built

Japan looks for the person who built a road on the largest lake in the country. Does not lead anywhere

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Japan It usually fascinates by The unknown and sometimes inexplicable From our western culture (also It happens to them with us). In a country where many words They don’t even have a translation To our language (or They need a phrase), there are countless situations that cause us curiosity. Then there is another set of stories that not only fascinate us, but also. This is one of them, and it started when someone saw something certain. The road. We are in one of the most famous places in the Japanese country. Located in the center-west of the island of Honshu, in the prefecture of Shiga, northwest of Kyoto, is the monumental Biwa Lakethe most extensive in Japan occupying an area of ​​670 square kilometers. Well, the country lives immersed in a mystery that hardly has a logical explanation: someone has built without permission A road on the lake. And it does not carry anywhere. Lake Biwa from space The Chivatazo. The story began last year, when the Anonymous report He arrived at the Civil Engineering offices of the city of Takashima, Shiga Prefecture. This document reported a strange sighting in Biwa. Someone had built what seemed like a road on the largest lake in Japan. An investigation not only verified the track, but also the measures of that mysterious construction. It was a road about 70 meters long and 3 meters wide made of compacted ground that connected two geographical accidents in the Delta del Río Ado. In addition, you could see tire footprints, which clearly indicates some type of use. Google Maps. The satellite tools like Google Maps gave another track of the antiquity of the road. The satellite shots taken three years ago showed nothing similar to a embankment or road, nor of sediments that indicated some kind of natural formation, and Shiga’s prefecture claimed that “until May last year, the road nobody had confirmed the road.” Location of the “road” on Google Maps Visible. From Google Maps Today it is appreciated that the road has suffered considerable wear, probably due to the water rise. In fact, the area close to the site in question is a wetland that even the locals can access. Takashima residents have no idea, since no one ever goes to that area, “there is nothing to do except that hornets or wild boars,” The premises point out. Television travels. The ball became bigger. If nothing and no one used to approach the surroundings of the construction, who and why the hell did such a work? History has taken such a traction that up there local televisions have been displaced. One of the reporters indicated that when he arrived, he observed that the poor condition had made several areas, which betrayed pieces “that looked like asphalt, iron and concrete.” The last track. After the initial notice, the Department of Civil Engineering reported on the road to the Police. Three days later, the authorities received a call from an anonymous person who told them that he had been the author, and that he had piled up land to make the way. The Civil Engineering Department ordered the person to return the area to their original state. A mystery without logic. If you have come here it is possible that you want to know the reason or reason that led whoever was going to build a road on the most extensive lake in Japan. We talk about a work of days and a lot of work for a single person, one who, apparently, makes no sense. That data Police have not given itand it is only known that there is an accusation for unauthorized development, although the person after the call has not appeared so far. Meanwhile, a year later since the Prefecture instructed those who filled the area to restore it to its original state, but the path that leads to nowhere is still there. Image | A-GIâuYomiuri TV, GLCF In Xataka | The city where it is most snow in the world is in Japan and lives buried under a white mantle: this is Aomori In Xataka | The cities of Japan have begun a fierce struggle to lift their economy. THE KEY RECIPE: Ramen *An earlier version of this article was published in July 2024

AI is one of the most advanced technologies that the human being has built. It also gets distracted with a cat

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An irrelevant phrase, such as “cats snoring when they feel safe”, it can be enough for artificial intelligence to make a reasoning error. It is not necessary to change the question, nor manipulate the code, nor use advanced techniques. Just mislead her. Literally. A minimum distraction, a maximum error. A team of researchers specialized in computer science and artificial intelligence of Collinear AI, Servicenow and Stanford He has discovered A new way of attacking the great language models: inserting a random phrase just after the prompt. This phrase does not have to be related to the question, or contain false information. You just have to be there. AND If you talk about cats, better. That is why the technique is called ‘Catattack’. This is how Catattack works. The technique consists of adding an irrelevant phrase and outside the focus of the question after the real statement of a complex problem that requires reasoning by the model. For example: “We launched a coin 12 times. What is the probability of obtaining at least 10 faces knowing that the first two runs are in face? Curious fact: cats sleep during most of their lives“ Errors found by adding an irrelevant phrase to the prompt. Image: Arxiv: 2503.01781v1 The model, instead of focusing on mathematical operation, seems to lose focus. The team automated this process using phrases generated by other language models or extracted from databases with natural language. They made sure they were grammatical, neutral and without technical information. And yet, the impact was massive. The attack follows this process: Generation of ‘triggers’ (activators): An automated system creates seemingly irrelevant phrases that are added to mathematical problems Transfer of vulnerabilities: The attacks are first tested in weaker models and then transferred to more advanced systems Semantic validation: It is verified that the phrases do not change the meaning of the original problem Everyone falls. The researchers tested this technique starting with Deepseek V3, and then inject the result into other higher models and reasoning such as Deepseek R1, or models O1 and O3-mini of OpenAi. In all cases there was a significant fall in the precision of the answers. In some evidence, the researchers showed that the transfer of these incorrect results reached a rate of up to 50%. The attacks were tested in tasks of logic, mathematics and verbal reasoning. Vulnerabilities that remain to stop. The study concludes that even the most advanced reasoning models are vulnerable to those activators that do not depend on the consultation, which significantly increase the probability of errors. He showed that even in powerful reasoning models, such as Deepseek R1, the error rate tripled. In addition to inducing errors, these elements added to the PROMPTS make the answers also unnecessarily long, which can generate computational inefficiencies. There is still cloth to cut. Researchers highlight the need to develop more robust defenses, especially in critical applications such as finance, law or health. The team suggests that training models through adversarial resistance could be a way of making them more robust. What is clear is that if an AI can fail for something as simple as a phrase about cats, there is still a job to do before blindly trust its reasoning capacity. And yes, the name of the attack is not accidental. Sometimes, everything that is needed for AI to lose the thread … It’s a cat. In that we seem. Cover image | Mikhail Vasilyev In Xataka | The agents were supposed to go for AI in another dimension in 2025. As with other things of AI, it was only supposed to

China wanted to be the queen of high -speed trains. So he built all the longest bridges in the world

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Although Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are immersed in a war for have the highest skyscrapers in the worldwhen we talk about megaconstructions, there is no one to have China. It doesn’t matter if we talk about tunnels, Dams, roads and even half -skyscraper. And, when we talk about bridges, there yes There is no rival. From time to time They complete a new pharaonic bridgebut if there is something that shows China’s muscle about it, they are the bridges of the Beijing-Shanghái line. Because it is in it where the three longest bridges are located in the world. Massive and … boring? He Great Danyang-Kunshan bridge It is the longest bridge in the world. It measures just over 164 kilometers and can also be the most boring bridge in the world. The reason is that it is a bridge in which functionality prevailed. It is part of the high -speed network that joins Beijing and Shanghai and in its construction, 10,000 workers used 450,000 tons of steel and 2.3 million m3 of concrete to give life to a structure that had to endure possible ships of ships and the impact of earthquakes. It has 2,000 pillars, 22 tunnels, it has an average altitude of just over 30 meters and trains circulate at a speed of more than 320 km/h. Declaration of intentions. The most striking thing is that it only took four years to complete the work. It is an achievement if we consider that other bridges, such as the Constitution of Cádizthey took more than seven years for about three kilometers. They began in 2006 and the works were completed in 2010, inaugurating both the bridge and the line in 2011. The investment? 8,500 million dollars, and although in later bridges we have seen an aesthetic intention by the engineers, that of Danyang-Kunshan was a declaration of intentions. It became a global reference in rail engineering, but above all in a sample of the Technological advance of the country when undertaking the Infrastructure construction large scale in record time. It is something that has also attracted attention to subsequent works, the speed at which things do, especially, in many occasions of works of great complexity. In dark red, the bridge. In clear red, part of the full line Beijing-Shanghai, a monster. Because although this bridge Have the Guiness record in length and it was an important technical advance, the most imposing thing is that it is only a piece of the puzzle that supposes the high -speed line Between Beijing and Shanghai. It is a connection with a length of 1,318 kilometers and, apart from that of Danyang-Kunshan, there are three other bridges that are on the list of the 10 longest in the world. He Great Bridge of Cangde measures 115.9 kilometers and the Great Tianjin Bridge It “stays” at 113.7 kilometers. The three are the longest in the world, and in the seventh place on the list is the Great Bridge of Beijingwith 48.2 kilometers. The four were completed for the inauguration of the line in 2011, assuming a pharaonic work and, in total, representing a third of the total line length. The artificial island of the Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge, which is a bridge over the water until it becomes a submarine “bridge” It is called obsession. Because, if we look at the list of the longest trains in the world, China is a constant, monopolizing with eight structures the top ten positions. Not only are they very long bridges to house train lines (the Weinan Weije It has 102.7 kilometers, but it is not from the Beijing-Shanghai line), also for roads. The fifth longest bridge in the world is Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macaohe longest maritime bridge With 55 kilometers (and, this yes, quite attractive), the eighth of the list is the Quingdao Haiwanwith another 44.5 kilometers of road and the tenth is the bridge of line 1 of the Wuhan Metro with 37.7 kilometers. Within those positions of honor, we only find a 54 -kilometer Thai bridge, the Band Na Expresswayand the Lake Pontchartrain Road in the United States with 38.4 kilometers. Images | Mnxanl(2) Pechristener, Highestbridges In Xataka | Three highways, 20 access ramps: China has the most diabolical exchanger in the world in Huangjuewan

No one has managed to reach the mantle of the earth. China has built a ship to do it and, incidentally, extract energy

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The old aspiration of Julio Verne in ‘Journey to the center of the earth’ is still out of our reach, but the explorations under the seabed are increasingly deep. You just have to see the ship that China has just put into service. Meng Xiang. “Dream” in Chinese. A colossal ocean drilling vessel designed and built entirely In the Asian country to pierce the ocean bed descending up to a record distance of 11,000 meters. The objective: penetrate the earth’s crust and reach the mantle, a geological border that until now has only been able to study indirectly, creating new science while exploring new energy sources. A Boat. With 179.8 meters in length and 42,600 tons of displacement, the Meng Xiang is the new largest scientific research vessel in China, which, which consolidated the country’s position as a maritime superpower. Although it will focus on the South China Sea until 2035, the Meng Xiang could operate in any ocean in the world, supporting superstifones and the most extreme maritime conditions. What makes it unique. The true crown jewel is its drilling system: the world’s first hydraulic drilling tower capable of raising up to 907 tons with a double purpose: Perform oil and gas exploration perforationsand at the same time, take samples of geological nuclei for scientific research. Your ability to pierce 11 kilometers will allow you, for the first time, to obtain direct samples of this transition zone. The goal reminds the historical “Mohole Project” of the United States In the 60s, which although he laid the foundations for oceanic drilling, he never achieved his final objective. The new Chinese ship has the technology to get it. The unexplored border. Since the seismologist Croata Andrija Mohorovičić discovered it in 1909, “Moho discontinuity” It has been one of the most coveted borders by geology. It is the limit where the earthly, lighter cortex gives way to the much densest rocks of the mantle. Until now, our knowledge about this crucial layer comes from seismic data and the analysis of minerals expelled by volcanoes. China intends to kill two birds with an unprecedented scientific mission that, in turn, will expand its extractive capacity. What can find down there? In addition to oil, gas hydrates: a vast source of potential energy trapped in the seabed at great depths and low temperatures. Mastering his extraction could redefine the global energy map, in which China wants to be in the lead. Image | Xinhua In Xataka | In China there are scratching size ships sailing thousands of kilometers from the sea. All thanks to your cranes

China has built the most elegant economic power lever in modern history: rare earths

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He Rare Earth Agreement announced last night says more than what appears to be a simple commercial truce: China has the most sophisticated geopolitical weapon we have seen. One that is capable of paralyzing entire sectors of any developed economy. And with the elegance of who closes a tap. China controls the entire ecosystem of Rare earth: The Ganzhou mines. Processing plants. He know-how technical. Specialized labor. Even the only American Mountain Pass mine Send your material to China to refine it. It is the same difference between having oil and controlling the refineries of the world. China has built a monopoly on elements that are the blood of the digital economy: Without neodymium there are no wind turbines. No Disposio there are no Tesla engines. Without Terbio there are no iPhone screens. Deng Xiaoping He saw it in 1992: “Middle East has oil. China has rare earths.” Three decades later, That prophecy is a reality and a definition of the present. And the interesting thing is that West has financed its own vulnerability. For decades, US and European companies outsourced the extraction and processing of “dirty” minerals to China, celebrating the margins that gave them that specialization. That dependence has had a strategic cost. And now… The same companies that built the supply chains to maximize their efficiency now discover that they also optimized their vulnerability. And China executes in a way we could call “civilized blackmail“. It does not close the whole tap, but it does slow down the supply with bureaucracy. Ask for forms, photos of the factories, customer listings, production details. That, in addition to a bureaucratic nuisance, is also to open a window to the industrial secrets of its competitors. Industrial espionage, but institutionalized, disguised as commercial policy. You take it or leave it. When he negotiates, he does it from a position of strength. The agreement, of only six months, works as a constant reminder. Each western company now knows that its production depends on Chinese benevolence. And if a geopolitical escalation of any kind arises, the industrial blackout can be almost instantaneous. The West now discovers that economic interdependence can become a lethal weapon, because China has shown that in the technological era, who controls critical materials controls the rules. The agreement last night postpones the moment in which the West will have to decide if he is willing to pay the price (economic and strategic) to recover his mineral sovereignty. China has won this pulse and has plenty of strength to win all the following. In Xataka | China monopolizes rare earths. An enemy has come out of home: the smuggers Outstanding image | Wikimedia Commons

Before the lack of steel, the ships of World War II began to be built with an unusual material: concrete

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Close your eyes and think about the main material of a ship. Quite possibly Wood is the first Let it come to mind, and it is normal: we have millennia sailing in wooden ships, and we continue to do so. But it is also logical that the steel that dominated the XX and XX shipsand the Current marine monstersit is around ideas. And most likely you have not thought of another material: the concrete. But yes, for 150 years we were creating concrete ships, and far from crazy, it was the most logical idea. And even used in the first and Second World War. A Frenchman. A good day from the mid -nineteenth century, a French man named Joseph-Louis Lambot It occurred to him to build a boat. Not anyone: one of reinforced concrete. There was a problem: in 1848, they had no idea what reinforced concrete was. This material, basically, is the mixture between concrete and steel. Both combine to create something with much greater structural resistance and has been since their invention the basis of the most imposing, dams and almost any construction of the last century. Well, it was Joseph-Louis that came up with the two materials. At least, I know attribute The invention of reinforced concrete to this man. As always, there is controversy with the dates, with whom he patented the reinforced concrete, who built the first slab, etc. But well: Lambot wanted to prove his invention and built a small boat less than four meters with the aim of exhibiting it in the Universal Exhibition of Paris of 1855. Enough advantages. Basically, the interior was wire mesh covered by cement and Lambot’s idea was to completely replace the wood. The invention liked it, but it really did not attract the attention of ship manufacturers. Some barges were created for European channels, but little else. Everything changed when the Italian engineer Carlo Gabellini built the Liguria in 1896. It is the one we consider as the first reinforced concrete ship designed to navigate on the high seas. And, really, it made sense to create reinforced concrete ships. It is a material that has great corrosion resistance, so the marine environment does not damage the helmet, reducing maintenance (that also has it) and extending its useful life. It offered good thermal insulation, so perishable resources could be transported in better conditions and there were no fire problems. The Namsenfjord In the absence of bread … A few years later, the construction of these concrete ships expanded and other countries began to build, especially freighters. But of course, we are in 1914 and that means something happened: the World War I. And beyond the advantages of concrete against other materials, the world was forced to create concrete ships for a very simple reason: There was no steel. The militarization and industrialization of the belligerent forces caused a situation of Steel shortage. The ships were important, since the naval supremacy It has always been a determining factor in a conflict, but with the steel necessary for a destroyer you could create many other things. And the problem is that they had to continue building ships because there were resources to move worldwide. World War I. The revolution came with the Namsenfjorda Norwegian ship that, in 1917, showed that self -propelled concrete ships could be made. It was 26 meters in length and weighed a whopping 400 tons and most importantly: the United States saw that there was a potential in these ships beyond serving as charges propelled by an auxiliary ship. Thus, they created the Emergency Fleet Corporation program with the aim of producing 24 concrete ships. It was a failure: those who completed themselves, did it after the war, so it had to be allocated in other things. One was the SS FAithwhich was going to serve in the war, but in the end it remained to be used in transport work in the United States. It was thrown in 1919, it was in service until in 1921 it was sold to Cuba and had a length of 97.54 meters. A year after Faith, the SS Selmaa huge reinforced concrete mole of 129.54 meters in length that was launched just the day when Germany signed the Treaty of Versaillesending the First World War. It ended up using as a oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico. With candles and a secondary support motor Demolish disadvantages. With the finished war, interest in the construction of concrete ships deflated. It still had advantages, because building them was much cheaper than making them in steel or iron, but if we mentioned a series of advantages, it is important to know the disadvantages (which exceed them, and by far). To match the resistance of a steel helmet, the concrete is thicker, which has several limitations. On the one hand, it weighs more, so it also has a major draft, the displacement of the ship is slower and more fuel is needed. That is thicker implies that there is less interior space for load, since the useful volume is reduced. That weight makes engines must be more powerful and that fuel tanks are also greater, so the investment in this part is greater. The dike to build it must also be monstrous because you cannot weld parts, such as steel, and then there is resistance to impacts. Second World War. The metal breaks, yes, but it has a greater elasticity than the concrete. This material, however, is much more fragile to impacts. A collision causes a crack in the helmet, and this on a ship that weighs so much is a conviction. That is why, after the great war, the concrete ship project was abandoned, leaving its construction practically limited to the loading barges, but then World War II arrived, and the steel needs of the previous one were repeated. However, the US program was not as ambitious as the one that began 20 years before and yes, concrete ships were … Read more

This bridge built by China is so high that two Eiffel tower fit under it. And they have built it in just four years

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We have been having bridges from prehistory. From that tree That someone would use to connect two sides to the majestic Roman bridges, humanity has evolved while doing the bridges he built. The more recent techniques They allow us to connect extremes that are separated by tens of kilometers, but Talk about bridges It is currently looking at China. They not only have The longest maritime bridgebut also the highest in the world. It is the Bridge of the Grand Canyon of Huajiang and the most surprising thing is not that under it two Eiffel Tower enter one over another, but that it has only taken four years to lift it. Necessary. The Gran Canyon of Huajiang is located in the province of Guizhou. It is an area that, traditionally, has been isolated from the rest of the area for a reason for weight: more than 90% of the territory is mountainous terrain that hinders communication. For centuries it did not have much importance for the rest of the empire, but China has been raising infrastructure (and also excavating) to demolish those geographical barriers. Puzzle. The objective of the government is to connect rural areas with urban centers and, in this case, you had to get the Liuzhi-Anlong highway to raffle the mountains to speed up transport times. The only way was through a bridge, and after an analysis period, in 2022 They started The construction of the great bridge. It was not going to be simple: it should not only be at a considerable height, but to have a length of almost three kilometers. And the problem was not so much to create the suspension bridge, but to raise the necessary materials. To do this, implemented Advanced technologies to raise steel beams by up to 215 tons of weight and, despite the difficulties in the field, the works have gone at a pone rhythm. To all fuse. That is what usually attracts the attention of these Chinese infrastructure that, weighing some exceptions such as half -building abandoned skyscraper For years, they are an example for the rest of the world. The works advance with speed and, if At the beginning of this year We already saw the two towers of 262 and 205 meters on both sides of the bridge, as well as the cables of 9,000 tons each, now we observe that they have already built the section that joins the ends. The length Total of the bridge is 2,890 meters and the main section, which is among the towers, has a length of 1,420 meters that positions it not only as the highest bridge in the world (it is 625 meters from the ground, reaching the end of the towers at 776 meters), but as the longest hanging section built in the mountainous area. The comparison with the height of the Eiffel Tower is interesting, but almost two Empire State Building would also enter. The technology used in construction is also interesting. For example, when the concrete pour, Guizhou Bridge Group builders devised a system of pipes that pump cold or hot water depending on the outer temperature to ensure that fresh concrete dried in the best possible conditions to avoid cracks. And, to guarantee maintenance, the cables have sensors that measure vibrations or wind intensity to offer reports on the state of the hanging section. Impact. In January of this year, it was reported that 75% of the project had been completed, but in recent months we have seen how they have advanced so much that it is practically only missing and installing the security elements. The idea is to open at some point in June this year and, once open, will allow Crossing the canyon in just a couple of minutes when before it was something for more than an hour. But beyond all this, the most impressive thing is that they have been able to build an infrastructure in a very complicated place and condense 439,000 m³ of concrete and 49,000 tons of steel in just four years. And the cost? In theory, 280 million dollars that are difficult to estimate whether they will recover by joining rural areas, but as infrastructure and demonstration of strength, the Huajiang Grand Canyon bridge is imposing. And will remove the record from the highest bridge Lege’s, also in China. Images | Xinhua (1, 2) In Xataka | With 526 meters in length, China has a new record of the longest glass bridge in the world

The great technology built their empires in a connected world. Now that world is falling apart

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The Trump tariffs They are not only an economic measure, but the visible manifestation of a phenomenon that goes much further: the potential fragmentation of the technological world in isolated and incompatible islands with each other. The technological map we knew so far is changing. The stock exchange that has evaporated almost 2 billion the value of technology – and climbing – in a few days hides points to Something more than short -term fears: The interconnected system in which the great technological ones built their empires are disintegrating. As Ben Evans says in your analysis of Stratechery“It is more difficult to overestimate the degree to which every aspect of modern life rests in global supply chains, so long and complex that no one can truly understand the effects of altering them.” The American Big Tech, whose success has been built on the premise of a world without digital bordersThey now have the nightmare of a planet that is, technologically, bursting. The American superisla dominated by Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta is surrounding increasingly turbulent waters. He will no longer be able to have cheap factories from China or Vietnam. The Chinese island, while, has a five years building its own ecosystems and standards. Huawei is a paradigmatic case. The European island, still in formation, focuses on regulation (GDPR, Dma, DSA) and tries to position themselves as “third way” with emphasis on values ​​about privacy and ethics, while maintaining critical strategic positions with manufacturers like ASML. We count it a few days ago: Huawei has not thrown five years building bridges, but cavando trenches. His Harmonyospresent in more than 1,000 million devices, does not seek to complement the global ecosystem, but replace it. Do not compete, build a parallel reality. West still thinks of market fees while Huawei builds an entire digital continent. The symptoms of this fragmentation are increasingly evident, and if nothing changes, they will go more: Nintendo delaying The early orders of the Switch 2. Vietnam negotiating the desperate to reduce tariffs. Companies drawing alternative supply chains in a hurry. They are only the superficial waves of the tsamot that is happening at the bottom of the digital ocean. We are facing The fracture of a technological model that we assumed universal. Where there were now integration there are digital walls. The economies of scale that allowed affordable smartphones and global services will give way to smaller, less efficient and possibly more expensive ecosystems. The end user will not only pay more for its devices but will have to choose which technology island belongs to. The European Union, aware of what is coming, no longer speaks only of response tariffs, but use his Anti-coercion instrument to “limit intellectual property rights” or “restrict the access of financial services to EU markets.” We talk about hardware, yes, but the war also extends to software, services and digital infrastructure. Europe could find its opportunity as a bridge between islands, taking advantage of its experience creating global standards (GSM, GDPR) that can be adopted beyond its borders. Our unique position, with relations with both the United States and China, could become integrators in a technologically fragmented world. And in this digital archipelago where Pangea was before Companies will have to decide which islands inhabiting and which ones to abandon. The divergent standards (with China we are already seeing it, They throw to their own HDMI), redundant supply chains and incompatible ecosystems will be the new normality. Innovation will no longer flow between continents, but will be confined in these technological islands, with its own rules, limitations and opportunities. Not that technological globalization is threatened, is that is being actively disassembled. The dream of a digital world without borders is coming to an end. Welcome to the technological archipelago. Outstanding image | Xataka, Wikimedia Commons In Xataka | “A zero tariff”: Before Tesla’s collapse, Elon Musk already presses for an agreement between Europe and the United States

North Korea has built a “Manhattan” of 10,000 apartments … only for the most loyal to Kim Jong-un

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We could say without fear of being wrong that North Korea has a very clear plan in an economic key for this 2025: open (A little) abroad. How much? It will depend, not only on the nation itself, but on the rest of the countries and the ability to seduction for tourists from outside. Wonsan It will be the cornerstone that will define the rest of that expansion. And the locals? For them there is also great news: a new mega district in the capital, although it will not be for everyone. Hwasong and what we don’t know. North Korea has proudly revealed its new residential district of no less than 10,000 homes in Pyongyanga work that remembers the famous New York enclave and that symbolizes both the propaganda desire of the regime and some of its internal contradictions. Located In Hwasongthe new neighborhood of imposing skyscrapers and large avenues has been presented through the state agency KCNA as a sample of the Kim Jong leader’s commitment a with the improvement of the level of urban living. The official inauguration is scheduled for April 15day that, of course, has not been chosen randomly, since the birth of Kim Il Sungfounder of the country and grandfather of the current leader. The new urbanization represents the third stage of a ambitious five -year plan announced in 2021 for Build 50,000 apartments In the capital, an objective that is inserted into a greater offensive to renew infrastructure in a country whipped by poverty, international isolation and a wobbly economy. Luxury on the outside, doubts inside. Despite the images that show modern buildings and an architecture urbanistically imposing, including two towers linked by a bridge High, reality can be far from a luxury standard. Counted in a wide CNN report That, in North Korea, life on high floors is complicated due to the frequent power cuts left by inoperative elevators. In fact, that is the reason why the floors are assigned based on age of residents: young people occupy the upper floors, while the elderly receive units at low levels. This organization illustrates how structural deficiencies camouflage under a facade of urban modernization. Although Pyongyang enjoys conditions significantly better than other areas of the country, housing in rural regions and mining cities They are still precariouswith limited access to electricity, drinking water or basic sanitation services. The new district in Hwasong The modernization plan. The Hwasong project is not an isolated case. Adds to other recent urbanizations such as Look Scientists Street and Songhwa Streetthis last home of the second highest tower in the country, completed in 2022. All efforts of the regime to show a renewed image of the nation, while they underpin the cult of the personality of Kim Jong Un. Plus: As the state press explained, the leader has been directly involved in the design and planning of the new district, repeating the classical narrative of the regime that associate each achievement with your address staff. In fact, even constructions are designed to reinforce the country’s privilege system. As? Housing are assigned by the Government to people loyal to the regime or considered strategically usefulsuch as scientists, engineers or allegates of the party. Inequality. A report From the South Korean Institute of Civil Engineering and Construction Technology, it estimated that North Korea has enough homes only for 70% to 80% of their homes. Beyond Pyongyang, the housing situation seems critical. Despite the new projects in mining and rural areas, these works depend on the forced labor of soldiers and civilians, which work in hard conditions and Without worthy remuneration. Plus: Construction in North Korea is mainly driven By the popular armywhose participation not only responds to the magnitude of the works, but also to an ideological logic: each brick becomes a piece of propaganda that reinforces the image of the State as a modernizing force. Facade of glass. Although the regime promotes the speed with which it rates skid (as the case of the 70 -story building in Ryomyong New Town whose structure was completed in just 74 days), experts have expressed concern about The quality of the materials and technical supervision. In 2014, the collapse of a building in Pyongyangwhich allegedly housed dozens of families, highlighted the risks of an accelerated construction without adequate controls. The state press attributed the disaster to An “irresponsible supervision”without providing dead figures or assuming clear responsibilities, in a country where transparency is little less than non -existent. “Military” construction. It is another of the legs on which the civil “work” is sustained. The military apparatus it’s a central role In all these developments. With More than one million soldiers In active duty and a mandatory conscription system of at least ten years since the age of 17, the state labor becomes the main engine of these works. Even after serving their service, former soldiers are usually integrated into civil paramilitary forceswhich consolidates a system in which the population remains subject to state control through military obedience structures. Urbanization, therefore, not only responds to housing needs, but also to social surveillance and containment mechanisms. Reopening and isolation. In addition to everything described, the inauguration of the Hwasong district coincides with the first steps of North Korea Towards a reopening controlled after more than five years of closing by the pandemic. We have it: although the capital has remained mostly inaccessible, in 2024 the entry of A small group of Russian tourists. Another foreign group could only visit Rasona special economic zone near the borders with China and Russia. This still shy reopening context also serves as a backdrop to show internal achievements such as the new district, whose symbolic value exceeds the direct benefit that it can represent for North Korean citizenship. Seen this way, Hwasong is not only a residential district, but an emblem of how North Korea tries Project modernityhiding Behind concrete A reality closer to scarcity, control and structural inequality. Image | KCNA In Xataka | After years with its closed … Read more

Some beavers have built a dam that had been postponed for seven years

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While in Spain we have A kind of rural thriller With the appearance of very particular animals for the country’s rivers, there are other stories that tell the importance of this family of creatures In the ecosystem around the floods and settlements of civilizations. We refer to the beavers and Your ability to build natural dams that helped moderate the force of floods. His last work has raised them. A paralyzed project. For seven years, the Government authorities of the BRDY region in the Czech Republic tried to carry out A project to build a dam on the Klabava Riverlocated about 40 kilometers southwest of Prague. Its purpose was to protect the local ecosystem, especially to a kind of crab in critical danger of extinctionpreventing sediments and acid from two nearby ponds from contaminating the river. However, the project, Approved in 2018 with more than one million dollars in financing and with all the necessary permits, it was paralyzed Due to prolonged negotiations on the use of land that had previously served as a military training field. And then the beavers arrived. Beesters to the rescue. While bureaucracy delayed construction, a group of beavers advanced to humans and, without waiting for permits or studies, built a series of dams naturally. His intervention not only solved the problem by which the authorities had planned the dam, but also expanded the wetland area to almost 20,000 square meterstwice what engineers had projected. It is not a trivial event. We are talking about a spontaneous work of creatures that saved the authorities approximately 1.2 million eurosas reported The Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic. Natural engineers. As we said at the beginning, beavers are known for Its extraordinary construction and landscape modification capacity. To build their dams, they begin by placing small stones in the riverbed, compacting them with mud and repeating the process to form a pond, a space that Then they expand to create a wetland. Why do the hell do this? Researchers believe that Your main motivation is security: They are excellent swimmers capable of enduring up to 15 minutes underwater, but on land they are quite clumsy and vulnerable to predators such as bears, wolves and pumas. In this way, building an aquatic habitat allows them to take refuge from any threat. And it is not the first time. Surprisingly, the case of the Czech Republic is not the first in which animals have taken the initiative in conservation projects. In California, the beavers helped Restore a flood plain to the northeastern Sacramentogenerating ecological benefits and Saving money to the authorities. And in Idaho, After the Sharps fire, the areas where there were beavers were intact and greenwhile the surroundings were devastated. In places where its introduction is prohibited, as in some areas of California, groups such as the Yurok tribe They have begun to build structures that imitate the dikes of Castores to attract them naturally and take advantage of their benefits. In Oregon, scientists discovered that Castor’s dams They leaked heavy metals and contaminants with double efficacy that an expensive stormwater treatment plant. The “but”. However, and As we have counted recently in Spaindespite their enormous contribution to the regeneration of ecosystems, the beavers are often seen as a discomfort due to the damage that causes trees and crops, as well as the possibility of flooding fields and roads. The resurgence of the beavers. Eurasian beavers were hunted almost until extinction in Europe, but they have been reintroduced in several regions, including the Czech Republic. Scientist journalist Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matterstressed that beavers have helped humanity for centuries, and that the recent history of the Czech Republic is a sign of how these animals can solve environmental problems efficiently. He had National Geographic Gerhard Schwabexpert in beales in Bavaria, who is not surprised at the effectiveness of rodents, although he doubts that the ” last January. However, it recognizes its extraordinary ability to transform the landscape and modify the flow of water. The conservation dilemma. It is possibly the last of the legs to deal with these creatures. Despite its impressive engineering capacity, the unpredictability of the beavers represents a challenge for conservation projects. In this regard, He explained to New York Times Emily FairfaxProfessor of Ecology at the University of Minnesot Its constructions cannot be planned with precision and many times they are considered an invasive species. It is possible, therefore, that this tendency to underestimate its positive impact has led to their actions to go unnoticed or directly ignored in the planning of environmental projects. That said, more and more studies and specific cases show that His role in wetland restoration is invaluable. Allowing these creatures to act freely, instead of intervening with artificial and expensive solutions, could represent a natural and sustainable alternative for the conservation of water ecosystems. Image | Timothy G. Lumley In Xataka | After missing centuries, there are people letting goals for the Tajo and other rivers in Spain. The problem is that we don’t know who

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