Ukraine turned drones into hunters. A helicopter shot down in Hormuz has transformed them into a Spielberg film

In April 1944, a small Sikorsky YR-4 helicopter went behind Japanese lines in Burma to rescue four soldiers isolated. That operation is considered the first military combat rescue carried out by a helicopter and opened a new era in the recovery of personnel under enemy fire. More than 80 years later, another innovation has just taken an equally transcendent step. Apache shot down at the most delicate moment. The fragile truce between the United States and Iran was brought to the brink of collapse when a US AH-64 Apache attack helicopter fell into nearby waters to the Strait of Hormuz during a patrol mission. Trump claimed that the aircraft had been shot down by Iran and promised a military responsewhile different American sources suggested that the impact would have been caused by an Iranian drone, possibly a Shahed. Although it remains completely unclear whether the attack was deliberate or accidental, the incident had a huge symbolic load because it occurred in one of the most sensitive points on the planet, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits and where Washington and Iran have been facing each other for months in a war of attrition marked by naval blockades, air attacks and constant episodes of tension. Ah64 The immediate response. The political reaction was almost as rapid as the incident itself. trump publicly declared that the United States had to respond to the shootdown and a few hours later the US Central Command announced retaliatory attacks against Iranian targets. Although operations seemed to remain within from a limited framework to avoid a new generalized escalation, the episode demonstrated the extent to which the ceasefire remained extremely fragile. The statements of Iranian officialscombining references to diplomacy with veiled warnings, made clear that both sides were trying to avoid outright war while continuing to send messages of strength to each other on the ground. The real event. However, the most relevant thing about the entire sequence was not the fall of the Apache or the subsequent retaliation. The truly revolutionary thing happened when the two surviving crew members were rescued. For decades, combat search and rescue operations have depended on helicopters, specialized aircraft and human teams that had to enter extremely dangerous areas to recover downed pilots. In Ukraine we have seen drones attacking, watching, taking prisoners, guiding artillerytransporting supplies and even intercepting other dronesbut the conflict between the United States and Iran has just shown something different: for the first time an autonomous naval drone He recovered two soldiers in the water and brought them to safety. It is an advance that until very recently seemed like something out of a science fiction movie and that marks a conceptual leap as important as the one represented by the arrival of the first combat drones. The Corsair and the birth of a new mission. They remembered the TWZ analysts that the protagonist of this operation was the corsairan unmanned vessel developed by the Saronic company and operated by Task Force 59 of the US Navy. Measuring 7 meters in length, capable of sailing more than 1,800 kilometers and with a high level of autonomy, the system located the two pilots, picked them up at sea and moved them to a safe area where they were later evacuated by helicopter. What is really new is that the Corsair was not initially conceived for rescues, but for maritime surveillancerecognition and tracking of vessels. The incident has shown that these systems can take on much more complex and delicate tasks, becoming a kind of first step in rescue capable of penetrating areas that are too dangerous for manned platforms. Lesson learned after years of high-risk rescues. The US military has been concerned for years about the vulnerability of its search and rescue units. Previous operations, such as pilot recovery shot down inside Iran or rescue missions in heavily defended scenarios, forced helicopters, planes and specialized personnel to be exposed to enormous risks. He use of the Corsair offers a completely new alternative. Instead of immediately sending a manned aircraft to an area threatened by missiles, drones or anti-aircraft defenses, an autonomous vehicle can arrive first, secure survivors and transport them to a point where other means operate more safely. It is a solution that reduces human risks and greatly expands the possibilities of action in future high-intensity conflicts. From the Strait of Hormuz to the Pacific. The implications go far beyond the Gulf of Oman. The US Navy already imagines networks of autonomous vessels distributed over entire regionsespecially in the Pacific, capable of monitoring sea routes, detecting threats, supporting military operations and, if necessary, rescuing downed or shipwrecked pilots. The concept is reminiscent of a network of mobile emergency stations spread over huge ocean areas. The Apache experience shows that these systems are no longer simple floating sensors or surveillance platforms, but rather operational actors capable of intervening directly in critical situations. The next silent revolution. The Ukrainian war turned drones in absolute protagonists of the modern battlefield and transformed the way we understand ground combat. However, the Apache episode points towards a new evolution. The great advance no longer consists only of using drones to destroy targets, but in trusting them with missions traditionally reserved for human beings. The rescue of the two American pilots represents the first known example of a personnel recovery executed by an autonomous vessel in a real military environment. It may seem like a minor detail compared to missiles, airstrikes or strategic retaliation, but it will probably be remembered as one of those discrete moments that herald a much more profound transformation: the moment when drones stopped being just weapons or hunters and also became rescuers. Image | US Navy In Xataka | The US had a ship with 2,000 marines ready to invade Iran. Now he has sent it right to the place where China worries the most In Xataka | In Lebanon, the war is becoming difficult to explain: drones to take over a 1,000-year-old … Read more

They have five days to open themselves to rivals

If there is something that the European Commission does not like at all, it is that technology companies use their power to create monopolies. It takes years actively fighting these practices with chases and historical fines. The objective is to promote competition and when Meta introduced your AI chatbot on WhatsApp, came under the scrutiny of the Commission. Now, have taken a historic decision: order Meta to open WhatsApp to any rival chatbot. And that opens the door, for example, for a Mistral or a ChatGPT to sneak into WhatsApp. In short. This Tuesday, June 9, the European Commission ordered the American giant to restore free access to WhatsApp for competing AI assistants. It is about reversing a situation that Meta has been making more and more complicated for the competition since October 2025. Today, we require Meta to restore access to WhatsApp for competing AI assistants while we investigate whether the restrictions may infringe EU competition rules – Teresa Ribera, European Commission Previously, other companies had access to the WhatsApp API, but Meta changed its conditions to block rival AI services on the platform, something that began to be applied on January 15 of this year. Their own AI chatbot had arrived and they didn’t want anyone stepping on their toes. The Commission did not begin to investigate this out of nowhere, but as a result of complaints from several AI assistant companies who reported that Meta was taking advantage of its position of power and dominance of messaging platforms to ‘sneak’ a single chatbot to everyone: its own. Historical. Meta has five business days to restore that access to rivals and, almost as important as the measure for the user (who will be able to choose which AI system they use in WhatsApp), is the way in which it has been taken. Because it represents the first antitrust precautionary measure that the European Union establishes since 2019 because the investigation has not really ended. The competition commissioner of the European Union, Teresa Ribera, pointed out that this precautionary order is necessary so that competition between companies is fair in these rapidly evolving markets. He assures that, if such a measure is not taken, the damage would be “almost impossible to repair” and assures that they continue to review whether the restrictions that Meta applied may violate EU competition laws… or not. That is to say, the European Commission has been investigating this case for six months and they are not finished, but they have already made the decision to order WhatsApp to open its API. Meta’s Response. Not only the European Commission got involved: Meta was already being investigated for the same reason by the Italian competition authority. Since then, the company has taken some actions to prevent an order like this from arriving, offering access to its rivals for a fee and, just a few weeks ago, offering free access to the API up to a certain threshold and, when they exceeded it, starting to charge for its use. Neither the complainants nor the Commission accepted these measures because they considered that, in practice, it was exactly the same as what Meta was already applying: it was not free access, but, in addition, you had to pay to join the platform. “This will allow free access to OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world. It is a regulatory overreach subsidized by the many European companies that pay” – Meta Spokesperson Obviously, Meta is not amused by this situation one bit, pointing that the EU is using its power to allow some of the world’s largest companies to use its (paid) WhatsApp Business product for free. They claim that Europe is playing along with OpenAI. Whistleblowers, such as The Interaction Company, do seem satisfied. Now…what. Well there are three options. Or Meta relents and opens its API so that anyone can enter WhatsApp as an AI chat (like when Google in its browser It asks us which search engine we want to use by default Instead of assuming we want yours, go) or pay a fine. That fine is not small: up to 10% of your global annual turnover if you do not comply with these provisional measures. The third option is for Meta to appeal the precautionary order before the courts of the European Union. The Apple thing. As we say, the decision of the European Commission is historic because it is a precautionary measure while they ensure that they must continue studying the case. They give Meta only five days to open its tools and let the competition ‘sneak’ into their home and then to wait to see if the decision is ratified or if the Commission backs down. In any case, it is something that comes just when Apple has once again raised its tone against Europe after the presentation of the new Siri AI by announcing that many of its functions will not be available on iPadOS 27 and on iOS 27 due to EU antitrust policies. But, as with Meta, it is not a fight for privacy (as Apple wants to sell), but rather one for control of its platform and its product so that there is no competition and no one else can play. In Xataka | No, WhatsApp Meta AI cannot be deactivated, but this way you can make it bother you as little as possible

this is the cheapest way to watch all 104 games

The World Cup finally starts tomorrow. The inaugural match, between Mexico and South Africa, It can be seen totally free on RTVE. This same platform will show all the matches in Spain, but, What if we want to see all 104 games of this competition? Well, we have to check out, because it is DAZN that has the rights to the entire US World Cup. Now, How to do it to spend as little as possible? DAZN has lowered the price of its Premium Planwhich includes, in addition to F1 or Moto GP (among other things), the World Championship. This plan previously cost 31.99 euros per month and now costs 25.99 euros. But there is a catch: to enjoy this price, it is necessary to take the 12-month stay option, so the total would be 383.88 euros. We tell you how to watch the entire World Cup for yourself 35.97 euros. Two months ‘Made in USA’ + the entire Soccer World Cup The price could vary. We earn commission from these links The ‘Made in USA’ Plan, the key DAZN announced that a few weeks ago, to watch the entire World Cup, there are two possibilities: the Premium Plan, which includes everything, or subscribe to one of their other plans and add the World Cup packagewhich has a price of 19.99 euros. The latter is what the Qatar World Cup cost a few years agobut inevitably we will have to pay more in this case. As we say, the Premium Plan includes many competitions beyond the World Cup. We can subscribe without the 12-month permanence, but then the price rises to 44.99 euros per month. Due to the World Cup calendar, if we want to see all 104 games, We have no choice but to subscribe for two monthsso we would be paying a total of 89.98 euros. And even with that price, important competitions this summer like Wimbledon (which broadcasts it Movistar Plus) Monthly subscription to Movistar Plus The price could vary. We earn commission from these links So how can we subscribe to DAZN to pay as little as possible? The way to do it is selecting the most economical plan and adding the World Cup package. We break down what we should do: ‘Made in USA’ Plan: This is the cheapest plan that DAZN has. Its price is 4.99 euros per month, but if we select the plan that has a 12-month duration (it is not worth it). Better, select the plan without permanence that costs 7.99 euros per month. World Cup 2026: as we have explained above, it is a single payment of 19.99 euros. Total: The World Cup starts on June 11 and ends on July 19. What we need is two months of subscription, so it would be two months of ‘Made in USA’ (15.98 euros) plus what the World Cup package costs. That is, a total of a total of 35.97 euros to watch the 104 games. A small important note. This ‘Made in USA’ plan, if we contract it in this way, does not have any type of permanence. Now, DAZN demands that we notify 30 days in advance when we are going to unsubscribesomething important to avoid paying more. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: good time to watch the World Cup ✅ THE BEST Being able to see all 104 games: Although there are matches that we can watch completely free, DAZN is the only platform to watch the entire World Cup. You can watch it on TV, but also on your mobile: The DAZN app is available on a multitude of platforms, ideal if, for example, you want to watch a game away from home. ❌ THE WORST It is more expensive than the previous World Cup: For less than 20 euros we could see the entire World Cup in Qatar. It is true that there are more games this time, but that does not mean that it is more expensive. The need to contract a plan that perhaps does not interest you: You have to buy a plan to watch the World Cup, whether it’s Premium or any of the others. 💡 SUBSCRIBE IF… The Spanish matches are not enough for you, but you prefer to watch the 104 World Cup matches. ⛔ DO NOT SUBSCRIBE IF… It seems too expensive to you, you don’t want to contract a plan that you are not going to use or the matches in Spain are simply enough for you. You may also be interested TCL 65Q6C Television 65 Inch QD-Mini LED 4K Smart TV, 1000 nits, 144Hz Motion Clarity Pro, Onkyo 2.1, Game Master, FreeSync, Google TV, Dolby Vision IQ and Atmos The price could vary. We earn commission from these links XIAOMI TV F 65, 65 Inch (165 cm), 4K UHD, Smart TV, Fire OS8, Alexa Voice Control, HDR10, MEMC, Game Boost Mode 120Hz, 2GB+32GB, Compatible with Apple AirPlay 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 | DAZN In Xataka | How to add all the World Cup matches directly to your calendar In Xataka | Where you can watch the 2026 World Cup depending on the operator you have

Claude Fable 5 is the most powerful public AI model in history. Also the most expensive, exclusive and frustrating

When Anthropic presented Claude Mythos Preview two months ago, he did it with a singular message: it is so powerful that you will not be able to use it. That, of course, caused everyone to want access to it. Well: Anthropic has just introduce Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5its new AI models directly derived from that. There is good news, but also bad news. Like Mythos, but capped as a precaution. Anthropic already warned that Claude Mythos Preview was a spectacular tool for finding security vulnerabilities. That made it especially juicy for cybercriminals, so the company decided that only a few trusted entities (under its Project Glasswing) would have access to the model. That learning has now been applied, because in this announcement we have two different (and layered) versions of the model: Claude Fable 5: a model with all the capabilities of Mythos Preview, but with notable security measures that prevent it from being used for malicious purposes. As soon as the model detects that we are asking something “dangerous”, it avoids the question and even forces the use of an inferior model, Claude Opus 4.8. Clear examples: questions about cybersecurity or the development of biological weapons, for example. Claude Mythos 5: This version is somewhat less capable than Fable 5 in terms of cybersecurity, but will only be available to “a small group of cyber defenders and infrastructure providers.” It is the natural heir to Mythos Preview, and according to its creators it is even better than the original version. Claude Fable 5 / Mythos 5 simply sweeps the most demanding benchmarks on the planet. There have never been more powerful models. Anthropic’s internal testing shows that we are facing the most powerful AI models in history. In all benchmarks – including the new FrontierCode programming, much more demanding than SWE Bench Pro – the scores of Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 are simply spectacular, well above those of their rivals. The jump from Claude Opus 4.8 is really surprising, but it leaves GPT-5.5 and Gemini 3.1 Pro far behind (they don’t compare with the recent 3.5 Flash). This is a brutal blow to Anthropic’s table, and we will see how both OpenAI and Google respond. Claude Fable 5 is amazing. Ethan Mollick, well-known AI popularizer, has had access to Fable 5 for a few days and is amazed by the experience. With this model he has managed to complete projects such as east of the isochronic map that previous models had never solved, and it has done it almost “the first time”. In one of the cases Fable 5 worked for 9 and a half hours straight to produce a code called Concord of data analysis. Their conclusions are compelling: Last year (when working with GPT-5 Pro) I called him “work with a magician”: you recite the spell and something happens. With Fable, the spell has become so powerful that I’m no longer sure I’m the wizard. I feel more like a patron. I describe what I want, pay for it and evaluate the result. The conspiracy takes place somewhere I can’t see, in hundreds of small decisions over which I never have a say. Work has gone from being a process to being a result. I no longer direct; charge. The criticism is unanimous. Andrej Karpathy, who recently signed by Anthropic, commented on X how this is a qualitative leap that for him is of the same relevance as the one that Claude 4.5 represented in November. That model began the overtaking of OpenAI: this puts it even further away (at least, for now). Other tweetersemployees or not from Anthropic, make it clear that this is an important leap in the capabilities of AI models. It’s only been a few hours since the launch, but everything points because we are indeed facing a notable leap in quality. Consume tokens like there’s no tomorrow. But in the face of that fascination, the criticism. Discussions on Reddit reveal how users who have started using it have quickly detected the problems associated with this release. The first of them: Claude Fable 5 burns tokens like there is no tomorrow. Its consumption is enormous, and the quotas for Pro and even Max accounts run out in minutes if we use the model intensively. If it already seemed to us that we were exhausting the limits of the free or quick payment accounts, with Claude Fable 5 that feeling worsens: Fable 5 is fantastic, but we can barely use it often with the Pro or Max plans because those dreaded messages about waiting X hours to continue using it quickly appear. Extremely cautious. Anthropic has been very serious about avoiding misuse of Fable 5, and as soon as it detects anything suspicious it “brakes” and “downgrades” the model so that at that moment the one that is activated is Claude Opus 4.8 (which is not bad at all). The problem is that users are detecting that the model takes completely harmless prompts as dangerous. Although in Anthropic indicate Although these security measures are activated in less than 5% of sessions, what users are detecting is that they are activated much more. Fable 5 can get silly. Not only that: Fable 5’s own design means that if it encounters a prompt that it detects as dangerous, the model tries to avoid the response and automatically reduces your capabilities (‘nerfing’) without you knowing. It gets a little sillier on purpose, so to speak. As Anthropic itself explains on the system card, We have implemented new measures that limit Claude’s effectiveness in requests related to the development of cutting-edge large-scale language models (LLMs) (for example, in creating pre-training pipelines, distributed training infrastructure, or designing machine learning accelerators). Using Claude to develop competing models already violates our Terms of Service, but enforcing this restriction through our security measures prevents giving an advantage to those users most willing to violate those terms. Unlike our cybersecurity, biology and chemistry interventions, and distillation attempts, … Read more

is becoming a destination for foreign weddings

In 2025 Japan received 42.7 million of foreign tourists, a flood of visitors from other countries wanting to get out selfies with Fuji in the backgroundsee the geishas of Kyoto, marvel at almond trees in bloom of Fujiyoshida or stroll through the famous (and increasingly dirty) Shibuya crossing. Among these hordes, however, there is a group of travelers with very different plans: their objective is not only tourist for the country. In fact, that is not the ‘highlight’ of their trips. If they go to Japan it is basically to get married. And in doing so they are promoting a huge business. Bodorrio in Japan? that Japan is living a real tourist boom It’s nothing new. In fact, not even the diplomatic crisis that broke out at the end of 2025 with Beijing (and the subsequent boycott by China) seems be taking its toll to the sector. Last year the country received 42.7 million of foreigners, an absolute record that exceeds by 15.8% the 2024 record and further strains the (often tense) coexistence between natives and visitors. What is new is that, in the heat of that tourism accelerated, Japan is encountering an increasingly frequent visitor profile: foreign couples who come to the country to say ‘I do’. There is not much data on the phenomenon and what there is suggests that it is not a generalized or massive trend, but it is clear enough that in the last months have dedicated articles several Japanese newspapers. Ceremony with views of Fuji. The last one to report on the subject has been The Japan Timesthat has interviewed to tourists who have decided to get married in Japan and to some of the companies specialized in organizing ceremonies. Specifically, they have talked with Nomad Weddingsa New Zealand firm that is dedicated to planning weddings and romantic getaways and claims to have served a thousand couples from more than 40 countries since its founding in 2012. It has had a presence in Japan for three years. Among its users there are tourists from Oceania, but also Europe, North America and Latin America. “Our business is growing. It picked up quickly in 2025 and this year I’m traveling all over Japan helping couples get married. It’s definitely becoming more and more popular,” comment its founder, James Hirata, before sharing some data about the agency: from registering about four weekly consultations in 2025, they have gone up to 24 this year. Something similar happens with reserves: last year there were 24; So far in 2026 they have surpassed that figure and are at 69. Not big numbers, right? True, but they represent only the balance sheet of a company. A quick Google search shows that there are more agencies who have decided to bet on that business niche and online guides that explain to foreigners how to manage a wedding in Japan. a few weeks ago The Japan News interviewed in fact to another company, Value Management Co., based in Osaka and which has been dedicated to offering marriage services to foreigners since 2024. Their figures are also modest, but those responsible hope to increase them exponentially in the coming years. The figure: 4.3 billion. Beyond the balance sheets of each wedding agency, the market research firm Future Market Insights helps to understand better the enormous potential of the so-called “destination weddings” in Japan. According to your calculationsin 2036 the sector could reach a valuation of 4.3 billion dollars, more than double the estimated volume in 2026. Taking into account the success of destinations such as Okinawa, the popularity of Japan in other Asian countries (China, South Korea or Taiwan) and the “growing acceptance of non-traditional wedding formats”, the firm expects the business to grow over the next decade at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 8.5%. What exactly do they offer? The Japan News share the case Specifically, a couple in their thirties from the US who said ‘I do’ in Osaka. Their case is interesting because it helps to understand what exactly brides and grooms who decide to travel thousands of kilometers to pass through the altar are looking for: first they wanted the ceremony to be in a garden, with cherry blossoms and Japanese architecture in the background; Then, after the wedding, several days in the country followed, traveling through Tokyo and Okinawa. In total they were in Japan for 17 days and mobilized about 20 guests, people who also took the opportunity to visit Yakushima, Fuji or Hiroshima. Another example is that of Ben and Ariella Jacobya couple from California who in the spring of 2023 decided to exchange their vows thousands of kilometers from their home, near Lake Kawaguchi, with Fuji as a backdrop. She had never been to Japan. He did and decided he wanted his wedding to take place there. He is not the only one who makes a decision like this. Among the foreigners who come to Okinawa to get married are former US soldiers who return to the region where the Kadena Air Basein which they served. The experience of course does not come cheap for them, just like the rest of the tourists who want to say ‘I do’ in Japan. Hirata explains that budgets fluctuate between 700,000 and one million yen (3,800-5,400 euros) only for the wedding ‘package’; that is, management and coordination, in addition to photography, hairdressing and makeup services. Opportunities… and challenges. The increase in ‘destination weddings’ coincides with the tourism boom that Japan is experiencing and represents an opportunity for a sector (the one dedicated to organizing weddings and their services) that has seen how the domestic market is gradually becoming more complicated: the marriage rate in Japan has collapsed in recent decades and in the country it is increasingly common That couples who do get married do so in simple ceremonies, with few guests. In contrast, foreign brides and grooms are increasingly attracted to Japan’s landscapes, heritage and culture. Also the possibility of linking the wedding with a trip … Read more

cut mountains in half

Tunnels have saved us from hours of detours into mountains and rocky surfaces for decades. However, it is not the only technique to shorten time and develop new roads that connect cities with each other. In this regard, it is worth telling how China once again demonstrates its ability to transform the landscape with a technique that seems straight out of a science fiction movie: literally cut mountains in half to build roads. Explosives, giant excavators and millimeter planning are what is needed to divide rock formations hundreds of meters high. How the technique works. After a geological study Thoroughly determining the composition of the mountain and planning cuts so that they do not compromise the stability of the terrain, engineers use controlled explosives to create the first fractures, followed by specialized heavy machinery that can dig tens of meters deep per day. The remaining walls are stabilized with metal mesh, shotcrete and drainage systems to prevent slipping. Although it is also true that there is not a single clean pit, since the usual thing is to excavate in phases, in terraces or stepped benches that open from top to bottom. The final result is a clean passage through the mountainwith vertical walls up to 200 meters high that look like someone with a giant knife has gone through them. A technique in multiple regions of China. These ‘cut walls’ can be seen mainly in the mountainous provinces of GuizhouYunnan and Sichuan, where karst terrain and complicated rock formations made traditional tunnel construction impractical. High-profile projects such as the Guiyang-Qianxi Highway or the Taihang Mountain Pass have turned hours-long journeys into minutes-long journeys. It has also been used in the construction of the high speed railway that connects Beijing with Guangzhou, where several sections cross mountains literally split in half. The last great example: Huajiang. The most recent and spectacular case is once again in Guizhou, within the S57 Liuzhi-Anlong highway, where these cutting techniques coexist with one of the most ambitious bridges ever built. The Huajiang Canyon Bridge opened on September 28, 2025 and was presented by China Railway (CREC) as the highest bridge in the world by distance between the roadway and the river, with a height of 625 meters, a length of 2,890 meters and a main span of 1,420 meters. According to China Dailyreduces the canyon crossing from about an hour to just two minutes. Click on the image to see the video Why are tunnels not used?. The decision to cut rather than drill often comes due to technical criteria and specific economics. In terrain with a high concentration of groundwater or unstable rock formations, building tunnels can be more expensive and risky than direct cutting. Additionally, maintenance of an open passage is considerably easier than that of a tunnel, which requires constant ventilation, lighting and drainage systems. In low-lying mountains, cutting also allows for the greater proliferation of heavy vehicles, especially in an economy so dependent on road freight transportation. Beyond China. Although China has perfected and popularized this technique, it is not the only country that uses it. Norway uses similar methods in its fjords, where the characteristics of the terrain make cutting more viable than drilling (although in this country we also have spectacular tunnel projects under construction such as Rogfast). In the United States, the Cumberland Gap Pass in the Appalachians was created using cutting techniques, although on a smaller scale. However, no country matches the ambition and scale of Chinese projects, which have turned mountain cutting into an art. Environmental impact. Although the benefits of using this technique are evident, especially in the aspect of economic development and its effectiveness in connecting remote regions, this technique also generates some debate. around the environmental impact. And this type of construction can end up destroying local ecosystems, altering natural drainage patterns or fragmenting wildlife habitats, not to mention the amount of dust and noise during its construction that can generate millions of tons of waste. It should also be said that it is not the most used technique, since tunnels continue to be the preference except in exceptional cases. Cover image | Zhang Meifang and r/Damnthatsinteresting In Xataka | China has just inaugurated its longest underwater tunnel: 11 kilometers, LEDs everywhere and 1.5 billion investment

CATL wants a battery as powerful as gasoline. And he will trust his plan: lithium-air

CATL has prepared a very interesting roadmap for us over the next few years. With an energy transition increasingly accentuated in the automotive industry, there are several battery technologies that will fight for permanence in the next decade. Wu Kai, chief scientist of CATL and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, advertisement At the Equipment and Energy Forum 2026, the company has identified lithium-air technology as the strategic front where the next great global battery battle will be fought. It is the first time that CATL makes this bet officially public. Why this ad matters. CATL controls 47% of the global electric vehicle battery market, according to April 2026 datawhich means we are talking about the world’s largest battery manufacturer by market share. The company has also accumulated five consecutive years as a leader in global energy storage, with a share of 30.4% in 2025. So, when its chief scientist points out a technology as the battlefield of the future, the industry listens. What exactly is a lithium-air battery. Unlike conventional lithium ion batteries, which use heavy metal compounds (nickel, cobalt, manganese) to house lithium ions, lithium-air batteries dispense with that solid cathode and replace these materials with oxygen taken directly from ambient air. The anode is pure metallic lithium. The result is a lighter system with an open architecture, which has led researchers to call them “breathable batteries”. Without so much dead weight inside the cell, the potential energy density skyrockets. The numbers. The theoretical energy density of this technology reaches 12,000 Wh/kg, a figure comparable to that of gasoline, which is around 13,000 Wh/kg. The lithium ion batteries that equip electric cars today offer between 250 and 270 Wh/kg. Solid-state batteries, considered the next big leap, aim for about 500 Wh/kg. The lithium-air prototypes already developed in the laboratory have exceeded 1,200 Wh/kg, more than four times the capacity of current batteries. If this technology were commercialized, we would be talking about electric cars with ranges of more than 1,600 kilometers on a single charge. A problem that comes from the 70s. The lithium-air battery concept is not new. And just as share CarNewsChina, its theoretical foundations were laid out in the 1970s. The problem is that taking it from theory to practice has proven extraordinarily difficult. The cells are very sensitive to humidity and carbon dioxide present in the air, which causes rapid degradation. Added to this are problems with catalyst stability and a very short useful life. But there is real progress. In 2024, a joint team from the University of Illinois Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and California State University Northridge managed to demonstrate a lithium-air battery capable of exceeding 700 charge cycles in an environment similar to real air. A year later, in 2025, Argonne National Laboratory and the Illinois Institute of Technology developed a prototype that reached 1,200 Wh/kg with a life of 1,000 cycles at room temperature. According to collect CarNewsChina, this design is not expected to be ready for use in vehicles before 2030. The key to the breakthrough was, among other things, replacing liquid electrolytes (which are flammable) with a solid matrix composed of a ceramic polymer with lithium-rich nanoparticles, which stabilizes the cell during high-energy cycles. How does this fit into CATL’s strategy. The company already has experience in converting alternative technologies into market products. An example is sodium-ion batteries, which were proposed by the company in 2020 and This same year they are already being mass producedinstalled in models such as the GAC Aion UT, the Changan Oshan 520 and vehicles from Geely, Chery and FAW. According to explained Kai in the forum, the company’s strategy is planned in the short term to offer mature technologies to meet current demand; in the medium term, solid state batteries to improve the experience in premium vehicles; and in the long term, lithium-air with the intention of exploring the physical limits of energy storage. Between the lines. Betting on lithium-air now is not waiting for a product for next year. Just like points out Gasgoo, for large companies, investing in these frontier technologies serves above all to accumulate patents, secure strategic positions and build technical reserves, not to generate short-term income. It is something like a move to avoid surprises in case another company decides to announce a disruptive technology. Cover image | CATL In Xataka | Peugeot, on PureTech engines: “We recognize that we have done things wrong”

an arsenal of malware that speaks Chinese

European companies have been living for years with a reality that is difficult to ignore: many digital threats are not born here, but they can also end up reaching their systems, their emails and their internal documents. Sometimes they do it loudly, other times with disguised messages. In this case, what we have seen is precisely that jump. Proofpoint claims that a Chinese-speaking cybercriminal actor initially observed primarily targeting Asian organizations has expanded its campaigns to the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy with an increasingly broad set of tools. Identifying the problem. Proofpoint identifies to the actor as TA4922 and links it to the Chinese-speaking cybercriminal ecosystem through several indications: metadata in Chinese within malware samples, frequent use of infrastructure associated with Chinese providers and overlaps with campaigns such as Silver Fox either Void Arachne. Even so, the company separates this group from those labels and analyzes it as its own threat, probably motivated by money. Europe enters the map. Specialists began observing campaigns associated with TA4922 in spring 2025, but the change in scale came later. The group’s activity increased notably in March 2026 and maintained a high pace in April, with unprecedented operational diversity in its data on this actor. During this period, campaigns appeared aimed at organizations in the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, as well as South Africa, already within a more global expansion, a sign that the group is no longer limited to its most common objectives in Asia. The hook is in the everyday. The gateway is not always a spectacular vulnerability, but rather a message well adapted to the context of the recipient. Proofpoint describes localized honeypots that imitate human resources communications, payroll notices, tax audits, VAT returns, invoices or regulatory compliance requirements. In some cases, the attempt does not remain in the email: the actor also tries to move the conversation to WhatsApp, LINE either Microsoft Teamschannels where you can extend social engineering away from the usual visibility of corporate email. The toolbox grows. Proofpoint notes that TA4922 has notably expanded its arsenal in recent months, something that fits with the increase in activity seen in March and April 2026. The report mentions several pieces: Atlas RAT, a remote access backdoor recently identified by researchers; RomulusLoader, a loader designed to download and execute new loads; SilentRunLoader, aimed at stealing data from Chrome, and ValleyRAT/Winos4.0, an already documented family. Atlas RAT. This malware can collect system information, list and upload files to the command and control server, load additional plugins or modules, and execute new payloads. It also incorporates surveillance functions, such as keylogger, screenshots, clipboard access and audio or video recording via microphone and webcam. Proofpoint maintains the nuance: it evaluates the actor as financially motivated, but warns that these capabilities could be used or sold to espionage groups. Legitimate tools, malicious use. Part of the problem is that TA4922 does not rely solely on recognizable malware. Proofpoint describes the use of RomulusLoader to install remote administration software such as AnyDesk and SyncFuture, tools that may have legitimate uses within an organization, but in this context serve to extend control over the affected environment. SilentRunLoader completes the picture from another angle: it searches for sensitive Chrome data, including credentials, cookies, and history. Additionally, Proofpoint believes with high confidence that the group is likely using LLM to accelerate the development of new Python-based malware. The warning for Europe. Proofpoint describes an actor capable of moving fast, tailoring messages to the country, and combining malicious payloads with legitimate services, cloud hosting, and remote administration tools. That forces you to look beyond the obvious suspicious email. The company’s recommendations are along these lines: control what is executed and from where, monitor anomalous connections, reduce local privileges and limit the software allowed. The threat is not presented as confirmed espionage, but as a very real business risk. Images | DC Studio In Xataka | Apple has already sold so many iPhones to adults that it’s now going after kids. Convincing their parents first, of course.

The fastest civil aircraft since Concorde has just set its first record. Speed ​​is only part of the story

For years we have assumed that civil aviation had stopped putting speed at the center of the discourse. The industry moved towards other areas: being more efficient, achieving greater autonomy and improving occupant comfort, especially on long flights. He concorde It remained a reference that was difficult to repeat, almost like a symbolic border from another era. That is why it is striking that Bombardier puts speed back on the table with the Global 8000a business jet that the company bills as the fastest civilian jet since Concorde. And yet, that’s only part of the story. A route with a showcase. The demonstration came with a very specific transatlantic flight. Last June 5Bombardier reported that the Global 8000 had set its first speed record after covering the route between Montreal, Canada, and Nice, France, in just over six hours. The firm explained that the plane was transporting passengers to the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix and that among them was Éric Martel, president and CEO of the company. Not only does it show off flight time: it also puts the plane in the terrain for which it was designed. Speed, in figures. One of the big claims of the Global 8000 is its maximum speed of Mach 0.95, a fact that the manufacturer uses to place it above the rest of the business jets. The company also talks about an ultra-fast cruise of Mach 0.92, in addition to a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 and a typical speed of Mach 0.85. Added to this is a maximum autonomy of 8,000 nautical miles, about 14,800 kilometers. Further and more places. The other key is how you take off and land. Bombardier claims that the Global 8000 maintains unusual agility for a very long-range aircraft, with performance comparable to that of a light jet in certain runway operations. The explanation lies in its Smooth Flĕx wing, designed to combine low-speed lift and high-speed performance, along with specific leading edge slats. According to the manufacturerthis architecture allows it to operate in up to 30% more airports than its closest rival. The other part of the story. Beyond the flight figures, Bombardier wants the cabin to be another of the great arguments of the Global 8000. The plane can have a large kitchen, Nuage seats, Soleil lighting and connectivity options such as JetWave, Starlink and Gogo Galileo. It also highlights a cabin altitude of 2,691 feet when the aircraft flies at 41,000 feet, a figure that the manufacturer presents as the lowest in production business aviation. The Global 8000 is not understood only by the record. We are talking about a business aircraft capable of flying very fast, sustaining very long-range flights, expanding the range of possible airports and offering a cabin designed for customers who expect more than just a comfortable seat. Images | DUNCAN KIRK (CC BY 4.0) In Xataka | Brazil’s secret to becoming the first nation in Latin America with its own supersonic fighter is a number: 40

Spain produces so much solar energy that it is the envy of Europe. And even so, 70% of what you consume matters

In June, when the sun hits hardest, the Spanish electricity grid registers demand peaks greater than 36,800 MW that renewables comfortably cover. We are, in electricity generation, the envy of Europe. And yet, at this very moment, 70% of the energy our economy consumes comes from abroad. That is the Spanish paradox in a single sentence: a country that exudes sun and wind but is still 70% dependent on the outside world. This contradiction, which in normal times would be just another energetic debate, has become an open wound since The Third Gulf War closed the Strait of Hormuzthe artery through which approximately a fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited. Is the second major energy shock in just four years and, according to the International Energy Agency, the largest in the history of the oil market. We have the best sun in Europe. And we continue to pay for the war. The report From Fossil Shock to Energy Sovereigntyprepared by the Renovables Foundation and the Meridian Institute, explains why. And the answer is uncomfortable: it is not that we lack resources. It’s just that we are ignoring them. The underlying problem. Here is the key that many overlook. Electricity consumption in Spain represents only 22% of the country’s total energy demand. The rest—78%—is covered by burning things: petroleum products (54%) and fossil gas (16%). It doesn’t matter how many solar panels we put on the roofs if cars continue to pump gasoline, boilers continue to burn gas and factories continue to throw away fossils. We are a country that has learned to produce clean electricity extraordinarily well. And then he uses it for a minimal fraction of what he needs. The three “black holes”. The study identifies three sectors where this disconnection between what we produce and what we consume is most flagrant: Mobility: the biggest hole. Transportation consumes 43% of final energy and accounts for 33% of emissions. The sector is responsible for 71.1% of the final consumption of petroleum products in Spainwith diesel as the undisputed king. By the end of 2025, the share of purely electric cars in sales was 8.85%. Of the total fleet in circulation, only 0.8% is electric. The rest continues to fill the tank. Homes: heating from the last century. Domestic consumption accounts for 30% of final energy use. Only 24% of the heating in our homes is electric; the rest continue to burn mainly fossil fuels. Gas boilers continue to be the majority in Spain while in the Nordic countries they are already history. We are the country in Europe with the most hours of sunshine and one of the countries that installs the least aerothermal energy. The industry: the silent hole. It represents the remaining 27% of final energy use. Its level of electrification has been stuck at around 35% for years, which means that almost two-thirds of the energy that drives our factories is still fossil fuel. It is the least visible sector in public debate and, possibly, the most difficult to transform. Also the one that needs the most time to do it: that is why it is urgent to start now. The Scandinavian mirror (with nuances). Norway leads the way: by the end of 2025, almost 98% of its new passenger cars sold were pure electric. They have more than 600 heat pumps for every 1,000 homes. Spain is located below 90 aerothermal units per 1,000 homes. The difference is more than 6 to 1. In the sunniest country in continental Europe. It is worth being honest: Norway finances its transition precisely with the income from the oil it exports. Spain does not have that cushion. But that does not invalidate the direction, but rather forces us to look for our own mechanisms—tax incentives, collective purchasing, European funds—to follow the same path. So why are we going so slow? The obstacles are real: the entry price of electric vehicles remains high for the average Spanish income, the charging infrastructure unfolds very unevenly throughout the territory, and the housing stock—with many old and poorly insulated buildings—cannot always accommodate a heat pump without major work. Naming these obstacles is not an excuse. It is the condition to overcome them. What it costs us every year to do nothing. If Spain matched the Norwegian pace for a single year—registering some 950,000 electric cars and installing 820,000 heat pumps—the immediate savings in fossil fuel imports would be between 1,300 and 1,700 million euros. With 100% electrification of mobility sustained for a decade, the reduction would reach 36% in oil and gas imports: 16.4 billion euros per year that would no longer go abroad. To understand the scale: Spain has strategic reserves for about 92 days of consumption regardless of a single barrel. Three months of autonomy in the face of a crisis that is already lasting longer. Every year that we do not electrify is one more year of fragility that we consciously choose. And the European irony completes the picture: the EU allocates nearly 88 billion euros annually to subsidize fossil fuels for transport, heating and industry. According to the Meridian Institute, this money would be enough to install more than 10.2 million heat pumps or finance 2.5 million electric cars annually across the continent. Europe has been paying for decades to remain vulnerable. Same trap, different provider. Four years ago we learned the hard way about the danger of depending on Russian gas and we exchanged it for liquefied gas ships from the United States and Qatar. Today we discovered that we have only replaced one vulnerability with another. As long as we need to burn gas to turn on the light, our pockets will continue to be hostage to geopolitics. The name of the country that supplies does not matter. In storage, the gap is also striking. Germany and Italy lead European battery deployment, with 6.6 GWh and 4.9 GWh installed by 2025 respectively. Achieving that capacity would allow Spain to eliminate between 5% and 10% … Read more

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