Month: February 2026

They have found the first giant lava tube under their land

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Venus can be considered Earth’s evil twin because it has overwhelming pressure, sulfuric acid clouds and temperatures on its surface capable of melt lead. However, beneath that infernal façade, the planet could hide fascinating geological secrets. The first of these secrets has already been discovered, since we have proof that there is a huge underground lava tube. More than volcanoes. This finding was published at the beginning of February in the magazine Nature confirming what planetary geologists have suspected for decades. And Venus not only has volcanoes, but it has a magmatic ‘plumbing’ system that makes those on Earth look ridiculous. The finding focuses on the Nyx Monsa massive shield volcano 362 kilometers in diameter, where researchers from the University of Trento have identified a structure that changes our understanding of Venusian volcanism. What have they seen? In short, experts have seen a kind of well or skylight that they have designated as ‘A’. But it is not a simple crack in the ground of the planet, but rather it is the entrance to an underground world. This tunnel is not exactly small, since it has a diameter of more or less 1 kilometer and leads to a cave with a minimum height of 375 meters and an extension of at least 300 meters from the entrance. Although in this case estimates suggest that it could be up to 45 km long. It’s not small. To put it in perspective: these dimensions far exceed the lava tubes that we find on the Moon, Mars or Earth. The physical reason behind this gigantism is the unique conditions of Venus: low gravity compared to Earth and its very dense atmosphere allow lava flows to create massive structures without collapsing so easily. How they have done it. To achieve this, it is not that we have recently sent a new probe, but that the Italian team has carried out a reanalysis of the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images captured by the NASA Magellan probe between 1990 and 1992. This already tells us that we should not throw away data no matter how much data we have. For decades, those images were there, waiting for processing technology and human expertise to know where to look. Until finally these researchers detected a unique asymmetric radar reflection. In this way, by analyzing how the waves bounced off the western slope of Nyx Mons, they were able to infer the existence of the underground void. A Spanish similarity. Something curious is that the authors of the study compare this training with the Green Cave in Lanzarotea terrestrial analogy that helps us understand morphology, although the Venusian version operates on a monumentally larger scale. Its importance. Until now, volcanic activity on Venus was intuited by changes in the atmosphere or surface characteristics. This discovery is the first direct evidence of an empty underground conduit, validating theories about recent and intense volcanic activity that has shaped the planet as a geological “twin” of our own. But the most interesting thing is in the future, since there are missions like VERITAS and EnVision that are about to leave our planet and that have much more modern and precise radar systems than that of the old Magellan. That is why they now have a great objective: to map the subsoil that we are beginning to know. Images | SIMON LEE Marc Szeglat In Xataka | We have been deceived by the distances of the Solar System: the closest neighbor to Neptune is Mercury

YouTube tries to escape a historic trial that compares it to Facebook and tobacco

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YouTube’s lawyers made their argument clear: they are not a social network and They are not addictive. Those statements came as part of those initial statements in the important trial to which they have been subjected both to them and to those responsible for Meta. What happens in this legal process could pose important changes in the future of these platforms. “We are more like Netflix than Facebook”. YouTube’s lawyers indicated in their initial defense that YouTube is an entertainment platform more similar to Netflix than a social network like Facebook. They also gave examples of its usefulness: people use their videos to learn how to cook, knit, or become pop stars. They don’t design it for subject users to infinite scroll“We’re not trying to get into your brain and rewire it. We’re just asking you what you want to see.” The accusation: YouTube and Instagram are addictive. A 20-year-old California woman identified as KGM has accused these platforms of create addictive applications that harm mental health. She claims to have been one of the victims, in fact. It is a recurring theme and almost even unofficially acceptedbut there are no legal sentences that confirm and punish what is happening. And when there could have been mysterious previous agreements arrived to those processes. That has led to a lawsuit involving Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube. The moment is delicate and very striking. The CEO of Instagram throws things out. Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, He assured in his appearance that the platform has security protocols for teenagers. Although it admitted that social media can be harmful, the company is careful and tests features that will reach young people before launching them. He further noted that people can be addicted to social media in the same way as they are to a television show, but that was not the same as being “clinically addicted.” Tipping point for social media. The trial is especially significant because it occurs precisely at a historical moment in which various countries are implementing (or planning to implement) age verification systems so that minors cannot access social networks. States want to regulate and control social networks on the Internet, so the first step is to define what a social network is. This is what this judgment is about: putting some on one side and others on the other. YouTube certainly stands on a very thin line here, and will undoubtedly try to evade the problem with arguments such as those put forward. Social networks wash their hands. Even though there are scientific studies that suggest that there is a behavior similar to that of other addictions, technology companies have always avoided that discourse or They have tried to remove iron. It is somewhat ironic considering that they make the most of the functioning of our brain (hello digital slots). Companies point in The New York Timesthey not only argue that this scientific evidence does not exist (or is not conclusive), but they point to federal laws—the well-known Section 230— that protect them: we are not responsible for what users publish online, they say. A case that can set precedents. There are thousands of pending lawsuits very similar to this one, but this case has become the spearhead of all those efforts that want to punish social networks for “hooking” users. KGM’s lawyer argued Monday that she had become trapped in YouTube and Instagram because those apps were like “digital casinos.” It’s already over with tobacco. Meta documents displayed at trial mentioned how its employees compared its tactics to those used by companies in the tobacco industry. That is very dangerous, because the lawsuits against those companies in the 90s led to multimillion-dollar settlements for those companies. Are you a social network or not? The argument used by the prosecution was the same one that is being used now: the platforms “sell” a harmful product knowing that they are doing so. History could repeat itself now, and that would condemn platforms that fall within the definition of “social network.” And precisely what YouTube is trying to avoid is that: not falling into that definition. Image | Rubaitul Azad In Xataka | Young people have decided to stop posting (so much) on Facebook and Instagram. “AI-generated garbage” has free rein

Mazda has a plug-in hybrid perfect for Europe. The problem is that for Europe it is electric and pays tariffs like an electric

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If I had to define this story with one word, I would have no doubt: bizarre. To get an idea of ​​the mess, let’s go with a few strokes that we will break down little by little: Mazda has a Chinese electric car that actually has a combustion engine The European Union has lifted tariffs on Chinese electric cars and Mazda has to pay 30% for each one it imports into Europe The European Union does not impose tariffs on Chinese cars with combustion engines. This exception is being used by Chinese brands to gain market share in Europe. Mazda does have to pay tariffs for that electric car that, in reality, has a combustion engine even though the European Union does not impose additional tariffs on Chinese cars with combustion engines. Yes, my head is spinning too. Let’s try to explain it. The history of tariffs To explain a story, Manolito Gafotas was clear: let’s go to the beginning of time. In October 2024after months warning and after some negotiations with China, the European Union raised some additional tariffs to Chinese electric cars that were already paying 10% per car sold in Europe. These tariffs take into account the alleged state aid that China has given to each brand and the willingness of each brand to collaborate. That is, not all pay the same. These taxes were placed on all electric cars that came from China, regardless of the brand that imported them. This is key because all the European brands that bring their cars from China they also have to pay given that, except Teslano foreign brand manufactures its cars in China without being linked to a local automaker. Changan, which is the brand that concerns us here, has to pay 20% additional tariffs that are added to the 10% basic tariffs. That is, for each car sold in Europe, it has to pay an extra cost of 30% on its value. This Chinese company is associated with Mazda, who uses the base of its Deepal cars to bring the Mazda 6e and the next Mazda CX-6e. The first of them we have already been able to drive it in Xataka And, as we told you, it is a car that carries some of the inconveniences of its Chinese origin but whose main attraction is the price. This association It has allowed Mazda a very important step. The company is a small company so investments have to be very well directed and, seeing the embrace that the electric car is receiving in Europe, they have done the math and were not interested in paying for the full development of their own car. But, yes, they have to comply with European emissions standards if they do not want to be fined heavily. One option is to pay the fine. The second is reduce its emissions level below 93.6 gr/k of CO2almost a chimera for a brand where electrification is the exception. The third, and most likely, is to be part of a pool with companies like Tesla to buy their emissions credits. The Mazda 6e and the Mazda CX-6e is very good news for the company since it puts two electric cars on the market at a very low cost for them and a very high profit. For each electric unit sold, the reduction in emissions is substantial and even if they remain above the limit they will have to pay less for those emissions credits. An electric that is not (at all) electric But, in addition to these two aces, Mazda had a third ace up its sleeve. Your saloon Also sold in China as Extended Range Electric (EREV). That is, we are talking about an electric car with 200 kilometers of electric range supported by a combustion engine. In this case, a 1.5 four-cylinder engine that acts as an electrical generator. He extended range electric It is a solution that Mazda itself uses in a car of its own development, the MX-30 REVand it is the option that is proposed to be able to carry out a new sports car replacing the legendary MX-5. The EREV has the advantage of being able to travel hundreds of kilometers in completely electric mode with the appropriate battery and, if necessary, draw on the combustion engine. Mazda’s intention is to improve it in its entirely models with a rotary engine. Thus, the motor hardly takes up any space and adds very little weight to an assembly that will inevitably be weighed down by the weight of the battery, what is happening within the Japanese company itself. But are we talking about a plug-in hybrid? In practice, yes. The car uses the combustion engine as an electrical generator. Thus, it operates at the most efficient rpm in most situations, providing electricity to the battery and that electricity is sent to the electric motors, which are what actually drive the wheels. The advantage is that you have an electric car for everyday lifewith a safety net on long trips and, despite everything, the immediate torque and smoothness of an electric vehicle. The solution in fact, seems like one of the most logical options with the tightening of the European Union’s emissions conditions. And most Chinese plug-in hybrid cars already work this way on most occasions to lower their consumption. But at Mazda they send a message: It will be difficult to see this version in Europe. And there is a technical detail that differentiates a plug-in hybrid from an extended-range electric car. The European Union makes a distinction between the two that does not focus on whether or not it has a gasoline engine, it focuses on what energy propels the wheels. That is, the Mazda 6e EREV is considered electric because its combustion engine never drives the wheels, always works as a series hybrid. Many Chinese cars prioritize this way of working but they are considered plug-in hybrids because, very specifically, their technology does allow the combustion engine to directly … Read more

the most powerful warship in the history of South America

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South America has long lived under a fragile balance between military modernization, internal tensions and the constant influence of external powers. That balance shakes again todaywith a turbulent regional scenario marked by the renewed pulse of the United States around Venezuela and a continent that observes how security, autonomy and defense once again occupy a central place on the strategic agenda. This context explains an unprecedented naval project. The assault of Colombia. Yes, Colombia has started one of the most ambitious industrial and military transformations in its recent history as it began construction of its first frigate manufactured in national territory. The project of the Strategic Surface Platform It marks the country’s entry into the small group of Latin American nations capable of designing and building highly complex combat ships. It is not only a military decision, but a strategic bet for autonomy, knowledge and control of the complete cycle of its naval capabilities. Cotecmar and shipyard maturity. Project responsibility falls on Cotecmarwhich assumes for the first time the complete construction of a frigate for the Colombian Navy. The media they have spoken these days of the beginning of sheet cutting as a symbol of the culmination of years of investment in engineering, production processes and industrial infrastructure. In this way, the nation leaves behind the role of simple buyer or assembler. and goes to control design, integration and maintenance of a strategic platform. Designed to last. They counted in Defense that the PES is built under an advanced modular architecture based on the design SIGMA 10514 from the Dutch Damen shipyard. With more than 107 meters in length and nearly 3,000 tons of displacement, it will be the largest warship never built in the country. Plus: block construction will allow optimization of time, quality and future modernizations without compromising the basic structure of the ship. Fleet renewal. These frigates will give rise to the class Grand Admiral Padillacalled to become the new nucleus of Colombian surface escorts. The plan contemplates up to five unitswhich will allow a progressive and sustained renewal of the fleet over the next decade. Bottom line: replace veteran ships and ensure modern capabilities in anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, surface and electronic warfare. Operational versatility. There is much more, since ESP has been conceived as a multipurpose ship capable of operating both in naval combat scenarios and in surveillance missions, protection of sea routes and international cooperation. Furthermore, its flexible and digitalized design places it among the most modern frigates in Latin America, and the most powerful in terms of war technology. On paper, this versatility will expand Colombia’s strategic room for maneuver in the Caribbean and the Pacific without the need for specialized fleets for each mission. Technology and strategic autonomy. Beyond its military power, the program reinforces industrial autonomy by allowing maintenance, updating and modernization to be carried out in the country itself. The frigate will also be prepared to operate under NATO compatible standardsfacilitating exercises and combined operations with allies. In other words, Colombia thus gains operational independence without having to give up international interoperability. Economic impact. It is the last of the legs in the global analysis of the movement. The PES program will have, a priori, a tractor effect on the economy and specialized employment, with thousands of direct and indirect positions until the delivery of the first unit scheduled for 2030. However, its true scope is structural: consolidating an industrial base capable of sustaining future naval projects and positioning Colombia as a relevant actor in the regional defense industry. If you want and from that perspective, the frigate is not simply a ship, it is a declaration of long-term intentions. Image | Defense In Xataka | Brazil has been following a path reserved for few powers for years: that of developing its own nuclear submarine In Xataka | Neither drones nor fighters nor elite soldiers: the US entered Venezuela disguising a 20th-century tactic as technology. XIX

now Sony has decided to close the chapter on its home recorders

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The decline of physical media is a reality, but it has not come suddenly or with a single announcement, but rather as a succession of small withdrawals that, added together, mark a change of era. Streaming is gaining ground while discs, players and other devices continue to be present in an increasingly smaller background. Some recent decisions within the industry are only deepening this transformation. Another company taking a step back. Sony recently announced that from February it will progressively cease shipping all its models of Blu-ray recorders and confirmed that there will not be a subsequent generation to take over. The message identifies as part of the closure devices marketed between 2023 and 2024, including the BDZ-ZW1900 and the BDZ-FBT4200, FBT2200 and FBW2200 families. A very Japanese category. Unlike other markets where Blu-ray was mainly associated with movie playback, in Japan home recorders maintained a very specific function for years, that of recording television broadcasts for later viewing. This particularity explains why the announcement has a direct impact, especially on local consumption, where these devices were still present in many salons. However, its disappearance also functions as a symbolic sign of the extent to which even the most resistant niches begin to lose meaning when content access habits change. The temporal sequence. Kyodo News notes that the last units will be shipped this month, marking the effective end of its commercial presence. That moment comes after another less visible previous step: the company had already stopped manufacturing both the recorders themselves as of recordable discs approximately a year earlierand the remaining activity was limited to completing the product output. Streaming, and something else. The audiovisual consumption environment has changed to the point of reducing the practicality of devices that were everyday items for years. When broadcasts can be viewed at any time from online platforms, whether global services or on-demand catalogs from the networks themselves, recording them is no longer a central need. Fewer and fewer manufacturers. Sony’s movement does not appear isolated within the industry. In recent years, several relevant players have been abandoning the consumer Blu-ray market, progressively reducing the number of companies willing to support this category. Oppo completely left its player business in 2018, Samsung stopped manufacturing Blu-ray and UHD models around 2019and LG, which was still one of the big names present, ended production in 2024. The closure of these recorders does not equate to the immediate disappearance of Blu-ray as a consumer format either. Different elements of the ecosystem remain active, from home players to computer optical drives and disk catalogs maintained by other companies. This persistence, although increasingly linked to specific audiences, shows that the transition towards digital does not erase previous technologies at once. Images | Sony | Mateus Andre In Xataka | If the question is how much technology can be packed into a collector’s figure, the answer is: these robots

Mexico knows that the future lies in technological sovereignty and has already chosen its “Silicon Valley: Jalisco and Sonora

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Mexico has undertaken the adventure of technological sovereignty. With her arrival to the presidency, Claudia Sheinbaum set the modest goal of “continuing to make Mexico the best country in the world.” To this end, he presented the ‘Mexico Plan‘, a roadmap to attract investment and develop industries such as biotechnology, electric cars or that of semiconductors. And the foundations for that ambitious chip manufacturing plan are already being built with a single idea in mind. Technological sovereignty. Kutsari. Silicon is extracted from sand and this is precisely what ‘kutsari’ means in Purépecha. It is also the name of Kutsari Project that seeks to stop importing a large part of the semiconductors that Mexico needs for the products it already manufactures. Puebla, Jalisco and Sonora are the three locations chosen to develop a plan that only pursues one objective: to stop being a country that assembles chips to become one that designs, manufactures and sells them. Jalisco moves. Since the project was announced, steps have been taken to get it started, and as we read in MillenniumJalisco has not wasted time. One of the poles of Kutsari will be the Cinvestav -Center for Research and Advanced Studies-. The reason is that it is the only institution in the country that has an agreement with Intel to generate integrated circuits in 16 nanometer lithography. Jalisco was already a semiconductor manufacturing point at the end of the last century and the Intel Design Center is located in the same area. That is why Jalisco has already been nicknamed the ‘Silicon Valley of Latin America’, a ‘hub’ in which different technology companies are settling, especially those dedicated to semiconductors, and which is bringing foreign investment. According to Pablo Lemusgovernor of Jalisco, if Mexico’s economy grew by 0.5%, due to that investment Jalisco’s grew by 4%. Sonora winks at the US. Another of the axes in this objective of technological sovereignty is Sonora. Recently, it signed an agreement to locate the Semiconductor Research and Development Center at the University of Sonora. Apart from being another thinking mind in the semiconductor strategy, Sonora has an advantage: the Mexico-US Trade Corridor, which seeks greater investment and regional connectivity. In the end, Sonora and Jalisco are taking steps in the same direction: investment, consolidation of already established infrastructures, construction of new buildings and strengthening agreements to attract talent. Goal: 2028. As they say, things in the palace move slowly, and currently both states are in a phase that we could classify as pre-production. They are preparing the ground in parallel, making advances in design, but also in talent and the ecosystem to create the chip production chain. Let’s remember the importance of having all this tied up (and the closer, the better), since it is one of the secrets behind the leadership of the Taiwanese TSMC. Once everything is ready, the manufacturing phase will begin, and in this sense, we also have to talk about the state of Puebla. In the municipality of Cholula will locate one of Mexico’s semiconductor production plants, one that will take advantage of all that knowledge developed by Jalisco and Sonora and that, it is expected, will begin producing chips by 2028 with an eye toward commercialization by 2029. Competence. It seems like a long time, but it is really a very short period to shape an industry as complex as semiconductors. But, obviously, you have to start somewhere and the latest advances in the Kutsari project show that Mexico remains determined to achieve a certain sovereignty in the chip segment. Now, we will see how far Mexico’s aspirations go and if its production is sufficient to satisfy the global market or it has to “settle” for the domestic market. The reason is that the component crisis of 2020 and the current RAM crisis It is teaching us something: you cannot depend on one country or a handful of companies. And there, Vietnam, India and China are strengthening for break technological hegemony which is currently in the hands of a few. This implies greater competition, but if Mexico’s plans go well, it also represents an opportunity that should not be missed. Image | ASML (edited) In Xataka | There is a global race to gain hegemony of critical minerals. And Mexico has just taken a key step

In its goal of reaching the Moon in 2030, China has hit the table: it has demonstrated the potential of its technology

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The race for the human return to the Moon has officially entered a new operational phase with China successfully executing the first “lit” flight of its heavy rocket new generation: Long March-10 (LM-10). A test that has not only validated its propulsion capacity, but also certifies the safety of its future crew in the most hostile launch environment. Where. This milestone, achieved since Wenchang launch pad (Hainan), places the Chinese lunar program on a firm and technically verified trajectory to meet its strategic objective: putting humans on the lunar surface before 2030. The litmus test. The essay recently made marks a turning point, since, unlike the tests static or scale models from previous yearsthis has been a real flight with ignition. The LM-10 took off in a prototype configuration with the goal of achieving the maximum dynamic pressure (Max-Q). In aerospace engineering, Max-Q is the critical moment during the climb where the aerodynamic forces on the vehicle structure are most violent. It is the “worst scenario” possible for an emergency that could threaten the safety of the crew, and it is precisely at that moment that the abort command was sent to the Mengzhou manned ship (the successor of the Shenzhou). In Xataka In silence, China is making giant strides in a race that until now it was not leading: space. There are differences. What distinguishes this essay from those carried out by other historical powers is the sophistication of the subsequent sequence. At first, the Mengzhou capsuleseparated from the rocket and activated its escape enginesmoving away from the “danger zone” at high speed, validating its ability to save the crew in extreme aerodynamic conditions. On the other hand, as the capsule descended toward a controlled splashdown, the first stage of the LM-10 rocket was not jettisoned. For the first time in a test of these characteristics in China, the stage continued its ascent briefly and then executed a controlled descent and landed in the sea. A success. This success simultaneously validates the structural integrity under maximum stress, the compatibility of the interfaces between rocket and ship, and the partial reusability of the system, a technological advance that brings China closer to the operational efficiency of companies such as SpaceX with Artemis. All this within a context where China and the United States ‘fight’ to see who is the first to return to the Moon. A change of concept. Wenchang’s success is just the tip of the spear of a much more complex system known as the CMSA’s “Earth-Space Transportation System for Manned Lunar Flights.” This architecture moves away from the “one giant shot” concept and opts for a two-launch and orbital rendezvous scheme. The three pillars. The first of them is the Long March-10a colossus approximately 92 meters high capable of placing about 70 tons in low Earth orbit and about 27 tons in lunar transfer orbit. The most interesting thing is that its modular design and the recovery capacity of the first stage are fundamental for the economic sustainability of the program, since the entire structure is recovered for subsequent tests and missions. The second pillar is Mengzhouwhich is designed for deep space missions and is larger and more capable than the current Shenzhou. Its development, which began conceptually around 2017-2018, has culminated in a modular vehicle capable of supporting atmospheric reentry at lunar return speeds. The third is a dedicated lunar landing module known as Lanyue waiting in lunar orbit. {“videoId”:”x96edv6″,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”China’s space suit to go to the Moon”, “tag”:”China”, “duration”:”64″} Roadmap. This includes two separate launches of the LM-10: one to transport the Lanyue module and another for the crew on Mengzhou. The final objective is that both vehicles will perform a meeting maneuver and docking in lunar orbit before the taikonauts descend to the surface. Chronology of ambition. The path towards this 2026 flight has been methodical, characterized by a strategy of “short but quick steps” that began in 2013 with the first discussions and the development of prototypes. It was in 2020 when an 8-day orbital test flight was made using a Long March-5B and that validated the capsule’s heat shield and recovery systems. Finally, it was this month of February when the flight occurred with an abortion in Max-Q and recovery of the stage. If we look to the future, before the end of 2026, “zero altitude” abandonment tests and complete tests of the Lanyue lunar landing module are expected, all aimed at meeting the 2030 launch window. A duel of titans. The comparison between the United States and China is practically mandatory in these cases. While the United States relies on the raw power of the SLS Block 1a 98-meter and disposable colossus, China is committed to operational efficiency with the Long March-10. And although the Chinese rocket is a little less powerful, its design incorporates a reusable first stage, which reduces costs and is closer to the sustainability model that SpaceX has popularized in the West, contrasting with the immense expense per launch of the American system. On the other hand, NASA has opted for a hybrid and complex scheme: it launches the crew in the Orion capsule with the government SLS rocket, and then docks in lunar orbit with the Starship HLSa commercial lander from SpaceX. In contrast, China has chosen a more pragmatic “distributed architecture”: it will carry out two separate launches of the LM-10, one for the Lanyue lunar landing module and another for the crew on the Mengzhou spacecraft, which will meet directly in lunar orbit. In Xataka Starlink’s dominance in space begins to move: another company already has permission for a constellation of 4,000 satellites On their calendars. The US program, depending on multiple commercial suppliers and disruptive technologies (such as Starship’s in-orbit refueling), faces highly complex logistics that have accumulated delays for the Artemis III mission. In contrast, China’s centralized and vertical model maintains a firm and predictable roadmap to the year 2030. In this way, we are seeing two titanic powers with two different … Read more

France needs to protect its nuclear power at all costs

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Emmanuel Macron has decided to immerse himself in the controversy. In a joint interview with the major European newspapersthe French president has attacked the waterline of the Spanish energy model, describing the debate on the lack of interconnections as “false.” But behind his words lies a geopolitical anxiety: we are not facing a technical criticism of the stability of the network, but rather a territorial defense of a nuclear power. that sees its hegemony threatened for cheap energy from its southern neighbor. The direct accusation. “Spain’s problem is that it has a 100% renewable model that its own domestic network does not support,” Macron categorically sentenced The Country. The president insisted that the Spanish blackout “has nothing to do with interconnections,” but rather with the intrinsic instability of renewables. This diagnosis comes at a calculated time: according to the Financial TimesMacron uses external threats – the Greenland crisis and tensions with the US – to demand “Eurobonds” and financial centralism, asking for more Europe for his debt while building physical walls in the Pyrenees. The nuclear bunker. The underlying motivation is the economic survival of Paris. France aspires to be the “battery of Europe” and its nuclear investment plan of 300 billion euros desperately needs profitability. If Spain floods the market with cheap solar energy, the French nuclear model – centralized and expensive – loses competitiveness. Macron is already moving to protect himself: has sealed a pact with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to classify “pink hydrogen” (nuclear) as green, shielding its technology from the southern solar boom. An island by decree. The data refute the Elysée speech about self-sufficiency. Spain continues to be an “energy island” with barely 2.8% interconnection, very far from the EU’s 15% objective. As the ministers of Spain and Portugal pointed out in a letterFrance has explicitly excluded key Aragon and Navarra projects from its 2025-2035 network plan. What’s more, Ember data show thatDuring the blackout, Spain even exported energy to France because the French reactors were stopped, proving that the bottleneck is the lack of output, not generation. The Danish mirror. The fallacy about “renewable instability” collapses when looking north. with more 80% of wind generationdoes not suffer blackouts because it is ultra-interconnected to North Poolinstantly balancing its load with Germany and Norway. Meanwhile, the “nuclear stability” that Macron preaches is failing: last summer, the French reactors stopped not due to lack of wind, but because the Rhône and Garonne rivers They were too hot to cool them, skyrocketing prices in Europe while the Spanish solar plant continued to operate. Solar asphyxiation. The French blockade has a tangible cost. Without interconnections, Spain suffers curtailment —throwing 7% of their clean energy in the trash because it doesn’t fit on the grid—which sinks prices to zero and ruins investors. In his interview with The CountryMacron calls for a “European awakening” to not be vassals of China or the US. However, by keeping the Pyrenees closed, it effectively turns the Iberian Peninsula into an energy vassal of France, preventing the same strategic autonomy that it claims to defend. Image | House of Lords and freepik Xataka | The solar miracle that went wrong: Spain produces more electricity than it can manage

The answer was at the Torrejón Air Base

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An unexpected roar altered the nocturnal silence of Alcalá de Henares on the nights of February 9 and 10 and opened a small enigma among those who heard it. Without a clear cause at that first moment, the noise began to be commented on social networksaccompanied by recordings of neighbors trying to find an explanation. That initial confusion marked the starting point of a story that, as the hours passed, began to receive answers from the institutional level. The official explanation. The uncertainty began to dissipate when the Consistory announced that He had contacted the Torrejón de Ardoz Air Base to clarify the origin of the noise. According to municipal sources after that consultation, this came from fuel tests carried out on an airplane. Eurofighter on the ground, motionless on the track during the test. Why outdoors and at night? The explanation also goes through the place and time chosen for the rehearsals. According to the Air and Space Armythe measurements require the absence of solar radiation so as not to alter the infrared records, which is why they are carried out at night. At the same time, the tests are carried out outdoors, since the hangars available for engine tests are not sized for this model and this type of tests. With these conditions, it is coherent that its perception reached areas close to the base in certain circumstances. The objective of the tests. Beyond the acoustic episode, the checks pursue a specific technical purpose: to evaluate whether the SAF biofuel has an infrared signature lower than that of the conventional fuel commonly used. This test is part of a verification campaign developed throughout the week, which is influenced by both the measurement procedure and the environmental conditions. looking back. The Air and Space Army has been developing the BACSI project since 2020aimed at combining energy sustainability and operational digitalization within its air bases. Within this framework, different milestones have occurred, from the first tests with biojet mixtures in 2022 to the presentation of results at FEINDEF 2023 and the supersonic flights with SAF carried out in 2024, with fuel produced in Spain by Repsol and mixed at 30% with conventional fuel. One more test. The last test is scheduled for the night of this Wednesday, February 11. This implies that the noise that surprised many residents could once again be perceived in the area near the base, although this time with an important difference: we now know where it comes from. What was a shared mystery for two nights is thus transformed into a concrete explanation, also linked to a technical process that points towards more sustainable fuels within military aviation. Images | Air Force In Xataka | France and Germany have agreed to give Spain the worst news: one in which the F-35 and its “button” are the winners

Spain agreed with Germany and France to bypass the US. And it will end with a fleet of F-35s because of a French name

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Since the end of the Cold War, Europe has tried several times to build large joint military programs capable of rivaling those of the United States, almost always clashing with national interests, different industrial cultures and, of course, technological egos that are difficult to fit into. Each generation of fighters has promised more integration and less external dependence. Few have managed to fulfill it, and now it was not going to be less. The surprise that was not. He FCAS was born as a high-caliber strategic ambition: France, Germany and Spain agreed to promote a new generation combat air system to get ahead of the United States and reduce European dependence of American fighters, with the ubiquitous F-35 in all pools. It was an explicit attempt to surprise technological, industrial and political in front of Washington. Today, that project more than 100,000 million of euros staggers to the point of threatening the opposite result: that Europe will continue buying F-35s and that Spain will end up reinforcing a US fleet just when it had opted for its own alternative. Dassault, the constant. Here comes an actor with a name of his own who has turned everything upside down. The main blockade does not come from Berlin or Madrid, but from a historical constant in the French military industry: Dassault Aviation. The Financial Times recalled this morning that the company, controlled by the Dassault family for generations, has demonstrated time and time again that its priority is maintain absolute control of the design and production of French fighters. He already did it in the eighties abandoning the Eurofighterand today he repeats the pattern at the FCAS, refusing to give up technical leadership or accept a shared governance with Airbus. Dassault Rafale A project broken from within. Furthermore, the FCAS was designed as an integrated system: a manned fighter, drone swarms, advanced weapons and communication networks, with Dassault leading the aircraft and Airbus the rest. That balance was blown up when disputes began on specifications, distribution of work and industrial control. France wanted a plane lighter and navalizableGermany another heavier and more versatile one. The technical differences masked a possibly deeper clash: who is really in charge at the heart of the system. France does not rule as much as it seems. Here another crux appears to understand the mess: although the French State is Dassault’s main client and controls exports, its real capacity to impose decisions is limited. Yes, the company has survived nationalization attempts, political pressures and merger projects for decades, always prioritizing independence and control. Hence, presidents have passed and ministers have changed, but Dassault remains the same. President Emmanuel Macron has tried rescue the FCAS in multiple diplomatic rounds, but his room for maneuver has narrowed as he nears the end of his term. Spain, trapped in collateral damage. The Spanish nation entered the FCAS as a partner convinced that the project would allow it break the dependency technology of the United States. That agreement with Germany and France meant resigning in the short term to the American F-35 in exchange for their own European future. If now the FCAS ends up failing as it seems and Spain ends up resorting again to American fighters, the irony is bitter: because the fault would not be in Washington, but in “home” of an ally. The outcome that no one wanted to admit. As we counted yesterdaywith the project running aground, Germany is already slipping that it could go on your own or look for other partners, while France protects to their national champion. From that perspective, the FCAS has become the closest thing to a failed test of European credibility in common defense. For Spain, the risk is now double: losing years betting on a blocked program of billions of euros and being forced to knock on Washington’s door again, although now with less political margin and worse conditions. He surprise European will have to wait and for now it is diluted, and the old Atlantic balance is imposed again, this time not due to lack of ambition, but because of excess control. Image | José Luis Celada Euba In Xataka | Spain, France and Germany could not depend on the “button” of the F-35. So the future European fighter aims for something else In Xataka | If the question is where is the 100 billion European fighter, the answer is simple: stuck on a dead-end runway

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