bomb

the new “atomic bomb” is invisible

by

In every major conflict or world war, there was a time when a technology apparently secondary changed the rules of the game and redefined what it meant to have an advantage. Sometimes it is not the loudest, nor the heaviest, nor even the most visible weapon, but the invisible infrastructure that supports everything else from the air. A war in the clouds. The invasion of Ukraine has shown that the modern battlefield is not only measured in kilometers conquered or armor destroyed, but in megabits per second. High-speed satellite connectivity transformed the way to fight by allowing almost instant command, control and coordination at any point on the front. That has led to a dark reversal, because when that network is cut, not only is the Internet lost: Vision, synchronization and response capacity are lost, and the affected army is suddenly disoriented in an environment where every second decision can be lethal. The digital trap. Taking advantage of Russian troops’ desperation to regain access to Starlink after geo-blocking imposed by Elon Musk on SpaceX, a Ukrainian cyber assault unit launched a covert operation on Telegram. The trap: offering false registration services on a supposed Ukrainian “white list.” What happened? That Russian soldiers, believing they were reestablishing their connection, voluntarily sent terminal identifiers, account data and exact location coordinates. Instead of the Internet, they received 155 mm artillery fire. More than 2,000 data entries and thousands of dollars paid for the fictitious service turned the technological necessity into a kind of lethal “honeypot”, where each attempt to reconnect revealed a target. Starlink as strategic infrastructure. In this way, the SpaceX constellation not only facilitated communications, but also allowed to operate dronescoordinate attacks and maintain digitalized logistics on an extended front. A trap that has possibly been a pioneer in the Ukrainian war, but that will surely be the “norm” in future conflicts. When the company limited access only to verified terminals Because of Ukraine, Russia was suddenly deprived of a system on which it also depended. The interruption, in fact, has slowed offensives, forced a return to more vulnerable manned vehicles and generated chaos described by Russian voices as an operational “hell.” Connectivity stopped being a complement and became backbone of combat. Satellite Internet as an “atomic bomb.” The digital deception operation was not only a brilliant tactical action, but the verification of a strategic reality: In contemporary war, dominance of the information spectrum and networks is equivalent to the air superiority of the 20th century. Without real-time data there are no precise drones, no coordinated command, and no synchronized attacks. Disconnection de facto turns a modern force into an army blindexposed and extremely slow. Thus, the adversary that controls the network is not only able to listen and observe, it also has the ability to decide when the enemy speaks or, as in the case at hand, when he falls. Balloons in the sky. The data that confirms the importance of being “connected” on the battlefield has arrived this week. Given the loss of Starlink and the delay of its own Rassvet satellite constellationMoscow has activated emergency solutions such as the Barrage-1 stratospheric ballooncapable of raising 5G communication equipment to 20 kilometers in height to offer regional connectivity. The idea is not new and it could work as temporary nodebut it lacks the global coverage and resilience of thousands of laser-connected satellites. Furthermore, its lower altitude makes it a potential target for anti-aircraft defenses, hunting drones or electronic warfare, transferring the battle for connectivity to the physical sky as well. Without a network there is no modern war. If you will also, the Russian dependence on commercial systems and the Ukrainian effectiveness in exploiting that vulnerability reveal a profound change in the nature of the conflict. Digital infrastructure is no longer a simple logistical support, it has become a decisive weapon that articulates all the others. While Moscow searches technological patches and alternatives that time will tell if they are improvised or not, kyiv has shown that cutmanipulating or controlling the net can upset the balance on the front line faster than any ground offense. In the war that is being fought in Ukraine, and possibly in those to come, whoever dominates the connection in space, dominates the combat. Image | Support Forces of Ukraine Command, Ukraine Defense Ministry In Xataka | It is evident that Russia can absorb thousands and thousands of casualties. So Ukraine is already designing a much riskier plan In Xataka | An unprecedented experiment is happening in Ukraine: bombs have turned dogs into other animals

bomb them with 6,000 logs from helicopters to fix a decades-old mistake

by

Historically, the rivers of the Pacific Northwest of the United States They were a chaos of fallen wood, deep pools and irregular currents that prevented the normal flow. The logic marked clean them and remove all the trunks to facilitate the passage of water and transportation, something they did not hesitate to do. The problem is that this has subsequently been seen to be a mistake, and they have literally had to fix it throwing logs into the river with a helicopter. Something that may seem crazy, but that science has endorsed as the best. A bombardment of wood. The project, led by the Yakama Nation in collaboration with organizations such as The Nature Conservancy has reached an unprecedented milestone. They have managed to place more than 6,000 Douglas fir logs and cedar along Central Washington’s 24 miles of rivers and streams. With helicopters. A task that was not easy, and for which helicopters have been requiredsince access by land to these virgin areas is almost impossible without building roads that would destroy the ecosystem that they are trying to save, in a paradoxical way, ‘dirtying’ the rivers. That is why the use of cargo helicopters has allowed the wood to be deposited with surgical precision without touching the surrounding forest floor to do as little damage as possible. An image that has actually attracted a lot of attention on social networks due to the impression of seeing a helicopter dumping wood into a river. A dirty river. Although seeing thousands of logs piled up in a river may seem like a natural disaster, to a biologist it is a perfect work of engineering. And these stacks are called ‘Engineered Log Jams’ and have a very clear meaning. The first is that the logs create deep pools and shadows where the water stays cold, which is vital for the survival of salmon and bull trout in the face of rising global temperatures. Stopping the current. This is another reason why science justifies the need to have these logs in the river, since slowing down the water allows the gravel to settle for the salmon to lay their eggs. Something that is complemented by the possibility of shelter that the trunks provide to hide from predators. Furthermore, by forcing the water to go around the obstacles, the complexity of the channel is recovered, avoiding accelerated erosion of the banks. The backup. As we have said before, it has not been a unilateral political decision, but rather it has had the support of science with different studies. These targeted a survival rate of 78% of fauna after major floods, more than meeting the protection objectives. And the success has been such that they are already being replicated in other parts of the country. The public administration itself is financing similar projects in the olympic peninsula and in counties like Cowlitz they have doubled down, placing up to 8,000 logs in the Grays River. The return of the salmon. This project is not just a question of river aesthetics. It is a battle for food sovereignty and biodiversity. Research in the Elwha River already confirms an immediate positive response with the presence of young salmon in front of these structures. In this way, what was eliminated decades ago because it was considered “garbage” or obstacles to progress, is today reinserted with high-tech helicopters. It is the recognition that sometimes, for nature to function properly, we need to make rivers “dirty” and full of obstacles again. Images | Job Vermeulen Magnus Mandrup In Xataka | Finally we have salmon without an environmental footprint, without overfishing and without microplastics. It’s just not salmon

A video of a Russian soldier ignoring a bomb falling on him is the clue to something deeper in Ukraine

by

This circulating a clip as brief as it is disturbing: what appears to be a fragmentation munition falls at a soldier’s feet, explodes practically beneath him and, against all logic, the man continues walking as if nothing had happened, “ignoring” the immediate impact of a detonation that, by pure physics, should have destroyed him or at least knocked him down and left him incapacitated. The explanation points to a tactic that is not new. What doesn’t fit. The most striking from the video It is not just that he remains standing, but the absence of the instinctive reaction that any body has to pain and shock, as if the nervous system were disconnected or anesthetized. And here comes the detail that makes the scene even more disturbing: according to Canadian analyst Roythe scene suggests that it is a Russian soldier, and that what we see is not a typical Ukrainian attack, but a deliberate attempt to eliminate him by his own people, perhaps because he was trying to defect. In that reading, the explosion would not be bad luck, but rather a covert execution, with what appears to be una OFSP-0.5, launched with the intention of cutting his retreat short and erasing any uncomfortable history before he crosses a line or surrenders. The “zombies” of Bakhmut. The image does not appear out of nowhere: it fits within a sensation that is repeated from the hardest moments of the siege at Bakhmutwhen Ukrainian fighters they described Russian attacks that seemed written by someone who doesn’t understand human survival. Waves of men advancing without coordination, without visible tactical logic, walking almost in a straight line towards enemy fire, with stories that spoke of soldiers who kept appearingalthough the first had already been killed, and with a strange passivity even under bombardment. We talk about videos where soldiers were seen move slowlystaggering, as if they were stuck in a thick dream, unable to move away even as grenades fell around them. In that framework, the video soldier current seems like the extreme version of the same impression. The drug hypothesis. For months, many Ukrainians have sustained an uncomfortable idea: that part of these attacks are not explained only by incompetence or desperation, but by soldiers “doped” envoyswith substances that reduce fear and disconnect prudence. The accusation appears in direct testimonies: men who seem euphoric or absent, who advance without understanding what they are doing, who do not retreat even if death is obvious, who react late or not at all. Not only that. Suspicion persists because, from a military point of view, the temptation it’s too clear: If what you need is infantry who will walk toward fire, who will endure a corridor battered by artillery, who will not be slowed by anxiety, and who will execute orders in an environment where instinct would say “flight,” a stimulant or narcotic mixture can make a soldier a more manageable asset. Pervitin, an early form of methamphetamine, which was widely used in Nazi Germany The Nazi shadow. To understand why this idea is not science fiction, just look at the most famous historical precedent: Nazi Germany led drug use combat at an industrial level with Pervitina low-dose amphetamine similar to modern methamphetamine that was first popularized in civilian society and then became a military multiplier. wanted something simple: reduce sleep, raise morale, reduce fear, increase aggression and sustain the execution of tasks without rest for days, just what is needed for rapid offensives and to maintain the rhythm when the body should collapse. And it wasn’t just the Nazis, also the allies. Super soldiers. That logic fit like a key in the blitzkrieg lock: continuous movements, mechanized attacks, advance without pause, a sensation of permanent thrust that overwhelmed the enemy not only because of the power, but because of the ability to not stop. He myth of the “super soldier” It wasn’t a futuristic helmet: it was a pill. And if that episode taught anything, it is that armies, when they believe they can gain an advantage or sustain performance, usually put immediate effectiveness before medium-term human cost. Soldiers under the influence. The pattern of effects attributed to this type of stimulant is perfectly compatible with what appears in many stories of the war: less fear, more aggressiveness, less need to sleep, more resistance to fatigue and a certain ease in executing simple commands even in extreme conditions. The price is usually the psychological and physical toll: dependency, depression, impulsivity, loss of judgment, and a progressive degradation of the soldier as a functional person outside of the moment of combat. On the front line, however, that bill is irrelevant to a short-term planner: if what you need is for someone to cross a field of fire today, you care little about what happens to them a month from now. That’s why video on networks It is so symbolic and striking: it seems to be the exact moment in which the body stops behaving like a human that preserves its life and begins to behave like a moving object that only obeys the forward vector. The other side of the coin. However, there is an essential nuance: “zombie” behavior does not always involve drugs. It may simply be the ugliest version from reality: extreme coldlack of equipment, exhaustion, hungeraccumulated sleep, sustained stress and the confusion of a mind that shuts down. The early hypothermiafor example, fits brutally with many clips: slowness, clumsiness, difficulty processing stimuli, confused speech, lost gaze. And in the Russian case there is also a historical tradition of war “fuel” much more mundane: alcohol as a tactical and psychological value, from vodka rations in World War II (used to combat the cold and to give courage before attacks) until modern episodes of indiscipline and documented drunkenness. A sign of the times. In short, the video that has gone viral In networks it leaves that somewhat absurd feeling of “two options”: either it was a Terminator, or the soldier was under some type … Read more

Russia has reminded the planet that the war in Ukraine is a ticking bomb. And for this he has pressed a nuclear button: Oreshnik

by

Over the past few months, the war in Ukraine has seemed advance by inertia: fronts that barely move, stalled negotiations and constant wear and tear that threatens with normalizing the conflict in Europe. But in recent weeks Moscow has remembered, without the need for major territorial conquests, that it continues to have the ability to alter the chessboard with a single gesture: the nuclear one. The button that is always there. In a stuck war In the mud of the front and industrial wear and tear, Russia has once again remembered that it is still sitting on a strategic bomb pressing a button that does not need to be pressed completely to take effect: that of Oreshnik missilean intermediate-range system with nuclear capacity whose use, even with inert or conventional charges, functions as a political message rather than as a tactical weapon. The launch detection from the Kapustin Yar strategic polygon and the subsequent explosions near Lviv, a few kilometers from the Polish border, do not seek so much to destroy decisive objectives as to point out that Moscow can escalate whenever it wants and from wherever it wants, even from facilities associated with its strategic nuclear forces, deliberately breaking the “conventional” routine of the conflict. Symbolic weapon, real threat. It we have counted before: the Oreshnik, derived from the RS-26 program and capable of carrying multiple warheads that separate in flight, it is not a missile designed to win battles in Ukraine, but to cross psychological red lines in Europe. Its hypersonic speed, its potential range of up to 5,500 kilometers and the fact that Ukraine lacks defenses capable of intercepting it turn each launch into a demonstration of the structural vulnerability of NATO’s eastern flank. When Russia first used it against Dnipro in 2024 with dummy heads, he made it clear that he was not testing marksmanship, but rather strategic credibility. Now, by bringing the impact closer to the NATO border and the European Union, the message is even more explicit. Controlled climbing. The reappearance of the Oreshnik is no coincidence. It occurs while Ukraine refuses to give up territory in the negotiations, while Moscow insists that any Western troops deployed on Ukrainian soil would be a legitimate objective and while Washington, under Trump, intensifies pressure on Russia’s allies like Venezuela. The Kremlin justifies the attacks as retaliation for alleged Ukrainian attempts to attack the residence of Vladimir Putinaccusations that even US intelligence services they doubtbut the real logic is different: to raise the psychological and political cost of Western support without formally crossing the nuclear threshold. Energy, winter and strategic terror. As in previous winters, Russian missiles and drones are once again baiting the Ukrainian energy infrastructureleaving entire neighborhoods in kyiv and other cities without electricity or heating amid sub-zero temperatures. The Oreshnik fits into this strategy of calculated terror: not only does it damage critical facilities, but it amplifies the feeling of helplessness by introducing a weapon that symbolizes the maximum possible escalation. Ukraine responds by hitting power grids in Russian regions such as Belgorod or Oryol, but the strategic asymmetry remains intact. Europe as a target audience. Furthermore, by hitting near Lviv and, by extension, Poland, Russia is not just talking to kyiv, but with Brussels, Berlin and Paris. The Oreshnik is a reminder that Ukrainian theater is inseparably linked to European security and that any expansion of military support has an immediate reflection on the deterrence ladder. It is no coincidence that Moscow recently showed the deployment of the system in Belarus, further extending the reach shadow over the continent. The temptation of blackmail. Thus, with minimal and extremely slow territorial advances, and a growing human and industrial cost, Russia uses the Oreshnik missile as a substitute for victories on the battlefield. It is not a weapon to conquer Ukraine, of course, but rather to remind the world that the conflict cannot be closed by ignoring the Russian nuclear dimension. From that prism, each launch is a warning: Moscow does not need to detonate a warhead to reactivate the founding fear of the Cold War. Just show the button, press it even half and make it clear that it is still there, waiting, like a time bomb that sets the pace of all future negotiations. Image | Ministry of Defense of Ukraine In Xataka | Ukraine has become an animal slaughterhouse: Russian soldiers appear with horses and drones blow them up In Xataka | First it was Finland, now the US has confirmed it: when the war in Ukraine ends, Russia has a plan for Europe

For 150 aircraft to bomb Venezuela, the US used one of the most lethal tactics of the war: gunboat diplomacy

by

Long before the hundreds of aircraft, missiles, drones and special forces came into play, the United States had already begun to move pieces throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. While international attention was focused on Venezuela, Washington was weaving an accelerated network of military agreements with Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and other countries in the region, expanding access to airports, deploying troops “temporary” and authorizing operations armed under the umbrella of a renewed “war on drugs.” The tactic, in fact, was born in the 19th century. An escalation announced. It we count before the end of last year: the timing and magnitude of these pacts they did not go unnoticed for analysts, who interpreted them as the deliberate creation of a regional logistics infrastructure capable of sustaining a prolonged military operation against Caracas. Under a rhetoric that mixed drug trafficking, hemispheric security and regional stability, the real objective seemed much more classic: to surround Venezuela, isolate it diplomatically and make it clear that US military power was not only willing, but physically prepared to intervene. In this context, Caracas’ warnings to its neighbors and the growing concern in Latin American capitals reflected a familiar feeling: that of once again being the “backyard” of a power that did not ask for permission. The qualitative leap. The point of no return has arrived with the military operation which culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas. From Mar-a-Lago, Trump not only celebrated the audacity and violence of the operation, but also verbalized something even more significant: the United States was not simply overthrowing a leader, but was arrogating to itself the right to “direct” Venezuela for an indefinite period, dictating key political and economic decisions and recovering, according to his own storythe control of oil resources that he considered “stolen” from American companies. The rhetoric carefully avoided words like occupation, but while the word “democracy” has not once left Washington, “oil” has been repeated dozens of times, so the substance was hard to hide: a tutelage imposed under threat of a military “second wave” if the new power did not obey. The image of an armada off the coast, ready to intimidate both Caracas and other governments in the region, marked the explicit return to a logic that many believed buried after Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump oversaw US military operations in Venezuela, from the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, January 3, 2026 Gunboat diplomacy. Also called gunboat diplomacywas born in the 19th century as a brutally direct form of foreign policy: sending warships off the coasts of weaker countries to force political concessionscommercial or territorial without the need for a formal war. Powers such as the United Kingdom, France and the United States used it systematically in Asia, Africa and Latin America, turning the mere naval presence into an instrument of coercion. In the American case, this doctrine was intertwined with the Monroe Doctrine and his later reinterpretationlegitimizing military interventions, temporary occupations and regime changes under the premise of protecting national interests in the Western Hemisphere. If you want and from that perspective, the attack on Venezuela is not a historical anomaly, but a technological update of that same pattern: where before there were gunboats, today there are aircraft carriersdrones, special forces and economic sanctions, but the logic is identical. Military force does not act as a last resort, but as a political message itself, designed to discipline a particular government and warn all others. Map of US attacks against Venezuela An echo of interventions and their consequences. Latin American history is full of examples that help contextualize this movement. From the war with Mexico in the 19th century until the Banana Wars of the 20th, passing through the supported coups d’état During the Cold War, the United States has intervened dozens of times to shape like-minded governments or curb rival influences. Trump himself has claimed figures as William McKinleya symbol of an era in which territorial expansion and access to resources were considered legitimate expressions of national power. But they remembered yesterday in the New York Times that these interventions rarely produced lasting stability. They often left fractured societies, legitimized dictatorships and deeply damaged the American reputation, a legacy that strategic rivals today exploit. like china to present themselves as less intrusive (although not necessarily more benign) alternatives. The perfect operation and the subsequent vacuum. From a military point of view, Maduro’s capture was a demonstration extreme precision: months of surveillance, an exact replica of the target to rehearse the assault, selective blackoutscoordinated airstrikes and special forces breaking into the heart of Caracas in the middle of the night. But the tactical success contrasts with the strategic uncertainty which opens later. Who will really govern Venezuela? How will your armed forces react? What happens if a future election contradicts Washington’s interests? There is no doubt, these questions evoke familiar ghosts of “eternal wars” and covert occupationsexactly what Trump had promised to fight against. Hence that “gunboat diplomacy”no matter how modernized it is, continues to suffer from the same problem as it did more than a century ago: it is effective at imposing fait accompli, but terrible at managing long term consequences. The past with weapons of the future. Thus, the attack on Venezuela does not represent a doctrinal innovation, but rather a conscious return to an ancient way to exercise powercovered with 21st century technology. Instead of multilateral negotiations or classic diplomatic pressure, the United States has opted for a direct show of force, combining capture of leaders, control of resources and an intimidating military presence throughout the region above any international law. It is, in essence, the gunboat diplomacy elevated to an industrial scale: faster, more precise and media-intensive, but equally fraught with risks. History suggests that its effects will not be measured in days or weeks, but in decadesand that Latin America, once again, will be the stage where it is tested if the past can really be reused … Read more

In 2024 a package bomb arrived on a plane. It was the beginning of the great threat to Europe: that of a “ghost” crossing the red lines

by

Europe lives a strategic transformation that few had imagined possible in such a short time. What began as a series of “flats” (intermittent blackouts, suspicious fires, minor incursions) has become a coherent pattern: a campaign of directed hybrid war that is no longer limited to destabilizing, but rather deliberately explore the thresholds of what it can inflict without provoking a direct military response. It all started a year ago. The silent climb. The plot is explained more clearly from July 2024when several DHL packages exploded in centers logistics from the United Kingdom, Poland and Germany, devices powerful enough to shoot down a plane if they had detonated in mid-flight. The episode, an infiltrated bomb at the heart of the European air system, marked a before and after, because it showed to what extent Moscow was willing to strain continental security and because it exposed the fragility of an Old Continent trapped between an increasingly aggressive Russia and a United States whose commitment has stopped being reliableand. Since then, Europe no longer sees hybrid warfare as a peripheral nuisance, but as a structural threat which targets critical infrastructures, social cohesion and the European institutional framework itself. In Xataka Mercadona has found a vein to grow beyond its white label and prepared food: tourism The Russian laboratory. I counted this week the financial times that the Russian campaign has been refined in breadth and depth. European intelligence services have disabled plots to derail trains full of passengers, set fire to shopping malls, damage dams or contaminate water in urban areas. The attacks are not isolated improvisations: they respond to a “gig economy” model of sabotage in which young recruited by Telegramlocal criminals or foreigners with residence permits act as expendable pawns for unknown objectives. Plus: they are difficult to detect, impossible to anticipate and legally ambiguous, since they rarely there is a direct connection with Russian intelligence that allows them to be accused of espionage. The case of frustrated railway sabotage in Poland (an explosive planted on the Warsaw-Lublin line that came within seconds of causing a massacre) exposed that pattern in its clearest form: unimpeded entry and exit, cryptocurrency financingfalse identities issued by Moscow and a diffuse chain of command that leads to intermediaries as Mikhail Mirgorodsky or even networks managed by former Wagner members. And there is more. Yes, because each cell discovered suggests others not yet detected, and what is worrying is not the errors of saboteurs (sometimes incapable to delete videos of its own attacks) but the scale that this model offers to a Russia resentful of decades of diplomatic expulsions and doctrinally rearmed to a pre-war period. The doctrine that returns. The ISS analysts They recently reported that the archives of the KGB and the StB (Czechoslovak intelligence) reveal parallels disturbing differences between the sabotage manuals of the Cold War and what Europe witnesses today. The objectives listed decades ago (military bases, energy infrastructures, dams, communication systems, transportation) match almost exactly with the whites of the last two years. Equally revealing is the doctrinal sequencing: during times of peace, minor attacks with the appearance of accidents, in pre-war phases, massive sabotage, increased risk tolerated and increasing willingness to cause civilian casualties, and in open war, total activation of clandestine networks for lethal operations. The prelude to something more fat. It we count very recently. If you will, Europe seems to have entered fully into a intermediate stage: a pre-war phase where each incident also functions as offensive reconnaissance, a permanent exercise by razvedka boyem to measure Western reaction capacity, locate vulnerabilities and exploit any weaknesses. The episode of the unidentified drones airports and military bases European operations illustrate this dynamic: cheap raids, of uncertain origin, that revealed systemic failures in the continental air defense and that, due to their replicator effect (copies, jokes, hysteria, false alarms) multiply the psychological and financial wear and tear. A continent without a network. I remembered the new york times This morning an added problem for Europe: that if the Russian threat escalates, the other half of the problem is the growing disconnection with the United States. For the first time since 1945, Europe perceives that Washington is not unequivocally on your side in a matter of war and peace. The Trump administration is not only pressuring kyiv to accept an agreement In Moscow’s terms, it also redefines Europe as a suspicious actor, criticizes the democratic integrity of its governments and promises to openly support the European extreme right. The result is an unprecedented scenario: a Russia that intensifies its hybrid campaign, a Ukraine that depends almost entirely on continental support and a Europe that must finance your own safety while compensating for the withdrawal of US capabilities (satellites, long-range missiles, command and control) that it cannot replace before 2029the year that NATO considers the limit to have a credible deterrent. European leaders also face depleted budgets, electorates hostile to increased military spending, and a rising far-right that Moscow sees as a strategic multiplier. {“videoId”:”x8j6422″,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”Declassified video of the clash between Russian fighters and the American drone”, “tag”:”united states”, “duration”:”42″} The battle of money. The internal European debate on how to finance the resistance Ukrainian reflects the magnitude of the challenge. To support kyiv for the next two years, about $200 billion is needed, an unaffordable figure without activating the 210,000 million euros on Russian assets frozen in Europe. The problem? Right now it takes the name of Belgiumwhich guards the majority through Euroclear, and which fears retaliation from Moscow and the possible erosion of the credibility of the euro as a safe haven. Washington, despite its strategic ambiguity, is also pressing for these funds to be don’t touch each othersince its eventual return is part of the US scheme for a peace agreement favorable to Russia. One more thing. And yet, without that money, Europe would have to coordinate (outside the EU framework) a colossal loan and politically explosive. The crossroads are so profound that in Berlin and Paris they are … Read more

bomb southern Gaza

by

After two long years of war, with 67,000 dead, massive displacements and more than 160,000 injured, according to the calculations managed by the UN itself, Gaza sees the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s not the first timebut this time the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has generated enthusiasm among the local population and congratulations, among others, from Donald Trump. Israel has already begun to withdraw its troops towards the agreed line, but not before having made a move. Which? Launch a bombardment on Khan Younis, south of the Strip, and Gaza City, only a few hours later that the Government gave its OK to the pact. What has happened? That Gaza sees the light closer at the end of the long tunnel it entered two years agowhen Israel launched a broad military offensive on the Strip in response to Hamas attacks. Both parties have ratified an agreement promoted by Donald Trump that materialized on Thursday in Sharm el Sheikh with the participation of Qatari, Egyptian and Turkish mediators. Only a few hours later, early on Friday, the agreement received the support of the Israeli Government, which has supported him despite the votes against the far-right formations. What exactly did they agree on? What they have agreed is the first phase of the plan promoted by Trump in Gaza, which in practice implies “the immediate end of the war”, but maintains some important challenges on the horizon, such as the disarmament of Hamas or the creation of a technocratic government. For now, in words of the American president, the agreement contemplates that “ALL (sic) hostages will be released very soon and Israel will withdraw troops to an agreed line” with a view to achieving “a solid, lasting and eternal peace.” Now the road map contemplates that in 24 hours a ceasefire will come into force and the Israeli troops will withdraw to a line from which they will continue to maintain control of the 53% of the Strip. During the offensive it is estimated that he dominated more than 80%. After 72 hours after the end of the attacks, it will be Hamas’s turn, which will have to release the 20 hostages it still keeps alive. Later he will hand over the deceased. Israel will also release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Gaza. Another important point is the arrival of humanitarian aid. How did the pact start? With bittersweet flavor. The Gazans have received the agreement with joy (and relief) after two years of war during which the Israeli offensive has resulted in 67,000 deadsome 170,000 injured, forced displacement and famine in Gaza recognized by the United Nations. However, the last few hours have left both positive and negative news. Among the first (the hopeful ones) is the start of withdrawal of Israel, which today has begun to move its troops to the agreed line. Among the second (the bad ones or at the very least shocking) is the decision that the Hebrew Government adopted almost at the same time that it approved Trump’s partial plan: last morning its army bombed Khan Yunis, in the south of the Strip, and Gaza City (north), according to inform the Palestinian agency Wafa. What were the attacks like? Air and artillery. Furthermore, they were carried out after the Israeli Government had given the green light to the ceasefire plan, again according to the information revealed by the Wafa agency and Filastin. Despite the withdrawal, troops remain stationed in certain military areas, such as the Netzarim Corridor, and the Gaza Civil Defense has asked Gazans to be cautious. His advice is “not to approach or return to the areas where the occupation forces were present” until the departure of the Israeli army is made official. The message is directed above all to the border areas of Gaza City. And now what? It is not the first ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. At the beginning of this year both parties already reached a pact which ended up being frustrated months later, in marchwhen Israel launched deadly attacks in Gaza and Hamas accused Benjamin Netanyahu of having acted “unilaterally.” Despite the challenges that still lie ahead, the new pact has generated expectation both between Palestinians and Israelis and between the authorities global. Does context matter? Yes. The pact also comes in the midst of growing pressure regarding Israeli action in Gaza and the involvement of Donald Trump, who just yesterday, hours before the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize was announced, boasted having brokered the end of eight wars. The award has finally gone to Maria Corina Machadoleader of the Venezuelan opposition. “Hope returns to us to stop the death, murders, destruction and displacement,” recognized yesterday eah The Country Abu Gamea, a 67-year-old Gazan. Images | Wikipedia (Jaber Jehad Badwan) In Xataka | Israel has decided that an area of ​​international waters is its own. And the international community is not preventing it

The most emblematic trucks in the US are multiplying in Russia. And they are using them to bomb Ukraine

by

Last week, a documentary broadcast on the television channel of the Russian Army, Zvezda, revealed the Greater Russian Drones Factory fighting. In the images not only We saw hundreds of drones Geran-2 black finished, all in a row within the secret installation. We also saw that the factory had its own test field where the devices were mounted on trucks that serve as a shuttle. The model was surprising. Made in USA trucks. A Kyiv Independent Research He has revealed a mechanism for evasion of sanctions that allows Russia to have American pickup trucks, specifically the successful RAM 1500 models TRXdespite the prohibition of exporting them after the large -scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The finding is particularly alarming because after the Zvezda documentary It has been verified that Kamikaze drones They are launched from these modified RAM 1500 models. According to the mediumalthough Ukraine points out that fixed catapults are more reliable for takeoff, the simple appearance of these vehicles in official propaganda demonstrates the use of western goods in Russian military machinery. Evasion of sanctions. After the imposition of sanctions, Stellantis (owner of the RAM brand) interrupted in 2022 All export to Russia. However, since then At least 130 RAM 1500 They have entered the country through indirect routes. Here are several companies based in the Arab Emirates, such as Automax Motors Fze, Fine Cars Eaeu-Fze or Mehrzad Post & Shipping, who have acted as intermediariesre -exporting dozens of vehicles to private Russian companies in San Petersburg and Moscow. This technique of “Transhipment”It is a classic evasion method, where goods first travel to a non -sanctioning country before being sent to Russia. In social networkssome of these firms have openly presumed shipments for Russia, which shows the laxity of control in certain Gulf markets. The direct route from the USA. But there is something more serious. It was discovered that Arivir Corpa company based in Virginia, sold at least eight RAM 1500 TRX manufactured in 2023 directly to the Russian subsidiary Arivir Rus, owned by a Russian citizen. According to filtered customs documents, the procedure It was systematic: The American company acquired vehicles in concessionaires, reluctant their Russian counterpart and managed shipping. No doubt, this trade clearly violates US export restrictions unless there was A special licensewhich is almost impossible to obtain in this context. Neither Arivir Corp nor the other firms contacted responded to research consultations. Instead, the Stellantis group has given explanations. The group remember that “has stopped all sales of vehicles in Russia and suspended its manufacturing operations in that country” from 2022. And he adds that “contractually prohibits all distribution channels sending vehicles to Russia.” Strategic implications. The experts consulted By ki they underline That any export of this type without a license constitutes a violation of the export controls of the United States, regardless of the location of the intermediary. In addition, the companies involved could face to secondary sanctions that would affect their ability to operate in the international market. For Ukraine, the situation reveals both the insufficiency of sanctions compliance mechanisms and the need for Western manufacturers to reinforce YOUR CONTROL SYSTEMS of customers and distributors. What are apparently simple trucks becomes a war resource capable of integrating into the Attack infrastructure Russian, adding another layer of complexity to the international effort to weaken Moscow’s military capacity. Image | Zvezda In Xataka | We already know what Russia’s trick is to multiply its drones: it is called “cooling units” and comes direct from China In Xataka | The Russian threat has activated the “Nordic model” in Germany. The Plan: Recruit 40,000 adolescents a year in the Army

The US prepares to bomb the border of Mexico with sterile flies. It will not use genetic engineering, but 1950 technology

by

The United States wants to stop the Cochliomyia hominivorax, A fly that when it is in the larval phase causes a parasitic disease that mainly affects cattle (although it can also affect humans). A few days ago we talked about the plan to end her: launch millions of sterile flies to stop their expansion. The funny thing is that they are not going to do it using Genomic editionbut for this they will use a technology ago. X -rays and planes. The objective of this initiative is to stop the expansion of this plague and for this what they are going to do is sterilize millions of flies. As? With A technology that has been using since the 70s To combat this plague: X -rays. After raising the larvae and that they transform into pupae, they are placed inside a metal cylinder that is introduced into a gamma irradiation chamber with a dose of between 40 and 65 gray, enough to reach 95% sterility without compromising their survival. The container (left) that is introduced into the irradiation chamber (right). Fountain Once sterilized, you have to reach the affected areas, in this case the southern Texas and Mexico. To ensure that they arrive in the appropriate phase, the pupae remain at 10 degrees so that their metamorphosis to adults slows down. They are released from airplanes and, when the temperature rises, sterile males emerge. Why not transgenic flies? Sterilization of insects by radiation has decades of proven efficacy. Genetic modification is potentially cheaper and efficientbut it is still in an experimental phase and is not ready for mass production. There is also the issue of regulation, more complicated in this case because it requires approvals from two countries: the United States and Mexico. The current legal framework under which sterile insects are released does not contemplate genetic modification and achieve approval I could take years and cost millions of dollars. The threat. The one known as “Cattle Barrenter” is a devastating species, especially for cattle. The females deposit their eggs in wounds and mucous animals and, when hatching, the larvae begin to feed on the meat, causing injuries that become mortal. According to the head of the American Association of Veterinary Medicine, They can kill a 450 kilos cow in two weeks. This pest affects mainly to countries in South America, but It is not the first time that the United States has to deal with it; In 1966 they already eradicated it and in 2017 there was a small outbreak in the Florida Keys. There is a hurry. Although the reduction of transgenic technique costs sounds attractive, the reality is that there is no time to lose. The boreride worm has reappeared in southern Mexico and, although it has not been detected near the border, from the United States They don’t want to take risks. In addition to the release of sterile flies, other measures will also take controls in the transfer of animals, collaborate with Mexico to improve surveillance and provide traps to catch larvae. Image | PSUBRATY in Pixabay In Xataka | Every week, millions of flies are released on the Valencia Community and, although it does not seem like it, it is a sensational idea

In 1950 two scientists wondered if possible a nuclear bomb of 10 gigatons. Its results are hidden locked up

by

On October 30, 1961, a Soviet bomber furrowed the skies of the Arctic towards Novaya Zemlya. Under his fuselage he hung an artifact the size of a bus: an unprecedented nuclear pump. At 11:32, the called TSAR pump He released. A parachute slowed its fall, allowing the plane to move away. Then, a detonation illuminated the sky with a fireball of almost 10 kilometers in diameter and a fungus -shaped cloud that amounted to more than 65 kilometers. The show was surreal: the pump, With 50 megatones explosive (more than 3,300 times that of Hiroshima), became a symbol of the Nuclear madness. But it could be much worse. The awakening of a new era. With the atomic bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki In August 1945, the world changed irreversibly. Those bombs, 16 and 21 kilotons respectively, they marked the beginning of the destructive power without a paragon of Nuclear weapons. However, despite their fearsome capacity, these weapons were only the first step towards a much more sinister technological escalation. What would later transcend the most reckless imagination. The most powerful pump ever detonated would be That Soviet tsar of 50 megatones, although designed to reach 100. However, the most disturbing thing is that this was not the summit. In hidden, the United States had still planned More huge. The “Super” concept. Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs were based In fission: A chain reaction in which heavy nuclei are divided releasing energy. But as we said, in parallel to their development, some scientists imagined a second stage: The fusion. This implied union of light nuclei (as deuterium and tritium) to form a heavier one, releasing even more energy. It happens that this reaction required an initial fission explosion to activate, which would give rise to the concept of the Hydrogen pumps. In the 1940s they were just a theoretical speculation … but everything changed very soon. Photograph of a replica of the tarum pump housing Communism comes. After the detonation of the First atomic bomb Soviet in 1949, the United States accelerated its thermonuclear programs. The fear of communism, enhanced by the revolution in China that same year, made the National Security Council recommend quadruply military spending. In that context, the figures of Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam appear, who devised The design that even today supports the H bombs. In 1952, the “Mike” test of Operation IVY demonstrated for the first time the Thermonuclear principle: an explosion of 10.4 megatones (500 times Nagasaki) that left a crater of 1,900 meters wide. Despite such force, that was not enough for Teller. The Soundy germ. Two years later, in 1954, the so -called “Shrimp” bomb during the Castle Bravo test. A powerful explosion was expected, but the result of 15 megatons (1,000 times Hiroshima) even surprised its designers, both by strength and by the devastating level of radiation released. However, Teller’s impetus did not stop there either. I wanted more, Much more. It was then that one of the most delusional and terrifying projects of nuclear history emerged: the Sundial Project. Designed by Teller and his colleagues from the Livermore Radiation Laboratory, the plan proposed a new destruction scale: no already kilotons or megatones, we entered In the gigatons. A couple of brothers. They were designed Two weapons: Gnomon and Sindial. Gnomon would act as “primary”, with a detonation of 1,000 megatons aimed at detonating Soundy, which would reach a power of 10,000 megatons, that is, 10 gigatons. For placing it in perspective, he thinks again The image of the beginning. Well, the figure exceeds 200 times the tsar bomb, and almost does not fit in the conceptual framework of the physics of conventional explosions. The potential apocalypse. The logic behind Sindial overflows any traditional calculation. To such powers, the laws of escalation of destruction They lose any validity: The heat, pressure and energy released would be so monstrous that, a priori, they would open a hole in the atmosphere. In fact, A report Del Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists pointed out that a pump like a sundial, detonated about 45 kilometers of altitude, could cause fires in an area of the size of France. The death toll would be unthinkable, not only because of the immediate explosion but by global radioactive sequels. Hiroshima, with 140,000 victims, would be a sigh against cataclysm that would represent Sindial. It was not science fiction. Although it might seem like a laboratory fantasy, the Sundial Project It was not a joke or an eccentric occurrence. Declassified documents and historical analysis indicate that Livermore’s team worked seriously For years in the development of Gnomon, with concrete plans to test it in the Redwing operation of 1956. That test was canceled, but the mere existence of the plan shows to what extent the fear, scientific ambition and deterrence had pushed the superpowers to border the abyss of the unacceptable. Echoes of Sindial. Suindial never materialized, but his mere conception forced A critical reflection In American politics. The growing destructive power of these weapons overflowed not only military strategy, but also ethics, logistics and land physics itself. While many ruled out their tactical utility for being impracticable (a pump of such dimensions was impossible to launch), its potential as an instrument of symbolic terror was enormous. As with The TSAR pumpits value was more political than operational: a floating threat that showed how far a nation could go if I wanted. Monster in the shadows. Finally, the Soundal project is It was diluting between political restrictions, international treaties and practical sense (without serving as precedent). The Ratification of the treaty Partial prohibition of nuclear trials in 1963 was a brake on atmospheric tests, which in practice made it impossible to continue advancing in the development of extreme performance weapons. The strategy then went on to favor smaller, portable and operational multiple eyelets, leaving behind the vision of total apocalypse that represented Sindial and its cousin Soviet sister. Imagine the unimaginable. What’s doubt, today sundial is just a footer … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.