Mobile Tech & Gadgets

Amancio Ortega’s taste for big logistical bets

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One of the keys that led Inditex to maintain its position as world leader of fashion was the ability of Amancio Ortega to get ahead of growth and taking advantage of market changes with an impressive logistics network for its ecosystem of brands. Although Amancio Ortega is no longer the visible head of Inditex, his strategy is still in force under the mandate of his daughter Marta Ortega. The latest move by the multinational: a historic investment in Sagunto, to build a new logistics center on a 380,000 m2 plot right next to a Volkswagen gigafactory. Inditex was left alone in the bid. According to informed The Opinion of A CoruñaInditex has presented the only offer to acquire a plot of approximately 388,000 square meters in the Parc Sagunt II business park, near the Valencian town of Sagunto, where a new logistics base will be located. The offer was presented through a recently created limited company called Alveston ITG, established with an initial capital of 3,000 euros and linked to Inditex. This company was the only one that submitted an offer for one of the lots that the managing consortium Espais Econòmics Empresarials (a commercial company jointly owned by the Generalitat and the State Society for Industrial Promotion and Business Development) put up for sale this summer. Just a slice of the whole cake. According to detailed The Confidentialthe complete plot that was put up for sale consisted of a total area of ​​1,000,202 square meters with a combined price of 160 million euros. However, this plot was divided into four smaller lots. Two of them with surfaces of 388,000 and 381,000 m2 for 62.14 million and 61 million respectively, one of which has been awarded to Inditex, as well as two smaller ones with 164,407 m2 and 65,612 m2 respectively. According to sources consulted by El Confidencial, Inditex would have only bid for the largest of the lots with 388,377 m2, the usual surface area of ​​its logistics platforms. Volkswagen Neighbors. The land on which the next Inditex logistics center will be built will border those of the gigafactory that Volkswagen is building in Sagunto. In fact, the land that the multinational founded by Amancio Ortega has acquired was reserved for suppliers of PowerCO, a company linked to Volkswagen that builds batteries for electric cars. However, as there was no interest from third parties, the authorities opened the tender for other possible industrial or logistics projects, including the Inditex proposal. A new piece for the Inditex gear. Inditex’s interest in Parc Sagunt is neither new nor coincidental. The company already has another platform of almost 280,000 square meters in place for its Tempe footwear brand in the first phase of the same industrial park (Parc Sagunt I), so it is expected that this new investment will reinforce Inditex’s commitment to converting Sagunto into a hub for your logisticsafter lowering his interest in Cheste’s land. This new purchase considerably expands its logistics capacity in the area, where connectivity and access play a fundamental role in the efficiency of your stores. The location allows quick communications with Madrid, Aragon and the Mediterranean corridor, including ports and railways. The project, which will still have to be developed for several years, is part of the Inditex logistics plan 2024-2025which includes investments of more than 1,800 million euros in new distribution centers and expansions in Spain and abroad. In Xataka | Inditex is the goose that lays the golden eggs for Amancio Ortega: it receives 98 euros per second and has tripled its dividends Image | Wikimedia Commons (Nemigo), GTRES

that’s about to change

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The factual report published by ENTSO-E didn’t reveal much more than we already knew about the blackout of April 28. Still, until the end of the year we will not have all the answers on the table. What is clear is that Spain is generating more electricity than ever, but it cannot take full advantage of it. The problem does not lie in production, but in lack of interconnections, storage and network capacity. In the words of energy analysts, Spain continues to be an energy island: barely can exchange 2.8% of its capacity with France, well below the European target of 15% set for 2030. This means that, although solar and wind farms generate surplusesmuch of that clean energy is dumped or lost because it cannot be transferred to other areas or sold to the continent. Therefore, the April blackout was not an isolated event, but a symptom of that structural disconnection. And also, the turning point that has launched the country’s largest electrical modernization plan in decades. A new energy map. The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has developed the Transportation Network Development Plan 2025-2030. This roadmap seeks in the words of the minister “a change of energy paradigm”. If the previous plan contemplated 2 GW of new demand, it is now planned to meet more than 27 GW, prioritizing industrial projects and clean consumption. The planned investment amounts to 13.6 billion euros and with a total consumption of 375 TWh in 2030. To supply this demand, it is planned to integrate 159GW of renewable energies and more than 22GW of storage – batteries, hydraulic pumping or green hydrogen -, in what will be the largest leap in electrical capacity in the country. Goodbye to the bottleneck. One of the pillars of the new plan is the increase in international interconnection capacity. The most emblematic project is the interconnection of the Bay of Biscaycurrently under construction. This 400 kilometer submarine cable – 300 of them under the sea – will connect the stations of Gatika (Spain) and Cubnezais (France). Financed with 1,600 million euros from the European Investment Bank and 578 million from the “Connecting Europe” Mechanism, it will allow the electricity exchange capacity between both countries to double to 5,000 MW in 2028. according to data from Red Eléctrica (REE) and the EIB. However, it will not be the only link with France. Two new projects are planned for the post-2030 horizon: Navarra–Landes (Olza–Cantegrit) and Aragon–Marsillonwhich will cross the Pyrenees with HVDC (direct current) technology and underground lines to reduce the environmental and social impact. These interconnections seek to maintain the balance of flows between both countries and reach a joint exchange capacity of 8,000 MW. Towards the south, a third interconnection with Morocco is also being studied, which is would add to the two current submarine cables of 400 kV and 900 MW of total capacity. In parallel, the Canary Islands reinforces its strategic role with a new submarine fiber optic and energy cable to Tarfaya (Morocco), a project that will turn the archipelago into a digital and energy node between Europe and Africa, although not free of geopolitical controversy due to its proximity to Western Sahara. A more open flow on the peninsula. If we look towards our neighbor, which presents an even more marked situation of energy isolation, we find a relevant advance: the new 400 kV link between Fontefría and Vilafría (Galicia). Its commissioning, scheduled for the end of the year, will allow electrical connections to be reinforced and the waste of renewable energy will be reduced. The islands are also connected. The plan specifically addresses island electrical systems, where isolation is literal. In the Canary Islands, the Lanzarote–La Graciosa interconnection is planned, while in the Balearic Islands, the Mallorca–Menorca 3 link stands out, designed to reinforce the supply and facilitate the integration of local renewables. Both projects seek to reduce dependence on local generation and improve network stability. According to planning documentsthe total length of submarine lines will increase by 6.3% compared to 2024, reflecting the effort to modernize the maritime links of the Spanish system. Looking towards capacity. Modernization will not only come from outside. The plan includes the repowering of 6,000 kilometers of circuits, the incorporation of dynamic monitoring systems (DLR) and improvements to 9,500 kilometers of lines, which represents 21% of the current network. These actions, together with the digitalization and automation of the network, will allow the absorption of the largest renewable generation without compromising the security of supply. A network to improve electrification. The modernization of the network and the new interconnections will make it possible to take advantage of midday solar surpluses, share energy with Europe and reduce renewable discharges that are currently lost due to lack of capacity. Furthermore, the new planning has an industrial dimension: the MITECO emphasizes that it prioritizes projects of clean consumption, such as green hydrogen poles, electro-intensive factories and data centers, which will demand increasingly decarbonized electricity. The pending challenge. Still, challenges remain. Spain invest only 30 cents in electrical networks for every euro allocated to renewables, less than half the European average. France continues to set the pace for interconnections, often with reluctance due to its nuclear dependence and its role as the dominant node in the European electricity system. Without a faster push in storage, batteries and bureaucracy, the risk is that clean energy will continue to accumulate without being able to be harnessed. From island to energy node. If everything goes as planned, Spain will go from being an electric island to becoming an energy bridge between Europe and Africa in the next five years. It will not be a simple path: the projects will have to overcome complex environmental processes, local resistance and a bureaucracy that is still moving slowly. But the reward will be tangible: more stable bills, less dependence on gas and less risk of blackouts. And, above all, a country capable of exporting its sun and wind at … Read more

the end of an era for Elon Musk’s megarocket

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After a few eternal months of lights and shadowsSpaceX is ready to close a stage and move on to the next chapter. It’s launch Monday and the last Starship V2 is on the pad, stacked for takeoff. If all goes well, it will be a final test before the long-awaited debut of the Starship V3, the most powerful rocket in the world. Release date and time. The window for Starship’s eleventh test flight opens on Monday, October 13, at 18:15 CDT from Starbase, Texas. If there is a problem, SpaceX could delay the countdown by up to 75 minutes before delaying the launch by 24 hours. This time, the first takeoff attempt has favorable weather, with clear skies and light winds. Madrid, Spain (CEST, UTC+2): Tuesday, October 14 at 01:15 Mexico City, Mexico (CST, UTC−6): Monday, October 13 at 5:15 p.m. Buenos Aires, Argentina (ART, UTC-3): Monday, October 13 at 8:15 p.m. Bogotá, Colombia (COT, UTC-5): Monday, October 13 at 18:15 Lima, Peru (PET, UTC-5): Monday, October 13 at 18:15 Santiago, Chile (CLT, UTC-4): Monday the 13th at 20:15 Caracas, Venezuela (VET, UTC-4): Monday, October 13 at 7:15 p.m. How to see the flight live. As usual, SpaceX will broadcast the launch through their website and of your official X account. The broadcast will begin 30 minutes before takeoff. For those who want a multi-camera experience, channels like NASASpaceflight and Everyday Astronaut They will offer live coverage with their own cameras from near Starbase. And in Spanish, coverage of Space Frontier, Mission Control, Manuel Mazzanti either SpaceXStormamong others. Goodbye to a historic platform. In addition to the last flight of Starship V2this will be the last liftoff for launch pad 1a in its current configuration. The structure survived a first explosive takeoff that left a crater in the concrete, was reinforced with a water-cooled steel plate in the following ones, and went down in history by catching a Super Heavy booster for the first time on the fifth flight. It will now undergo a profound remodeling for the new generation of rockets. Farewell without landing. The protagonist of the mission will be the Super Heavy booster “Booster 15”, which has already flown and landed successfully on the eighth mission. Its objective is to test for the first time the landing sequence that future V3 thrusters will use, turning on 13 engines for initial braking, five to adjust its trajectory with greater redundancy and three to simulate a hovering flight over the Gulf of Mexico before saying goodbye with a splash. A Starship on the limit, again. Ship 38 has an even tighter schedule. On the one hand, it will repeat the feats of the previous flight, including the deployment of eight mock-ups of Starlink satellites and the restart of a Raptor engine in space. On the other hand, it will undergo stress tests even more aggressive than those of the previous flight. After the iconic image of Starship covered in rust upon her return on flight 10this time SpaceX has removed even more thermal tiles to see how many can be missing before the ship’s fuselage fails during reentry. The ship will also execute a banking maneuver in the final phase of the flight to test subsonic guidance algorithms, a step that will allow the ship to be aligned with the launch tower in future landing attempts (SpaceX plans to recover both the booster and the ship starting next year). The generational leap to V3. But as we said, the highlight of the flight is that it marks the end of a stage. The current version of the rocket has had a spotty track record. While the Super Heavy boosters have worked almost always, the ships suffered four consecutive explosions before Ship 37 was redeemed on Flight 10. Ship 38’s mission is to close this chapter with another success, courtesy of the small design changes that SpaceX has been introducing, as well as provide new data before SpaceX focuses entirely on the Starship V3, a beast that promises to increase the rocket’s low-orbit payload capacity from 35 to 100 tons. Starship’s reliability is key not only to Musk’s Martian dream, but also to NASA, which depends on the rocket to return to the Moon. While Doubts grow and alternatives like Jeff Bezos’s are being consideredan eleventh successful flight would be a blow to the table and a definitive push towards the new rocket era. As Elon Musk often says, no matter what happens, a spectacle is guaranteed. Image | SpaceX In Xataka | SpaceX has spoken out about the rusty Starship: now you know how to fix the ship’s biggest problem

Since 2024, Greece has had a six-day work week. Now, it is planned to establish a 13-hour day

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Economic recovery became a top priority for the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. His strategy to try to improve Greece’s low productivity was apparently simple: work more days. However, extending the working day to six working days it doesn’t seem enough and now the Greek executive proposes increasing the daily work day to 13 hours. Unions and worker associations have not been slow to respond to the measure by calling for protests and a general strike. The working day in Greece. In 2024, Greece approved new labor regulations that allowed for six day work week for certain industries that operate 24 hours a day, increasing the weekly working hours from 40 to 48 hours. This measure already generated social and political unrest in its day due to the impact on the lives of Greek workers. The Eurostat Q2 2025 data reveal that 20.9% of Greek workers between 20 and 64 years old work more than 45 hours a week, compared to 9.7% in Spain or 11.4% in Italy. According to 2023 data recorded by Eurostat, Greece would have the longest average working day in the EU, with 39.8 hours per week, followed by Bulgaria with 39 hours and Poland with 38.9 hours. With 36.4 hours per week, Spain is just above the European Union average of 36 hours. 13 hours with limitations. After allowing the establishment of the six-day work weeks For certain sectors, the labor controversy in Greece has reignited with a Government proposal to allow working hours of up to 13 hours a day in certain cases. The expansion seeks to improve flexibility and reduce bureaucracy, but just as it says GuardianGreek workers denounce that this measure represents a historic setback and an increase in burnout and work stressreaching unsustainable levels. “You can’t push people like that; at some point there will be an explosion,” Makis Kontogiorgos, a trade unionist at a major technology company, told the British newspaper. The law stipulates that this extension can be applied only 37 days per year per worker, which is equivalent to a maximum of three days per month. In addition, extended hours are voluntary for the employee and overtime will be paid an additional 40% over the standard rate. The regulations maintain other established limits, such as a mandatory rest of 11 hours between days and a maximum average of 48 hours of work per week in a period of four months. A “voluntary” measure. According to has manifested to the Greek press Niki Kerameos, Minister of Labor and Social Security of the current Greek government, “this is an exceptional provision. The employee you have the right to refusewithout being threatened with dismissal or unfavorable treatment. However, union forces see this “voluntariness” of the measure as an open door to coercion by companies, retaliating against those employees who choose not to extend their working hours. “That is not possible without consequences, since the employee has minimal bargaining power,” assured to D.W. Theodoros Koutroukis, Professor of Labor Relations at the Democritus University of Thrace. Much ado about nothing. The union response to the measure has not been long in coming, with the call for various demonstrations in the main cities of the country and a general strikedenouncing that “this law will not improve anything”, assured to France24 Panagiotis Gakas, member of the construction workers union. In one interview with a local mediathe minister highlighted that only 0.1% of businesses used the provision of the emergency shift allowed with the six-day work week, which shows a low adoption of this measure despite the imedia impact it had before being approved in 2024, equating it with the commotion caused by the specific increase of 13 hours. The key to avoiding abuse. In the previous labor reform of the Mitsotakis government, the implementation of a digital card for labor control and overtime was approved. A very similar system to which has been raised from the Ministry of Labor in Spain and which is in the public consultation phase before its approval. As stated According to the Greek Minister of Labor, this measure has the function of recording real working time and has made it possible to detect overtime that was not previously declared: “In 2025, 1.8 million more overtime hours were declared than in 2024, just in the first eight months.” This will help ensure that the number of overtime hours does not exceed legal limits and that workers are compensated fairly. Minister Kerameus defends that this regulation protects employees by guaranteeing adequate compensation and avoiding abuses by employers, accompanied by safeguards such as guaranteed days off and protection against unjustified dismissals, presenting itself as a key tool to enforce the law. In Xataka | The working day is no longer enough: interruptions are forcing us to work during free time Image | Unsplash (dole777, Thomas Kinto)

The army wants to expand the military area of ​​a privileged corner of Mallorca. His neighbors have told him not so quickly

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Cap del Pinar is a postcard place from the north of the island of Mallorca. Cliffs, coves, trees and unique views of the Mediterranean. None of that has prevented that small strip of land from motivating an institutional ‘riffrafe’ between the Alcúdia City Council (21,000 residents), where the small peninsula is located, and the Ministry of Defense. The reason: Cap del Pinar is a privileged place for locals, but also an Area of ​​Interest for National Defense. The question is how compatible both uses are. What has happened? That the future of Cap del Pinara cape located north of the island of Mallorca, has caused an institutional clash between the Government and the Alcúdia Town Hallthe locality in which the spit of land is located. The reason? For the department headed by Margarita Robles, it is a space of “national interest” for defense. For the Consistory, however, it is something more: a space for “high heritage and natural value” which plays an important role in local traditions and cannot be stolen from neighbors. Where does the problem come from? To understand it you have to go back a few decades, in the early 40’swhen the Army initiated a file of forced expropriation of the lands of The Victory. Your goal, remember The Confidentialwas to install military batteries and auxiliary services in several strategic points on the Majorcan island: Cap del Pinar and Cap Gros. In 1947, the Alcúdia City Council (the town where the first one is located) accepted the transfer, although including a small print that clarified that it was granting the land temporarily and reserving certain rights. That was 79 years ago, but the area and especially its use has continued to make people talk. Why’s that? Because the presence of the Army marked the use of the environment, which began to focus on national defense. So much so that already entering the 21st century, the Alcúdia City Council and the Government came to an agreement to guarantee that residents could enjoy Cap del Pinar, although with certain conditions. As published in April 2009 Mallorca newspaper, The pact contemplated that people could visit the military base during the summer months and respecting a maximum daily quota of 50 people. Before, yes, they needed to request a special permit, which in practice deters to quite a few neighbors. The result is that locals have been able to continue enjoying the area, although with limitations. And what happens now? That the army wants to reinforce its presence in that small (and privileged) salient in the north of Mallorca. Recently the ministry communicated to the City Council that wants to declare a barracks located right on the Cape road “Area of ​​Interest for National Defense”. In other words, it wants to expand the area it already uses as a military maneuver and shooting range to 145 hectares. Although Margarita Robles’ department is still processing the Royal Decree that will allow it to expand the “area of ​​interest”, the notice has been enough to put the Balearic Council on guard, which was quick to make a move. What has he done? A few weeks ago the municipal plenary agreed to transfer to Defense a list of allegations. Basically, the City Council warns that the expansion “could condition local powers” in matters of urban planning and heritage, in addition to the use of the environment. Because if there is something that is worrying in Alcúdia, it is that its neighbors will lose access to a space of “high natural and heritage value”. “This is our main demand. We don’t want to have to ask for permits to climb,” explains the mayorFina Batlessa, a The Confidential. Why this concern? Because it is not just any area. Beyond your environmental protectionthe Cap del Pinar peninsula is a space of tradition and enjoyment for the neighbors. Very popular excursions are organized, not counting the coves (or paths to coves) that are distributed throughout the area. The big question is… If Defense decides to expand the military zone, how would that affect the use that locals make of the environment? After all, the neighbors already have experience of what happened with the land transferred in the 1940s. Hence, the City Council’s allegations clarify that one of its objectives be “maintain the hiking and hiking activity”, “guarantee access without prior authorization” and protect the popular festivals that are celebrated in Victòria. “It should not entail unjustified limitations on the rights of citizens and municipal autonomy. Alcúdia must preserve its environment and traditions,” summarizes Linares in Mallorca Diary. In its allegations the Consistory ask For example, the expansion of the military zone does not interfere with “hiking and hiking activities” nor does it represent a “reduction in the free movement of people” during the holidays. Hunters also have a license valid until 2028. What does Defense say? The issue has generated so much controversy that the Ministry of Defense has already come out to clarify that the expansion will not affect the enjoyment of the area. He has also clarified that he does not aspire to another 145 extra hectares, but that this will be the total area that he will manage after the change, including those that he has already controlled since the 1940s. To be more precise, the focus is on a 400-meter stretch of land that will leave a stretch of road and part of the surroundings under his management. Will that affect its public use? A few days ago the department of Robles guaranteed to Mallorca Diary that both hikers and hunters will be able to continue enjoying the area “without problem.” That has not prevented the debate has escalated even beyond local and regional politics, reaching Congress, where Sumar Més has registered several questions on the topic. Images | Wikipedia (Frank Vincentz) and Selvatgi (Flickr) In Xataka | Ibiza promised them happiness with its coves. Until luxury villas and beach clubs began to privatize them with hammocks

reserve November 20 for the big annual technology festival

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The Xataka NordVPN Awards are almost here! Like every year, we invite you to join us on November 20 to the in-person event that we will hold at the Capitol Cinemas in Madrid and that can be followed live from anywhere in the world from Xataka.com. During the event we will award the most important technological devices of the year, chosen by you and our jury, we will present the Xataka Leyenda and we will include some well-kept surprises. All under the direction of Joaquín Reyes, a regular at the Awards, and our colleague Ángela Blanco, the two presenters of this edition. when and where When: November 20 at 8 p.m. Where: Capitol Cinemas (Madrid) and Xataka.com Tickets: Soon If you can’t physically come to the gala, don’t worry: the ceremony will be broadcast on streaming in full through Xataka.com. How to get your ticket He October 20 We will open a registration form through which you can request your free entry. Capacity is limited, so tickets will be delivered on a first-come, first-served basis until all available places are filled. We will explain the process when we launch the form, but don’t miss the date if you don’t want to be left without entry. More coming soon… Like every year, this announcement is just the beginning. This week we will begin voting in all categories so that you can help us choose the best of the year. We will tell all the news about the awards here, on our website, and on our social media profiles (Twitter, Facebook, instagram, TikTok, YouTube). So stay connected. Thank you very much and we are waiting for you November 20!

That WhatsApp devours my mobile memory is a thing of the past. These are the three habits I follow to avoid it

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Running out of memory on our mobile is quite common and many times The culprit has a name: WhatsApp. With more than 3 billion usersis the undisputed queen of messaging apps. Everyone uses it, which means receiving hundreds of messages, photos, videos and audios through WhatsApp, making The size of the app increases exponentially over time. It’s happened to me too, but for years I’ve been able to keep it at bay by following these habits. Automatic download disabled If you haven’t done it already, it’s the first thing I recommend and you will only have to do it once (unless you change your mobile phone). The option is within WhatsApp in Settings – Storage and data – Automatic file download. By default, WhatsApp downloads all the photos they send us. For the rest of the files such as audio or videos, it only downloads them when we are connected to a WiFi network to save mobile data. The only ones that always download, whether you like it or not, are voice messages. If you want to control storage space, my advice is to change all options to ‘never’. This does not mean that you cannot see the photos they send you, you can do so but first you will have to download them. It’s adding one more step, but like this you can choose which ones you want to see and which ones you don’t. It is useful, for example, if you are in groups that send a lot of files, but you are not always interested in seeing them. WHATSAPP Tricks and tips to HIDE YOURSELF TO THE MAXIMUM and maintain your PRIVACY Delete multimedia content from time to time Even though automatic download is limited, I still download many of the photos and videos that my contacts send me, so the storage is increasing. Every so often I manually delete multimedia content that I have been receiving. WhatsApp has a very useful section to do this in Settings – Storage and data – Storage manager. I do two things here. The first is to access the section where the files that are larger than 5MBgenerally videos, and I delete those that I don’t want to keep. Here you will also see videos that you have sent yourself and that sometimes appear duplicates (this is because you have sent them to several different chats). When you have selected them, click on the trash icon (bottom right). The second thing is to go to the section ‘Storage details’, where you’ll see a list of all your chats ordered from the one that occupies the most size to the one that occupies the least. Entering one by one are all the files, also ordered from largest to smallest size, and I delete those that I am not interested in keeping. The storage you free up It will depend on how many files you are willing to delete. In my case, except for specific things, I don’t have much attachment to the content I share on WhatsApp and sometimes I delete everything at once. Review channels and groups that I no longer use Let them put us in WhatsApp groups for everything It is quite common. Personally, if I’m not interested or the group no longer makes sense (for example, if it was created for a specific event and has already expired), I leave and delete the entire chat. To leave a group you can do so from the chat list by holding down on it or, if you are in it, by clicking on the group name and choosing the ‘Leave Group’ option. You will see that two options appear, the one that interests us is ‘Exit and delete for me.’ Only then will the files and content that have been shared be deleted. With channels and communities I follow the same procedure. When it has stopped being useful to me for whatever reason, I quit. You can do this by entering the community you want to leave and clicking on the three dots icon in the upper right corner. Cover image | Gemini In Xataka | A viral message claims that “AIs can access group messages” on WhatsApp. It’s a manual hoax

an F-35 squadron that does not belong to China, Russia or the United States

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In the month of January it was known America’s plan B in the Arctic once it seemed that “the Greenland thing” was not going to be so easy: a underwater cave in Norway. Two months later, eight icebreakers attested that Russia was there tooand in August, both nations looked with surprise at the arrival of five icebreakers with the flag of China. Now, at congregation a squadron of F-35s has been added… from a fourth contender. New strategic axis. we have been counting throughout the year. The Arctic has ceased to be a remote space and has become a central theater of power: a place where geography dictates the rules, meteorology sets human limits and the proximity between platforms The military turns every kilometer into a possible avenue of attack or surveillance. What was once a map and science is now state policy. From the Nunalik deck (a freighter that traveled thousands of km avoiding growlers and storms to deliver material to Canada’s northernmost intelligence network) brutal lessons emerge: presence in the north is not improvised, it is built with infrastructurespecialized logistics and sustained budgetary will. The fact that a delivery can be delayed for 48 hours because the dockworkers are closed for a weekend, or that a 2.5 ton anchor ends up dragging a 180 meter chain between icebergs, illustrates the basic arithmetic of the Arctic: distance and climate are permanent enemies of any defense project. Logistics and fragility. They remembered in The Wall Street Journal to maintain bases like Pituffik’s either Alert (the latter just 800 km from the North Pole) means dealing with very narrow seasonal windows: the sealifts (sea supply operations) are possible only four or five months a year, air transport must cover the invisible, and a single missing part can delay crucial work a whole year. Inuit communities, icy runways that require constant maintenance, satellite platforms and underwater cables make up a network in which any weak link puts the whole at risk. Thus, if creatures such as musk ox and polar bears are found on the coast, behind the tracks and radars there are also human lives that depend punctual suppliesand errors like 1991 plane crash that cost lives in the approach to the Alert base remind that Arctic logistics is not a technical variable but a matter of survival. View of Thule Air Base Russian advantage and western window. Geographically, Moscow starts with objective advantages: the Kola Peninsula is home to the Northern Fleetnuclear systems launchable by Arctic routes and a depth of deployment that the West took decades to erode. However, the weakening of part of the Russian ground forces after the war in Ukraine has opened a window for allies to rebuild capabilities in the north. The question is whether to take advantage of it quickly and consistently. Western allies face the task of recover strategic ground almost from scratch: the lessons learned in Afghanistan or the Sahel are not directly exportable to a region of polar darkness, snow storms and ice that makes even the best prepared ships creak. If these gaps are not closed, the russian advantage and/or the appearance of foreign actors They will make Western deterrence, more than a policy, an urgent technological requirement. Russian icebreaker Hypersonics, sensors and more. The challenge is not only to be present, but detect and anticipate. The hypersonic missiles (unpredictable trajectories and speeds of at least Mach 5) put traditional radar networks in check, and have pushed Ottawa to commit 6 billion of Canadian dollars (in collaboration with Australia) to far horizon radars and Washington to accelerate space sensors that track ballistic and hypersonic vectors from orbit. In other words: detection is a necessary condition to deter, and without early detection there is no response. The problem, they pointed out in the Journalis that technology is not the panacea: it requires logistics integration, data centers, resilient command posts and continuous maintenance that the polar climate makes prohibitively expensive if not planned for the long term. Denmark on the front line. And on that board where the flags of China, Russia and the United States are already found, the recent decision of Copenhagen is inscribed: 8.7 billion dollars to increase the fleet from F-35 to 43 devices and 4.2 billion expressly dedicated to reinforcing Arctic security, with a joint headquarters in Nuuk, two new ships, maritime patrol vessels, surveillance aircraft and units in the polar territory. Denmark mixes the purchase of American technology with the will to act as regional guarantordriven by both Allied pressure and the commotion caused for the idea (proclaimed by Trump in January) of “buy” Greenland. The package shows two things: the first, that European states are willing to spend considerable sums on advanced projection and detection systems. The second, that sovereignty and territorial presence have become in currency geopolitics, where the air force and naval capabilities are not only military but also diplomatic pieces. Local sovereignty and criticism. Not only that. The extension of the military presence in Greenland does not occur in a vacuum. Local voices, represented by figures such as Aleqa Hammond, former Greenlandic Prime Minister, they reproach Copenhagen to decide without sufficiently consulting the 57,000 people on the island, remembering that militarization affects ways of life and resources shared. Furthermore, the pressure on ecosystems fragile and the need to respect indigenous rights make it essential to combine security with listening and real compensation. If the Arctic is a strategic boardis also a home: decisions about bases, radars and icebreaker routes They must incorporate the social and environmental dimension or risk legitimizing internal tensions that erode any long-term military base. Costs, industries and alliances. Plus: building a presence in the north is not just about buying fighters and installing radars. I remembered the BBC which requires shipyards to manufacture icebreakers, polar cargo ships, maintenance lines for icy runways, contracts held with operators and, above all, the political will to sustain recurring spending. The NORAD modernizationcoordination between Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom … Read more

China wants to imprison the world with its restrictions on rare earths. His greatest prey has escaped him

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It’s been months since China presses the whole world with one of his great aces up his sleeve: rare earths. Last week he used them again to unbalance the balance of technological trade worldwide and imposed new restrictions to its export, but its attack has a gigantic hole. One called Taiwan. rare earths to me. Taiwan’s economy minister has revealed that the country does not expect there to be a big impact from these new restrictions from China. The reason is simple: such minerals are different from the metals needed in the semiconductor sector that Taiwan’s manufacturers and production plants dominate. Taiwan does not need China. In fact, both the products necessary domestically for the production of these chips and the rare earths used in their manufacturing processes come from Europe, the United States and Japan. This makes the country safe from the pressure that China wants to exert with its dominance of the rare earth segment. China tries to force the hand. China expanded significantly export controls on rare earths last Thursday. It added five new items to its list of minerals with restricted exports, but also imposed new scrutiny mechanisms for chip users. The change is not minor: any product manufactured outside the country that contains just 0.1% of materials of Chinese origin will need a license to be exported. TSMC safe. Taiwan is the largest chip factory in the world and for years it has TSMC as a major player in the sector. The company leads this segment and has become the great ally of the Western world when it comes to producing chips for the AI ​​industry. The Chinese restrictions do not appear to pose future dangers for TSMC and other manufacturers in the country, according to those statements. But. Even so, the economy minister added that these additional controls could affect global supply chains for various products. To clarify better: the direct impact may not be noticeable, but yes it could be the indirect onebecause for example ASML’s EUV scanners use rare earth magnets that could end up suffering delays due to these restrictions. And be careful with the “ripe chips”. For example, chips for electric vehicles and drones. China is precisely determined to dominate the mature circuit market: given that can’t compete At the moment with the most advanced manufacturing technology, what it wants is to be the main protagonist of less advanced but equally important chips in industries such as the automotive industry. Restrictions as a lever to negotiate. China’s measures in this regard They are just part of that commercial and technological war that it maintains with the West and, especially, with the United States. The reaction of the US government was immediate, and Donald Trump announced 100% additional tariffs on Chinese imports. Both superpowers try to use their assets to put pressure on their rival while waiting for a imminent negotiation: Trump and Xi Jinping are expected to meet in South Korea in late October. Image |Wikimedia | leannk

upgrade to Windows 11 Pro with these discounted HP Store devices

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It was a matter of time. We have known for months that Windows 10 and its Pro version They were going to stop having support from Microsoft. This has several implications that are not at all interesting for users, especially if they are self-employed or small businesses. The jump to Windows 11 is the best we can do right now, although if we want to renew equipment simultaneously, HP Store makes it easy for us: We can save up to 150 euros when purchasing some of their equipment. We will tell you more about this promotion. Make the jump to Windows 11 Pro and get a good discount As we said a little above, we are less than a month away from the end of Windows 10 support. This, which ends next October 14implies that the operating system will not receive any more updates. Be careful, because this not only refers to new functions, but also to the fact that it will not receive any more security patches. This can be a danger, since these security updates are the ones that eliminate all the new security holes that appear. In addition, it is likely that new versions of applications or different programs stop being compatible with Windows 10which could limit our professional activity. What is the correct step if we are still with Windows 10? Obviously, upgrade to Windows 11. This operating system, in addition to continuing to receive continuous updates (both in terms of functions and security), offers several very interesting improvements, such as the integration of Microsoft Copilot. Updating is free if we have Windows 10, but our computer may not be compatible with this new version. If we are in that scenario, then this HP Store promotion interests us. It offers us a series of very interesting equipment to work with, even with several discounted models. In addition to each one’s offer, we will also have an additional discount that can reach up to 150 euros If we justify having a device with Windows 10 or earlier. These are some of the equipment we have on promotion To make our task a little easier, below we leave you a selection of computers that fall within this promotionso we can get them much cheaper. HP ProBook 440 G11 Laptop The first of the options that we bring you is this ProBook 440 G11 laptop. It is an all-terrain option that is ideal for working or running our business. Stands out for coming with a very good processor such as the Intel Core Ultra 7as well as with 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. It is 14 inches, so it is ideal to travel with it and continue working. Its price is 1,087.79 euros, but between the discount applied and the discount for upgrading to Windows 11 Pro, it is only 933.40 euros. HP ProBook 440 G11 Professional Laptop with 3-year warranty The price could vary. We earn commission from these links HP EliteOne 840 G9 All-in-One Professional PC If we prefer something fixed for our business, this HP All-in-One can fit us perfectly. It is a device that comes with a 13th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD. In addition, it has a 23.8-inch screen which is also tactilewhich gives us more possibilities when it comes to interacting with it. We cannot forget that it also comes with a keyboard and mouse included in the package. Its RRP is 1,084.90 euros, but with the discounts applied it remains at 880.65 euros. Professional All-in-One Touch PC HP EliteOne 840 G9 Wolf Pro Security Edition with 5-year warranty The price could vary. We earn commission from these links HP ZBook Fury 16 G11 Portable Workstation The last option is designed for the most demanding jobs, since it is one of the most powerful devices in the HP Store. The ZBook Fury 16 G11 comes with a 14th generation Intel Core i9 processor, as well as 64 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD so that we have more capacity. This laptop also stands out for having a dedicated graphics card that, in addition, It is from NVIDIA’s RTX 5000 generation. 16-inch screen and a price that remains at 4381.26 euros with all discounts. HP ZBook Fury 16 G11 Portable Workstation with 3-year warranty 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 | HP Store In Xataka | Windows 11: 42 features and tricks to get the most out of the operating system In Xataka | What is the best laptop for working in 2025. Tips and recommendations

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