chinese manufacturers talk about producing in Europe. However, the European Union closely monitors how these cars are manufactured. And there is talk of producing vehicles using almost assembled kits that arrive in Europe by boat and are given the finishing touches on European soil. Something like if a puzzle of 1,000 pieces arrived assembled without joining four large groups of them. This, European regulators assure, might not be enough to skip tariffs. It is a practice that already has delayed the arrival of the electric Omoda 5 to the Barcelona factory, for example. Spain, why? To the above we must add a detail: Spain has moved into a complicated game of balance with China. In addition to the fact that our country offers lower operating costs (labor or energy) to manufacturers compared to other European nations, the truth is that there is another point of view. In the final approval of tariffs on Chinese electric cars, Spain veered from a resounding “yes” to abstention. Shortly after its application, it was leaked that the Chinese State had ordered its manufacturers stop all investments in the countries that supported those tariffs. Italy, for example, would have been one of the most affected countries. Since then, it has been leaked that BYD was interested in Spain to house a new European factory. But also CATL reached an agreement with Stellantis to launch a battery production plant in Aragon. It is no coincidence that Spain has pampered its relations with China lately. Photo | Mercedes and Xataka In Xataka | “They assemble Chinese cars with Chinese components and Chinese personnel”: the EU is beginning to suspect the manufacturers’ plants

In 2011 Japan closed the largest nuclear power plant on the planet. Now he has decided to reopen it in the midst of the energy debate

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The nuclear debate, which Japan thought closed, returns to the scene. The authorization of the governor of Niigata to reactivate Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, the largest atomic plant in the world, has set off alarms: citizen distrust, the shadow of Fukushima and doubts about whether TEPCO is the right company to lead the country’s new energy stage are emerging. A new nuclear revival? The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, managed by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), has not produced a single kilowatt since 2012. The closure was a direct consequence of the 2011 tsunami and the three meltdowns from Fukushima Daiichia blow that left reactors with similar designs under suspicion. That technical coincidence was enough to keep its seven reactors on hold for more than ten years, despite the fact that the plant was essential for the electricity supply of northeastern Japan. According to Japan TimesHideyo Hanazumi has authorized a step-by-step reactivation that will start with reactor 6—one of the most recent and powerful—and that, later, will also include reactor 7. Altogether, the complex exceeds 8,000 MW of capacity, a figure that not only imposes: it maintains it as the largest nuclear facility on the planet. A significant change for the Japanese country. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa has gone from a technical project to a strategic move. As reported by the Financial TimesTokyo trusts that its reactivation will contribute to lowering the electricity bill and ensuring energy sources with fewer emissions, at a time complicated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the fall of the yen, which makes fossil fuel imports more expensive. Japan, which before Fukushima generated almost 30% of its electricity with atomic plants, fell to practically zero after the disaster. Since then 14 reactors have reopened and others await local or regulatory approvals. The government aims for nuclear energy to once again represent 20% of the mix in 2040. In addition, TEPCO would improve its annual accounts by around 100 billion yen thanks to the restart, according to Japan Forwardat a time when it continues to face enormous costs for the dismantling of Fukushima Daiichi. The reactivation process. The restart will begin with unit 6, which already has fuel loaded and will begin commercial operations before March of next year. To move forward, TEPCO must respond to the Government’s demands, which include updating all security systems and improving emergency evacuation plans. The process has not been easy. As detailed by Japan Timesthe plant passed safety reviews in 2017, but then suffered a veto from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority due to deficiencies in anti-terrorist measures, lifted in 2023. In addition, TEPCO had to incorporate biometric controls and correct security flaws after new internal incidents. Is there controversy? Yes, and a lot. According to a survey cited by the BBC50% of Niigata residents support the revival, while 47% oppose it. However, almost 70% express their concern because the person operating the plant is the same company that caused the accident. From Japan Times He adds that the rejection intensifies in some of the towns located within 30 kilometers of the plant, where the majority fear a new disaster or distrust the company. Another source of discomfort, also pointed out by this medium, is that the electricity generated is not used in Niigata, but in the Tokyo region. The political dimension is equally tense. Hanazumi, aware of the sensitivity of her decision, has announced that he will submit his continuity as governor to the vote of the prefectural assembly, the only body that can remove him. But there is something else at play. The reopening of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is seen as a pillar to ensure the country’s energy security and avoid possible power outages in Tokyo. It would also allow reducing electricity rates that have increased notably since 2011. At the same time, Japan is not only restarting reactors: it is also is planning the construction of new plants with fourth generation reactors, which would mark a new chapter in the country’s energy policy. More than a return to the atom. The country that one day vowed not to depend on atomic energy again has ended up returning to it, driven by necessity, geopolitics and the urgency to decarbonize. It remains to be seen if this decision will also ignite the confidence of a citizenry that still carries the memory of Fukushima or if, on the contrary, the return to the atom will deepen a division that has been open for more than a decade. Although the governor’s approval is the decisive step, there are still procedures: the prefectural assembly must debate and vote on the decision in December, and the Japanese nuclear regulator must complete the formal procedures for reactivation. Image | IAEA Imagebank Xataka | In 2011, Japan promised itself not to bet on nuclear energy again. Until he met reality

Europe had been asking for a big hit on the table for some time. Revolut just gave it a huge valuation

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Revolut was born in London as a fintech focused on digital payments and today it has become one of the most watched companies on the European financial landscape. It has already exceeded 65 million customers worldwide and its ambition is to reach 100 million, with its sights set on becoming the first global bank born from technology. Not only does it add users, it also builds physical structures: Spain was the country chosen to install its first ATMs with own brand. Now, he has added one more element to his story: a valuation of $75 billion. The operation validated by some of the largest funds in the world. The sale of Revolut shares was not carried out by traditional banks, but by some of the most influential investment funds in the technology sector, such as Coatue, Greenoaks, Dragoneer and Fidelity Management & Research Company. They were joined by names linked to large companies such as NVentures, NVIDIA’s investment fund, as well as Andreessen Horowitz, Franklin Templeton and T. Rowe Price. According to Bloombergthis operation has placed Revolut as the most valuable startup in Europe. It also allowed employees to sell shares, something Revolut has already offered on five occasions. A valuation that does not leave the stock market. Revolut remains a private company, so its shares are not available on public markets and its valuation is not set on the stock market. It is estimated from the price that investors accept when they buy a package of shares in operations like this: that price is taken as a reference to calculate how much 100% of the company would be worth. On this occasion, Revolut has made it easier for employees and existing shareholders to sell part of their stakes, while incorporating new investors into the capital. The result is a valuation that, as we say, sets the bar at 75 billion dollars. Revolut remains a private company, so its shares are not available on public markets and its valuation is not set on the stock market. Although it is still private, Revolut does publish figures that explain part of the investment enthusiasm. In 2024 it recorded $4 billion in revenue, with a growth of 72%, and $1.4 billion in profit before taxes, an increase of 149%. In 2025, the pace continues thanks to the performance of its business division, which already moves 1 billion annually. In addition, the company has made relevant regulatory progress: it has the final banking authorization for its next launch in Mexico, it has a banking incorporation license in Colombia and is preparing its arrival in India. Spain as a pilot bank. The Spanish market has become one of Revolut’s strategic laboratories. Here it inaugurated its first ATM network in Europe, with 50 machines installed and plans to expand to 200 next year. At the same time, it is exploring its entry into private banking by hiring specialized profiles. According to Expansionthe project is in the initial phase, but marks a symbolic step: it no longer competes only in mobile, but also in segments reserved for traditional banking. Europe gains visibility, but the United States sets the pace. That Revolut is the most valuable startup in Europe, as Bloomberg points out, demonstrates the moment that the technology sector is experiencing on the continent. Even so, the comparison with the United States remains significant: Reuters puts OpenAI at $500 billionabout 6.67 times above Revolut. There, the most notable startups come not only from fintech, but also from aerospace, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, design or productivity. Europe, on the other hand, has concentrated its progress mainly on fintech, quantum computing and corporate software. The $75 billion valuation does not automatically make Revolut a global bank, but it does send a clear message: large international funds are willing to back a model that mixes technology, financial services and international ambition. The next step will be to sustain that growth while obtaining key licenses, such as the one it is seeking in the United Kingdom. What is happening with Revolut shows that Europe can generate relevant players, although it remains to be seen how far they can go in a field historically dominated by American banking and technology. Images | Revolut In Xataka | A few weeks ago Amancio Ortega collected 1,552 million from Inditex: he just invested them in the second largest purchase in its history

Spain has to get serious about dental anesthesia

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Going to the dentist is a visit that may not be very pleasant and that can cause great fear in some patients due to the pain or discomfort that may arise from undergoing a treatment such as treating a cavity. This has made it popular in recent years to sedate patients who are more afraid or who are going to undergo long treatmentsbut this has left very bad news in the last week. The case. The focus on sedation procedures has been placed in the focus of public opinion after learning the death of a six-year-old girl after dental treatment with intravenous sedation in a clinic in Alzira (Valencia), and the admission to the ICU of another one who was treated at the same dental center. These two tragic events, which are currently being investigated, have raised many doubts about this procedure, how common it is and, above all, how it is regulated in our country. Because logically it is something really shocking to go get a tooth filled or have a root canal and not survive the procedure, when a priori it seems like something completely safe. Although there is one detail that sometimes we completely miss: anesthesia (even if it is sedation) is not nonsense and has very important risks that not everyone can control. Sedation in dentistry. To understand this situation, you must know that in dentistry there are different levels of anesthesia depending on the procedure to be used. The most common is undoubtedly the one in which an anesthetic medication is pricked into the gum itself (something that hurts quite a bit) to be able to do a filling or an extraction. A local anesthesia that disappears after two hours and does not last longer and that the dentist himself can apply after interviewing the patient and asking about his or her allergies. But beyond this ‘normality’ we have other treatments for patients who fear being in that situation or who are going to undergo annoying and long procedures. Here you bet on a ‘conscious sedation‘. In this case the patient maintains protective reflexes and the ability to respond to commands such as opening your mouthbut remains completely relaxed The problem is that the border between “conscious” sedation and deep sedation (where this type of reflex is lost) is quite blurred, especially when powerful intravenous drugs are used in the pediatric population. Precisely for this reason scientific societies They have been demanding for years that these techniques be regulated and are executed only with specifically trained personnel and in environments prepared to respond to an emergency in seconds. Because in part, the safety of anesthesia It is thanks to the professionals who administer it daily, controlling all the patient’s parameters and having a lot of experience behind them with these drugs. Because a drug of this style seems harmless, but the reality is that there are many emergencies that can arise from the use of anesthetics, such as the great feared malignant hyperthermia. The regulations. Procedures of this style They have regulation which right now is fragmented. That is, there is no state standard that applies to all clinics in the country, but rather it depends on each autonomous community through its authorization decrees. Even so, different common elements are repeated in the regulations that are: Specific authorization to administer intravenous sedation or advanced anesthesia techniques. In the case of Alzira, that authorization did not exist. Something that also raises questions about how he could access these drugs without authorization to do so. Existence of a doctor responsible for sedation who may be an anesthetist or a dentist specialized in these techniques. But the important thing is that it is a different person than the one doing the treatment so that they can monitor the patient. Specific training in sedation, airway management and also accreditation in cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques. Patient monitoring: the clinic box must have at least monitoring of constants such as blood pressure, heart rate or oxygen saturation. But you must also have the appropriate equipment to deal with an emergency in the middle of the intervention. ​ In Catalonia, for example, the Official Col·legi d’Odontòlegs i Stomatòlegs maintains a specific registry for clinics authorized to perform sedation, with personnel, equipment and audit requirements. Other communities, such as Madrid or the Valencian Community, include the demands in orders of technical-sanitary requirements for health centers and in their catalog of authorizable activities. ​What a mistake. The information that has emerged from Alzira’s case illustrates well the clash between real practice and what the regulations require. The Ministry’s reports now indicate that the dental clinic was authorized as a dental center, but not to perform sedation on patientsdespite the fact that he administered drugs this way to a six-year-old girl at the hands of an anesthetist who also is being investigated. Now it is something that is in the hands of justice that also contemplates the possibility of poor condition of the medication used to sedate patients. After the death of the minor, doubts have arisen from associations of anesthetists warning of the “serious risk” of perform sedation outside the hospital setting or without specifically trained personnel, and remembering that even “conscious” sedation can quickly evolve into life-threatening respiratory depression. The combination of younger age, intravenous route and an environment possibly not prepared to the level required by best practices constitutes a high-risk scenario that the regulatory framework precisely aims to avoid. A regulation with obstacles. Although many communities have been fine-tuning their regulations, several legal and technical reviews highlight that the regulation of sedation in dentistry in Spain remains scatteredunequal between territories and, in some cases, ambiguous regarding who can do what and under what conditions. In some autonomies, complex sedation and general anesthesia are regulated in detail, but “conscious” sedation in consultation, especially when they switch to intravenous medications and benzodiazepines, remains in an area where interpretation weighs more than a unified framework. What should we look at? With this unfortunate case, … Read more

This is Kaspersky’s Black Friday

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If the security of our information, passwords and Internet traffic is important on a personal level, it is undeniable that it is even more relevant on a business level. That’s where not only ours come into play, but also that of all our staff and clients. The best thing we can do is invest in a good tool that helps us with all this and Black Friday is the perfect time for it. Among all the options we have available, one of the most interesting is offered by Kaspersky with its Small Office Security package. Right now, their full-year plan is available with a 15% direct discount: it costs 193.35 euros, although we can get it for 174.02 euros with code AFBIZ. And be careful: because it comes with several very interesting additions, such as a 50 euro card to spend on Amazon. Kaspersky Small Office Security – 1 year The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Password manager, antivirus, VPN and much more Before talking in more depth about the offer that Kaspersky has for this plan on Black Friday, let’s see a little about what this Small Office Security solution consists of. As we have said above, it is a package of several tools that, together, They will help us protect our company. There is no need to be unambiguous, since here it is more than just an antivirus. With Kaspersky Small Office Security (or KSOS), we will be able to protect all of our company’s devices. That not only includes computers (regardless of whether they use Windows or MacOS), but also Android or iOS mobilesas well as file servers. In addition, it includes a password manager, something very useful if we take into account the importance they have. Along with the above, it should be noted that it also includes software to protect us against malware and ransomware, one that is in fact very easy to install and makes it unnecessary to go to experts. Also includes a fast and very secure VPNwhich will help us protect our Internet traffic and the security of the transactions we make. And be careful, because we can have these tools in several computers at the same time (the price above corresponds to the package for 5 of them). Now, let’s talk about this Black Friday offer. The entire KSOS package costs right now 174.02 euros with the code AFBIZ in its modality for one year. On this occasion, in addition to the discount, we will also take a 50 euro gift card to spend on Amazon and buy what we want. Not only that, but the package also includes the WebSite X5 EVO website builder, ideal for creating a professional site in less than an hour very easily (and with 100 GB of hosting). A very complete and perfect package for our company, although we only have a few days to get it at these prices and get the two additions that we mentioned a little above. Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Image | Kaspersky In Xataka | Best antivirus for computer: the best paid alternatives to protect your PC In Xataka | Best VPNs: guide with the 17 best services to protect your online privacy

Germany has spent three nights copying Taiwan. If Russia decides to invade it, it has had an idea: surprise them underground

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Last July, the Taiwan subway experienced an unusual day: Instead of passengers loaded with purses and suitcases, soldiers, soldiers and more soldiers armed with anti-tank missiles began to arrive at Taipei stations. The reason was twofold: to send a message inside and outside (China) of the country. That idea seduced Germany, and now that it has begun its rearmament it has launched in Berlin. A disturbing return. The exercise Bollwerk Bärlin III Last week, he returned to the German capital a scene that seemed banished to the memories of the 20th century: soldiers descending U-Bahn stairsjumping onto the tracks and advancing through smoke, simulated gunshots and cars taken over by “saboteurs.” For three nights, between 1 and 4 in the morning, about 250 members of the Wachbataillon (a unit known for its ceremonial role but with infantry functions) transformed stations like Jungfernheide into a real underground battlefield to practice assaults, close combat, evacuation of civilians and protection of critical infrastructure in a realistic environment in which nothing is altered or mocked up: the narrowness of the tunnels, limited visibility and changes in light are the same as they would find in a real war scenario. In the background: Russia. They remembered the TWZ analysts that this return to urban warfare in tunnels and stations, without embellishments or theatrical simulations, symbolizes a profound change in Germany’s strategic priorities and revealed the extent to which the shadow of a possible conflict with Russia has penetrated into the very heart of Germany. his military planning. The metamorphosis. The battalion in charge of displaying honors on state visits had been conceived for decades as a symbol of institutional stability, not as a combat force. However, its real operational mission (protecting the federal government and its facilities in the event of a crisis) today takes on an urgency that has not been seen for a long time. Hence the direct tone of his commanderlieutenant colonel Maik Teichgräber: Berlin is your area of ​​operations and they must prepare for “the worst case scenario,” which means training where you would really fight. The use of stations closed to the public allows practice quick entriesassaults on trains, neutralization of enemies and immediate removal of wounded, integrating snipers, perimeter security and coordination between units in a densely urbanized environment. The presence of additional scenarios (such as the former Rüdersdorf chemical plant or the Ruhleben police complex) underlines the desire to turn the capital’s defense into a multidimensional exercisecapable of absorbing everything from internal sabotage to coordinated incursions that seek to paralyze the political center of Germany. Global dimension of the trend. Which happens in Berlin It is also reflected in other regions of the world. How we countTaiwan uses its subway as a defensive artery during the Han Kuang exercises, aware that, in the event of a Chinese invasion, underground infrastructure they would be vital to move troops and supplies while the surface becomes a continuous target. In parallel, the United States has raised the underground war a priority for its special forces, responding to the proliferation of fortified tunnels, dense urban areas and the expansion of drone swarms that force troops to seek refuge underground. The growing autonomy of unmanned systems, already present in Ukraine, accelerates this trend: in a future where aerial surveillance will be almost constant, defending in depth will mean dominating not only streets and buildings, but subways, tunnels, pipelines and interconnected bunkers. The war of the future, according to these emerging doctrines, will be fought both upwards (against drones, sensors and loitering munitions) and downwards, in an underground network that takes on strategic value. Echoes of the Cold War. He training on the U-Bahn inevitably refers to a divided Berlinwhen the city was a western enclave surrounded by Warsaw Pact forces. At that time, the United States, the United Kingdom and France were rehearsing urban operations aimed at slowing down an invasion to gain political time, aware that holding the city indefinitely was unrealistic. Units like the (secret) Detachment A They practiced sabotage and unconventional warfare techniques from the shadows. Even stations, such as Pankstraße or Siemensdamm, were designed like nuclear shelters for more than 3,000 people for weeks, with armored doors and air filtering. The reunified Germany had left behind that architecture of fear, and today, faced with a panorama of uncertainty, it returns to study how to reactivate these civil protection capabilities. The contrast is evident: what in 1994 seemed unnecessary is once again considered a strategic necessity. Historical rearmament. we have been counting. The exercise is also part of a context transformation unprecedented german military apparatus. By 2029, Berlin plans spend 153,000 million euros per year in defense (around 3.5% of GDP), an enormous jump from the levels that for decades were a source of friction with Washington. It is a rearmament designed not only for modernize capabilitiesbut to adapt the country to threats that They are no longer theoretical: What happens 900 kilometers away, in Ukraine, conditions the entire strategy. This budget increase has led NATO to consider a symbolic turn that would have been unthinkable during the Cold War: that Germany would command the allied forces in Europe. Although that moment has not arrivedthe expectation underscores the pressure on Berlin to demonstrate that it can take on top responsibilities and is willing to prepare its military for complex scenariosfrom urban sabotage to large-scale conventional warfare. Strategic warning. Teichgräber put it clearly: Nobody can guarantee that the war that is currently devastating Ukraine will not one day reach German territory. That phrase sums up the background of Bollwerk Bärlin III. The Bundeswehr trains in the subway tunnels because it understands that contemporary conflicts do not respect borders or capitals. The hybrid warcoordinated attacks on critical infrastructure and the massive use of drones They make the interior of cities as vulnerable as their borders. If you like, what is at stake is not only the defense of Berlin, but Germany’s capacity to react facing a moment in which the strategic … Read more

has just invested them in the second largest purchase in its history

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Pontegadea was born as an investment instrument for Amancio Ortega to channel the billionaire dividends that the millionaire obtained for your Inditex shares. These successful investments have turned Pontegadea into the second empire billionaire fashion mogul (and now also from brick). In this dynamic, Ortega has just received the second distribution of Inditex dividends in 2025, for a total amount of 1,552 million euros. This payment has served to cover the second largest purchase in the history of Pontegadea: “The Post” in Vancouver (Canada). Again, homemade from Amazon. Amancio Ortega’s last big purchase has been an enclave in the center of Vancouver. According to published Bloomberg, it is a complete block of offices in which the city’s old post office is joined with two imposing glass and steel buildings of 22 and 19 floors respectively. The name of the complex arises precisely from this historical origin of the Canada Post post office: The Post. The complex is made up of two office towers occupied by Amazon. In this way, once again, Amancio Ortega becomes Jeff Bezos’ landlord by purchasing another office building from which the ecommerce giant operates. In addition to Amazon, Ortega will be the homemade from other multinationals such as Starbucks, Oakberry or Loblaws City Market. 680 million dollars. The purchase of The Post is one of the greater investments of Pontegadea in its history, only surpassed by the purchase of the Royal Bank Plaza office complex (in Toronto), in which the Ortega real estate investor was left about 800 million euros in 2022. According to advanced Green Street Newsthe purchase of The Post has been closed for 1.1 billion Canadian dollars, which in exchange is equivalent to about 680 million euros. Its previous owner had remodeled the property into about 102,193 square meters of offices and about 17,200 square meters of commercial space. 2,000 million invested in one year. So far this year, Pontegadea and its subsidiaries They have completed 13 purchase operations and investmentwith just over a month left until the end of the year. According what was published by The Newspaperin the 13 operations that Pontegadea has closed in 2025, the real estate company has invested a total of 2,119 million euros. This amount makes 2025 the third year with the highest investment in the company’s history, only behind 2022 (with an investment of 2,783 million euros) and 2019, with 2,320 million euros. There are plenty of dividends. Amancio Ortega, as majority shareholder, controls 1,848 million Inditex shares or, which is the same, 59.294% of the company, through his companies Pontegadea Inversiones and Partler 2006. For this participation, Ortega has received around 3,104 million euros in two payments in 2025. The last of them, of around 1,552 million euros, was received just before this latest purchase became official. That means that although 2025 could be considered one of the busiest years Pontegadea investorwould still have a surplus of 985 million in its cash. He still has a month left and Black Friday in between. In Xataka | How much money Amancio Ortega has: how the fortune of the richest man in Spain is distributed Image | The Post, GTRES

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