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It’s called ‘data poisoning’ and it’s poisoning them from within.

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AI is everywhere and every time add more users. The logical step is that it would also be the target of malicious attacks. We have already talked about the dangers of ‘prompt injection’, a surprisingly easy attack to execute. He’s not the only one. AI companies are also fighting data poisoning. Poisoned data. It consists of introducing manipulated data into resources that will later be used for AI training. According to a recent investigationit does not take as many malicious documents to compromise a language model as previously believed. They found that with only 250 “poisoned” documents, models with up to 13 billion parameters were compromised. The result is that the model can be biased or reach erroneous conclusions. Prompt injection. It is one of the Problems AI Browsers Face like ChatGPT Atlas or Comet. By simply placing an invisible prompt in an email or a website, you can get the AI ​​to deliver private information by not being able to distinguish what is a user instruction and what is a malicious instruction. In the case of AI agents it is especially dangerous since they can execute actions on our behalf. AI to do evil. According to a Crowdstrike reportAI has become the weapon of choice for cybercriminals, who use it to automate and refine their attacks, especially ransomware. He M.I.T. analyzed more than 2,800 ransomware attacks and found that 80% used AI. The figure is overwhelming. Collaboration. They count in Financial Times that leading AI companies such as DeepMind, OpenAI, Microsoft and Anthropic are working together to analyze the most common attack methods and collaboratively design defensive strategies. They are turning to ethical hackers and other independent experts to try to breach their systems so they can strengthen them. Urgency. AI browsers and agents are already here, but we are on time because there has not yet been mass adoption. It is urgent to strengthen the systems, especially to prevent the injection of prompts that can so easily steal our data. Image | Shayna “Bepple” Take in Unsplash In Xataka | “The safety of our children is not for sale”: the first law that regulates ‘AI friends’ is here

It is called “Flying Chernobyl” and it has been flying for 14 hours

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Europe and the US decided cross again one of the red lines imposed by Russia since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine. The “English way” had been activated with long range missiles Storm Shadows. Now, the public reappearance of the Russian program Burevestnik The same week in which talks between Moscow and Washington deteriorated cannot be an isolated or technical event, but rather a calculated move: the staging of a nuclear system with virtually unlimited range is a strategic message. A missile to go through everything. Putin and Gerasimov have described a 14,000 kilometer flight for about 15 hours on nuclear propulsion, claiming what in 2018 it was announced in response to two American decisions: the anti-missile armor after the withdrawal from the ABM Treaty and the expansion of NATO. The message is not only technical (“invincible” to present and future defenses due to unpredictable scope and trajectory). but doctrinal: Russia wants to reinstate the idea that no Western access denial architecture can be immune from nuclear risk. The repeated reference to the fact that “no one else has it” since categories and infrastructure for its deployment must already be planned suggests that Moscow wants the West to assume that this system should be treated as a strategic fact and not as a prototype. The nickname. The label “Flying Chernobyl”used by arms control experts, recalls the physical cost of the concept: the precedent of 2019 accident in Nyonoksa, with five scientists dead and radiation released, shows the price of pursuing infinite scope even at the risk of contaminating one’s own environment. Burevestnik as a bargaining chip. The demonstration coincides with a failed diplomatic back-and-forth: Trump went in days from announcing a summit in Budapest to cancel it due to “loss of time”. At the same time, the United States imposed sanctions to the two largest Russian oil companies and authorized Ukraine to carry out in-depth attacks against Russian energy infrastructure, a point in which Putin responded that any deep strike would have “very serious, if not overwhelming” retaliation. Media activation of the Burevestnik serves as a reminder that Russia maintains nuclear escalation letter just when the other (energy) is being eroded by primary and secondary sanctions. The figures illustrate what is at stake: if India or China limit imports of Russian crude oil due to sanctions, the Kremlin could lose between 1,600 and 7,400 million of dollars per month in income, a lever that makes the threat of a system that does not depend on maritime corridors or logistics chains more valuable. Screenshot of the launch of the Burevestnik 9M730 program in 2018 Nuclear signal. And while Russia exhibits nuclear test, Ukraine demonstrates conventional depth with swarms of drones that have forced Moscow airports to close and defenses to be saturated. Russia admitted shooting down 28 drones in one night but rarely detailing damage. The war in the rear It is already bidirectional: Moscow launches hundreds of drones and missiles on Kyiv, destroying homes and forcing Zelensky to claim more Patriotwhile Ukraine hurts the Russian economy by attacking refineries. The presentation of the Burevestnik between conventional bombings and energy sanctions, nuclear deterrence becomes an added layer to the cost game: its mere existence is intended to alter the West’s calculations of persistence more than offering immediate tactical utility on the battlefield. Multiple message. For Trump (who called Russia of “paper tiger” for not defeating Ukraine quickly) the test aims to restore symbolic parity: Even with mediocre conventional performance, Russia remembers that on the nuclear frontier maintains qualitative advantage declared. For the West, the lesson is that Moscow can tie arms control negotiations to concessions in the Ukrainian theater. Within the regime, Putin reframes himself as a leader who delivers “weapons without analogue” even under sanction. The fact that Dmitriev, special envoy, will communicate the details The trial in Washington suggests that the missile is used directly as an instrument of diplomatic signaling as well as as a doctrinal response. Return to deterrence. The affirmation of invulnerability of the Burevestnik coincides with the closing windows of conventional impunity: air defense in Ukraine demonstrated that penetrating A2/AD layers without supremacy is extremely costly and that long-range warfare with drones and smart missiles is reducing the “safe” zones of the Russian rear. Faced with this erosion, Moscow “jumps layers” remembering that can recover margin of coercion with the radiological-nuclear terror: the missile does not lower a meter of mud on the front, but it degrades the Western expectation that a war of attrition can be prolonged without strategic risk. A physical test. If you also want, the essay of the Burevestnik comes as an integrated response to three pressure lines simultaneous: energy sanctions that strain tax revenue, deep attacks Ukrainians who pierce the perception of internal invulnerability and the evaporation of a short way of negotiation with Washington after the cancellation of Budapest. The deliberate choice of the moment, the choreography with uniformsthe propaganda echo of “unparalleled weapon” and the diplomatic leak to the United States indicate that the objective was not to prove physics, or “not only”, but also to induce a belief: to reinstall in the minds of adversaries and allies the possibility of a jump nuclear step if the West persists in prolonging conventional attrition against Russia. Image | YouTube In Xataka | The war in Ukraine was a drone war. Now it is a war of drones that are not actually combat drones In Xataka | In 1970 the USSR secretly developed kryptonite for nuclear warheads: now it sounds like a general rehearsal is imminent

OpenAI has purchased a software called Sky. And the loser in this equation is Apple

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OpenAI has bought Skyan AI application for macOS that had not even been released on the market. Behind them are Ari Weinstein and Conrad Kramer, the creators of Workflow, the automation app that Apple bought in 2017 and became Shortcuts. Why is it important. Three people with years of experience within Apple, a deep knowledge of macOS, and a unique understanding of automation have decided it was better to build outside than inside. And OpenAI has just signed them to integrate ChatGPT precisely into Apple’s operating system. The context. Sky promised to be exactly what Siri should be by 2025: An AI that floats above your desk. Who understands what you do. That sees the context of your screen. And that executes complex actions with a simple instruction in natural language. The vision of AI-assisted computing taken to the maximum. The founders of Software Applications Incorporatedthe company behind Sky, spent years within Apple after purchasing Workflow in 2017. They left in August 2023. 26 months later, OpenAI buys them. The entire cycle has lasted less than two years. That’s speed. That’s what happens when you have a clear vision and there aren’t a hundred committees holding you back. What has happened. Kim Beverettthe third co-founder, also came from Apple. Almost ten years working on Safari, WebKit, privacy, Messages, Mail, FaceTime, SharePlay. They are product people. People who understand macOS better than almost anyone on the planet. And this is not just any startup. It’s a startup founded by people who know the ins and outs of macOS intimately, who know exactly what it can do and how to do it. And they decided that it was better to do it outside of Apple than inside. Between the lines. OpenAI does not buy Sky for the technology. Buy Sky for the talent. The twelve team members join OpenAI to, according to ChatGPT’s vice president, accelerate “deep integration with macOS.” Apple trained these people, gave them access to their systems. Now OpenAI is going to use that knowledge to build exactly what Apple should be building. Apple has been promising for months that Siri is going to improve, that Apple Intelligence It’s the future. But beyond hardware increasingly specialized in local modelswe’ve only seen delays and a fairly muted value proposition so far. Meanwhile… OpenAI has launched Atlasyour browser with deep ChatGPT integration. Now buy Sky to bring that integration to all macOS. With people who know exactly how the innards of the system work. Apple is being outplayed on its own turf. And it’s not just Sky. Jony Ive, the most important designer in Apple’s history, left in 2019. Now work with OpenAI on an AI device. With financing from SoftBank. With Sam Altman directly involved. The alarm signal. Apple has a cultural problem: it is too slow. Too cautious. Privacy is an important differentiator, but it may cost you to be left off the generative AI map. The talent that Apple trained is leaving because it can’t build what it wants inside. At least not with the desired speed. Sky will at some point arrive as an OpenAI product or as an integration into ChatGPT desktop app. But it will also be a symbol of what can be done with deep knowledge, clear vision and freedom to execute without twenty layers of approval. And now what. Apple needs speed. You need ambition. You need to be willing to take risks. Because talent doesn’t wait. And AI does not forgive slowness. In Xataka | OpenAI is already a binary bet: either get AGI, or everything blows up Featured image | OpenAI

It is called cheapflation and it directly attacks the most basic products

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In recent years the inflation seemed to subside on the charts, but not where millions of homes feel it: the supermarket. Under this appearance of normality, a silent and structural shift has been taking place that does not hit everyone equally: because what increases the most is not luxury, but the essentials, and it is paid for by those who cannot stop buying it. One word sums it up and explains it perfectly. Cheapflation. I remembered this morning the newspaper El País that food inflation has not been neutral: it hits harder the less you have. Thus, the so-called cheapflation (the disproportionate increase in the cost of the cheapest products) has raised the price of basic foods by 37% between 2021 and 2024, compared to 23% for high-end foods. The result: the poor households spend more proportion of their income in essential goods, and when they try to lower their basket by replacing commercial brands with white brands or smaller formats, they discover that these ranges are precisely the ones that have increased the most. The burden is not only economic: the qualitative degradation of the diet in households with financial stress has an impact on health, and in Spain the ECB indicators show a gap “exceptional and persistent” between food and the rest of the prices from 2022, consolidating a structural, not cyclical, shock. Pandemic, energy neck and Ukraine. The sequence that triggered cheapflation is recognizable: the exit from confinements with the demand running ahead of the offer, the later energy escalation and logistics, and that war in Ukraine that has only been stress fertilizerscereals and fuels. The ECB estimates a +30% accumulated in food in the eurozone since 2019, and in Spain, groceries have risen more than 30% from 2021 (compared to 19% of the general CPI), with essentials such as meat, milk, butter between +30% and +50%and extreme peaks in olive oil, coffee or cocoa, with increases up to 80%. The hidden layer. The increase in food is not explained only by wars or general inflation, but by how it is organized the market itself. Since the 2008 crisis, basic foodstuffs have been traded as a financial product on futures exchanges, which allows for speculative movements that push up prices. Account the investigation from the Barcelona Urban Research Institute (IDRA) that at the same time the world cereal trade is in the hands of only five large companies that control between 70% and 90% of the market and they also participate on both sides: in the physical grain and in the financial business linked to that grain. Between 2021 and 2022 they obtained record profits, some multiplied by three on previous levels. That combination (few hands managing the product and the price) means that any global shock translates into higher prices faster and with more strength. Spain as a laboratory. According to the same report from the Barcelona Institute, in Spain, both manufacturers and distributors captured extraordinary margins in inflationary phase: agri-food leads the rise in margins with +38.1% since 2020; The large distribution groups declared record profits (7.5 billion in 2024), while salaries in the sector are below average and pockets of precariousness persist, such as in fruit in Lleida and Andalusia. The contrast in this sense is clear: income moves from consumers and labor to capital concentrated in an oligopolistic market whose pricing power has not been contested. Non-intervention policy. The report also pointed out that when the market is left to resolve itself, the same thing almost always happens: the hard of the cost remains in families (worse and more expensive food, more deprivation, more inequality) and the extraordinary benefits remain above. Spain is already the third country in Europe where the food deprivation in 15 yearsonly behind France and Greece, and mainly affects single-parent households, dependent people and precarious jobs. Although from 2023 costs went down energy and logistics, the final prices have not. When a price “jumps” due to a crisis, if there are few companies dominating the market, that jump becomes the new floor and there is no going back. Regulation of power. The studies agree in which the problem is not solved only with specific aid, but by changing how the market works. That means reduce concentration of power in a few companies, stop financial speculation with food and be able to put temporary caps on prices when there is a crisis to prevent them from staying at the top forever. According to the documentit is not useful to give money to the consumer (because the State pays it) or to demand discounts from the farmer (who is already the weakest link), the adjustment has to come of the middle part of the chain, where the highest margins are (industry and distribution), and with an active role of the State to monitor that price power. The ultimate goal is not only for food to cost less, but for essentials to stop depending on financial fluctuations and the control of a few companies that today they dominate the grain on which food security depends. Image | H. Friar In Xataka | The shopping basket is so expensive that many Madrid residents are driving 40 minutes to buy in a cheap supermarket In Xataka | They are touching our balls (specifically, their price)

The real threat from US warships off Venezuela is supersonic. It is called Kh-31 and it is Made In Russia

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The satellite images left no room for doubt: the United States has been adding pieces in the southern Caribbean until it forms the closest thing to a military army prepared for an attack against Venezuela, it remains to be seen on what scale and if that is really Washington’s idea. And in the face of this artillery, the greatest threat to American warships lies in the Venezuelan Air Force. To be more exact, in one of their fighters and their missile. Supersonic capability. The presence of Russian supersonic anti-ship missiles Kh-31A in the hands of Venezuela, integrated into their Soviet fighters Su-30MK2V of the Bolivarian Military Aviation, turns the Venezuelan coast into a high-risk environment for US ships that today operate at very short distances. The missile, conceived by the USSR to pierce Western air defenses and later adapted to anti-ship penetration rolescombines low flight over the sea, active tracking guidance before or after launch, terminal maneuvers of up to 15 G and a penetration warhead that detonates after passing through the side of the hull, making it difficult to intercept when the ship is within its short warning zone. The very fact that the US Navy purchased units to convert them into targets MA-31 to test its defenses illustrates that, although it is not cutting-edge technology, it is a system whose lethality is taken very seriously. Launching platform. Venezuela has of 21 fighters Su-30 Flanker in service, has advertised early warning exercises with Kh-31 off the coast and has spread images of armed flights with the clear intention of signaling their denial capacity to Washington. Although it is not certain that the Kh-31P anti-radiation variant will be available in significant quantities, it could be used de facto against naval radars. Close-range encounters (even with Venezuelan F-16s approaching to US ships) show that, in an improvised incident, fighters could be placed within the launch envelope before being detected or deterred. Promotional image of a Kh 31 Physics, distance and reaction. The profile of Kh-31A missile (initial acceleration by rocket to Mach 1.8 and transition to Mach 3.5 at high altitude or Mach 1.8 at sea level) drastically reduces the defense reaction time, especially when the ship is close to the coast, with a shortened radar horizon and degraded early warning. The employment envelope (the three-dimensional zone in which the missile can be launched, fly and reach its target, encompassing variables such as range, altitude and speed), means that an approaching armed aircraft without being ejected from the zone can place missiles in flight before the ship completes its defense cycle. Comparison of arsenals. They counted the TWZ analysts than the rest of the Venezuelan anti-ship arsenal (Otomat Mk 2 on a frigate Marshal Sucreaged versions in Constitution boatsmissiles Sea Killer in helicopters and Iranian CM-90s) is sub-sonic, of doubtful availability and much inferior in penetration and probability of impact compared to modern defenses. In practice, the only vector that alters the American calculation is that Su-30/Kh-31 pairing: is sufficiently fast, sufficiently provided, and sufficiently close to impose significant risk. Missile infographic United States position. It we counted yesterday. The American deployment (ARG/MEU Iwo Jima, Arleigh Burke destroyersa cruise Ticonderoga and the special operations ship Ocean Trader) is in itself a coercive message designed to project the capacity for punishment or specific assault from international waters. However, this same deployment creates specific vulnerabilities: the Ocean Trader lacks organic defense and has operated very close to the coast. A successful attack, even isolated, would have far-reaching strategic and political consequences, turning a limited clash into cause for war. The Pentagon has reinforced kinetic and electronic warfare subsystems (including Burkes ahead of Rota to operate under threat of cruise missiles), but the speed and proximity of the theater mean that the risk is far from theoretical. The logic of last resort. While a direct Venezuelan attack would almost certainly amount to an open war with the United States, the variables that could make it imaginable exist: a regime collapse scenario, an outbreak of operational error in a close air encounter, or a misattributed US covert operation could precipitate “last resort” decisions from Caracas. Precisely because the probability of something like this happening is low but the expected damage if it occurs is extreme, the US Navy treats the Kh-31 as a priority threat of active management, not as technological waste. Implications. The mere presence of a supersonic missile of denial in the hands of a sanctioned State amplifies political pressure: it forces the United States to assume more heavy (cruises as escort, separation cordons, additional ISR), makes persistent operations more expensive and raises the threshold for intervention. The tactical result (a reaction window of seconds) translates into a strategic effect: Venezuela has a de facto veto on the degree of safe intrusion of American ships, if you will, a kind of chip of negotiation that Caracas has already turned into a public message with its armed flights at short distance. Image | NavyRosoboronexport, Boeing In Xataka | Satellite images leave no doubt: there are 10,000 soldiers and unusual artillery pointing at the same place in the Caribbean In Xataka | A disturbing idea is gaining strength: that what the US wants is not drugs, and that is why it is targeting Venezuela

In the midst of the cocaine furor, in 1990 they thought that the message should be clearer. So they called the Ninja Turtles

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Who better than a large group of television animation stars to warn the creatures addicted to the cathode tube of the dangers of drugs (those not related to the cathode tube). This happened in 1990, in a clash of animated titans that had international reach: here we saw it on Antena 3 and presented by the famous Reina Sofía. How and why was this firefighter idea born? Be good. There was something that the cartoons of the eighties were very good at, and that was preaching. We all remember the taglines that Mattel added to the ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe‘ to cushion accusations of excessive violence and in which the heroes reminded the kids to brush their teeth and listen to their elders, unless that elder was a stranger who told them to get in his car. And while here a generation was duly seasoned by the messages of disturbing anti-capitalist terrorism of the Electroduendes, in the United States they brought together successful cartoon characters of the time so that the kids could say no to drugs. To the rescue. ‘Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue’ is a 1990 half-hour animated special focused on drug prevention, which brought together popular characters from several animated series (ten in total: the Smurfs, ALF, Garfield, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Winnie from Pooh, the Little Ones, Slimer from ‘The Real Ghostbusters’, some Looney Tunes, a Turtle Ninja and Donald’s nephews from ‘DuckTales’). The plot revolves around a teenager who uses marijuana and puts his younger sister at risk due to his addiction. Cartoon characters come to life for emergency intervention. Important financing. The production was financed by McDonald’s and its children’s charity Ronald McDonald Foundation. The White House supported the invention with an introduction by President George HW Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, something that would be repeated in different countries with different presenters. The four major American television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) collaborated to broadcast it and the franchise owners gave up the rights for a good cause. It was produced by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and animated in Taiwan (because shit is shit) by the very prolific Wang Film Productions. To end the avalanche of stars, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, at the time on the crest of the wave thanks to their soundtrack for ‘The Little Mermaid’ just a year earlier, composed an original song, ‘Wonderful Ways to Say No‘. In Spain, the queen. The version broadcast in Spanish-speaking countries was called ‘Cartoon stars to the rescue.’ In Spain It was broadcast by all television networks, but at different times: La Primera, the international channel, Antena 3, regional channels with programming in Spanish (Canal Sur, Telemadrid, TVG, ETB-2 and Canal Nou), Tele 5 and Canal+. There were also various presenters: in Mexico, President Carlos Salinas; in Chile, the first lady Marta Larraechea; and in Spain, Queen Sofía, at that time very involved in drug prevention campaigns and protection of the rights of minors. Avoid drugs. Since Nixon got muddied in the early seventies in a interested war on drugsthere have been relentless educational campaigns aimed at removing glamor and providing tools so that the youngest people do not fall into addictions. Often sinning naivety and Manichaeism (and this cartoon special has plenty of both), many of its slogans have remained embedded in pop culture: ‘Just say no‘, ‘This is your brain in drugs‘… and in Spain the legendary “Avoid drugs” (which at the very least generated a great song by Esteban Light) and “Say no to drugs“, with cocaine ray worm spot included. In Xataka | Amphetamine consumption in Spain is concentrated in one autonomous community. And we know it with a “simple” trick

It is called Soratnik and its soldiers carry it on their heads to get ahead of the enemy.

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It was in the month of August when Russia demonstrated that its advances were not only about drones, also on helmets. Aware of the technological developments in Ukraine, Moscow presented an unprecedented system of portable electronic warfare designed specifically for each combatant, one more step in the miniaturization of anti-drone defense. Now, that effort has been multiplied with a version 2.0 of the helmet. His name: Soratnik. Tactical thinking. More than a century after the horrors of World War I forced a rediscovery of the importance of the combat helmet, Russia has decided to reinvent it completely. He new “Soratnik”developed by the state consortium Frente del Pueblo, represents the definitive transition from the helmet as a simple physical shield to an intelligent platform integrated into the modern warfare network. This model incorporates a artificial intelligence module capable of collecting data from the soldier himself, from his colleagues equipped with the same technology and from drones deployed on the ground. All this information, processed in real time, offers commanders a dynamic map of the situation on the front and shows the position of allies and enemies in an internal display, transforming the perception of the battlefield into an immersive and synchronized experience. The “smart” helmet. The “Soratnik” is not an isolated project: its development is part of a global competition for the integration of artificial intelligence and augmented reality in the soldier’s equipment. In the West, Meta and Anduril Industries They work on the “Eagle Eye”a helmet equipped with AR screens and connection to the Lattice command and control system, with which they intend to achieve the same information superiority that Moscow seeks. Both projects symbolize a doctrinal change: he soldier connected as node of a network of sensors, cameras and drones that turns war into a continuous flow of data. If the “Soratnik” manages to balance weight, comfort and technological capacity, could mark the beginning of a new generation of personal equipment in which information is as valuable as ballistic protection. From steel to silicon. Paradoxically, combat helmets They have not evolved as much as other pieces of modern weaponry. From the steel models of 1915, such as the Frenchman Adrian either the German Stahlhelmits design has changed little beyond the materials used. a study from Duke University even concluded that those helmets from the Great War offered better protection against shock waves than the currentmore designed to resist projectiles and shrapnel than to mitigate the effect of explosions. For decades, progress was limited to lightening weight and improving ergonomics, but never to redefining its function. An auxiliary brain. From that perspective, “Soratnik” intends to take that leap. By integrating a digital layer over the combatant’s field of vision, the helmet ceases to be a passive barrier and becomes a cognitive extension of the soldier, a system capable of interpreting the environment and anticipating threats. The difficulty will be maintaining the balance between technology and physical reality: a helmet that is too heavy or uncomfortable ends up being useless, no matter how smart it is. Russia and its competitors know this, and their challenge is to ensure that technical progress does not sacrifice basic functionality. From clay to the digital age. If we look back, the history combat helmet modern begins in the trenches of World War I, when injuries from shrapnel and artillery forced armies to recover forgotten protection since the Middle Ages. In 1915, France introduced the Adrian modelfollowed by the German Stahlhelm and the british brodieall made of steel and designed to resist projectile splinters. Those helmets marked the beginning of a new relationship between the soldier and his equipment: they were no longer an ornament, but a survival tool. During the 20th century, its design adapted to the change of wars (from European mud to the jungles of the Pacific, from desert to cities), replacing metal with composite materials and reducing weight. However, despite the advancement of military technology, the helmet remained almost unchanged in its basic purpose: to protect the head, not to think for it. Today, more than a century later, that paradigm appears to be changing. War as a data network. If it achieves that balance, the “Soratnik” could inaugurate a new era in which the helmet stops symbolizing only individual defense to represent the total connection between the combatant and his army. It is no longer about protecting the head, but about turning it into a processing center mobile, a link point between humans and machines. In the evolution of the “brain bucket” The “smart helmet” summarizes a century of war history: from tempered steel to silicon, from the physical blow to the flow of informationfrom survival to control of the environment. A change that redefines not only the soldier’s equipment, but also the very nature of war. Image | VPK In Xataka | Ukraine brought its drones closer to the Russian army. Their surprise is capital: the North Koreans are now Cubans with an irresistible promise In Xataka | Ukraine has divided a treasure into six secret locations. If Russian drones find it, the winter will be especially cold

While the world desperately seeks rare earth, China has an overwhelming advantage: it’s called Wem

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It seems clear that it has begun A race On the planet: the search for Rare earths and the essential critical minerals for many of the sectors that mark the geopolitical agenda. The problem for 99.9% of nations is the same: when they seem to have reached a deposit there are already A Chinese flag. What is not usually explained so much is how Beijing does. The miliar origin. Deep in the mountains of center of China extends A monumental installation that transforms both the landscape and the global competition for strategic resources. It is a gigantic antenna of 500 kilowatts, with lines that are deployed over 80 and 120 kilometers, originally conceived to maintain communication with underwater underwater. This electromagnetic colossus, whose extension exceeds in five times the New York surfacehas been converted into a decisive instrument for the exploration of critical minerals, projecting signals capable of penetrating kilometers in the earth’s crust and revealing deposits that previously remained out of human reach. What began as a military project has become a Scientific and Technological Weapon which gives Beijing a remarkable advantage in the race for the resources that will define the future of energy and industry. Electromagnetic exploration. A study of the China Geological Survey (CGS), published in the Geophysical & Geochemical Exploration magazine, has detailed how the country has managed to monopolize Electromagnetic systems of ultra-high power. All platforms that exceed 100 kW are in Chinese territory, while the most powerful tool in the United States barely reaches 30 kW. The difference is not trivial: this technological leap has allowed Chinese geologists to discover in recent years sites of historical magnitude, such as the Greater gold deposit of the world, reserves Lithium ultra-extends and uranium veins in depths Never achieved. The research led by Chen Hui and his team affirms That these innovations consolidate China’s world position in electromagnetic exploration theory and technology, placing it far ahead of any western competitor. The challenge. As the superficial deposits of copper, lithium, cobalt and rare earths are exhausted, the exploration has moved to what geologists call The “Second Mineral Space”: An underground strip that extends between 500 and 2,000 meters deep. In this environment, the signs issued by mineral bodies are extremely weak and are usually buried under the cultural noise generated by electricity lines, urban infrastructure and extractive operations. The Chinese response has been to redefine the scale of prospecting: multiply the transmission power by above 100 kWflooding the subsoil with signs capable of crossing interference and reaching depths of up to 3,000 meters with unprecedented clarity. Advances in the subsoil cartography. The jump is not limited to power. While conventional techniques relied on two -dimensional models not suitable for complex structures, Chinese systems use Sensors distributed networks and multidirectional field sources that allow a real three -dimensional image of the subsoil. In the Jiama copper mine, in the Tibet, a controlled audio-magnetothelúrica tensorial study (CSAMT) reached unpublished resolutions at more than 3,000 meters, subsequently confirmed with drilling nuclei. These results They far exceeded to the Magnetotheluric of Natural Source, usually ineffective in saturated noise environments. The methods. One of the most prominent advances is the Electromagnetic method wide field, developed by Professor He Jishan, which allows you to obtain reliable data even in the so -called “nearby field zone”, where the records were not very useful. At the same time, the time-frequency electromagnetic systems are expanding the available information by measuring not only the resistance of the materials, but also its polarization and permeabilityessential parameters to distinguish between different types of deposits. The Wem project. And so we reach the clearest symbol of this ambition: The Wem project (Wireless Electromagnetic Method), whose colossal structure crosses China’s heart with two antenna lines arranged almost at right angles. This system, which began as a naval communication tool, has become the First electromagnetic transmitter of continental scale used in the prospecting of resources. In a national test carried out in 2023its signs were detected from Tibet to Interior Mongolia and Guangdong, more than 2,000 kilometers away. In the area of ​​Xiong’an there were magnetic fields up to seven times higher than the natural background noise, an unequivocal demonstration of the system’s capacity to impose itself on the most complex interference. Strategic advantage. In other words, with these Beijing technologies It is placed at the head of the struggle for the essential mineral resources for the energy transition and the green technologies: lithium for batteries, cobalt for high resistance alloys and rare earths essential in modern electronics. In contrast, most Western countries lack comparable systems and, except Russia, almost none use ultra-high power instruments in terrestrial prospecting. Even the most powerful teams manufactured in the West have been designed at China, which underlines the existing technological dependence. A new geopolitical board. China’s ability to identify deep deposits quickly Not only is it a scientific advantage, but also strategic. Control over technology and data places Beijing in a position to mark the rhythm of the discovery of resources in the coming decades. If you want, in a context where the energy transition redefines the global value chains, who controls access to lithium, cobalt and rare earth will control much of the industrial future. With the deployment of Giant antennas and electromagnetic systems Of unpublished power, China is making it clear that it does not intend to participate in the race: its goal is to win it. Image | Ilo Asia-Pacific, Herry Lawford, Terence Wright In Xataka | The great covered in the War of Critical Minerals is Tungsten. The US needs it and 83% have it China In Xataka | In 1978 Chinese engineers visited two key US companies. On his return an empire began: the rare earths

Ryanair has put the Spanish province airports in check. Fortunately for them, there is a thing called “capitalism”

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Spanish airports are living a tremendous snake in recent months, and the absolute protagonist is Ryanair. The Irish airline has been using smaller airports for months, such as negotiating weapon in battle against airport ratesthreatening to leave them lying if their conditions were not met. Threatened … and fulfilled, being Valladolid’s one of the most affected airports. But there Where Ryanair closedother companies have seen a chance. And, as the Minister of Transportation says: “To dead king, king on.” What’s happening. AENA is the public company that is responsible for the management of airports in Spain. A few months ago he announced that, as of March 2026, it would increase airport rates by 6.5%. This implies that the maximum entrance per traveler will go from 10.35 euros to 11.03 euros, a rise of 68 cents. The reaction Ryanair was … sound, so to speak. Through several very public profiles, including that of its controversial CEO, Michael O’LearyThe company described the increase as unjustified, stating that regional airports would be less competitive against other European destinations. In general, the defense of Ryanair is based on affirming that Aena acts as a monopoly when the benefits of travelers and regional connectivity are put. Affected. The manager justifies the climb to the need to face a Investment Plan of about 13,000 million euros with the aim of modernizing the network in the coming years before an expected increase in demand. All this led to the president of AENA and the Ministry of Transportation accused Ryanair of being blackmailing the country. Also accuses To the company to use that increase in rates as an excuse to stop operating in regional airports, moving to the “airports in which they can set higher prices in their tickets to earn more money”. In fact, a pulse can be allowed like this. Ryanair’s response? Trim a Million places Facing the Christmas campaign of this 2025 through the cessation of operations in those regional airports in which the airline was the main mode of connection with other airports. The most affectedin addition to Valladolid, Son Vigo or Santiago de Compostela, but also Tenerife Norte, Asturias, Santander, Zaragoza, Jerez or Vitoria. airport Capacity cuts for winter 2025 & 2026 Santiago Base closure (two less aircraft, 80% less capacity) sherry Closing Valladolid Closing Tenerife Norte Closing Vigo Closing Santander -38% Saragossa Closing Asturias -16% Vitoria -2% Canary Islands -10% Dead king, king. The truth is that Ryanair is one of the most powerful companies at European level, especially in these smaller airports, since its model is the one that allows connections between cities that other companies do not cover. However, his withdrawal of some Spanish airports is not something that worries one of the protagonists of this story: the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility. Óscar Puente defended A few days ago, Ryanair’s march would be compensated with the arrival of other companies. The minister argued that “no company will condition airport policy with threats, underlining That “to dead king, king placed”, and it seems that those new ‘kings’ are already appearing their heads. To attack. It was the bridge itself who announced that airlines as Vueling would “immediately” cover the routes abandoned by Ryanair for this winter, ensuring that he has worked in negotiations with both vs. with other companies to fill that void left by the Irish company. Vueling will reinforce its presence in Santiago and Tenerife Norte, but it is not the only company that has seen an opportunity in this situation. Iberia Express or Wizz Air They also work to cover part of the routes operated by Ryanair. Specifically, from Independent comment which turning will increase its capacity by 15% in Santiago (reaching 578,000 seats) and 11% in Tenerife Norte (900,000 seats). Wizz Air, meanwhile, will open 40 additional routes until March 2026. Another of those who I could enter the game It is volotea, an airline that is focused on connecting small and medium cities that has already collected the Guante of Ryanair’s abandonment of French airports. Because this struggle of Ryanair against rates are also having it in parallel in France. And the train? Of course, Ryanair has put the increase in rates in the center of the debate, but there is something that has been forged in recent years: the expansion of high speed. A few weeks ago we already commented that that of Santiago and Vigo, airports in which the Irish has closed operations, are two cities to which The arrival of high speed is especially affecting. In Asturias There are still complicationsbut new sections are planned that will allow the train to fight the plane soon. And in Zaragoza not only Renfe operates: Ouigo and Iro They joined not so much. Now, where the train is not an option is in the Canary Islands, where Ryanair will reduce 400,000 places in winter, canceling 36 connections. There will be companies such as Vueling, Iberia Express or Binter who will have to demonstrate whether they can operate without travelers missing Ryanair. This next winter will be the fire test. In the end, Ryanair has been able to blackmail Aena (and other European organizations) to some extent, since if he leaves his routes, due to competition, there are other companies that are looking forward to occupying their place. Images | Ryanair, Robot8a In Xataka | In its extreme obsession with hand luggage, Ryanair has created a new and explicit product: “Backpacks to travel with Ryanair”

is called F110 and is ready for any war

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It has not been any summer for Spain in defense. In August He knew he resigned to around 50 F-35 that the Ministry of Defense had “applauded” with the United States. It was also said that the idea was to bet on European investment In defense. The truth is that Spain has almost ready that will be a source of pride of its Navy. It is called F110 and it is a portent. A new generation. The Bonifaz frigate launchfirst of the Class F110in the shipyards of Navantia in Ferrol, it has marked a milestone for the Spanish Navy and for the country’s own naval industry. With a degree of progress greater than 70% and delivery planned in 2028, the ship opens a series of five units conceived to replace the VETERANAS F80 SANTA MARÍAin turn heirs of American architecture Oliver Hazard Perry of the eighties. F110 represents not only a generational relief, but also a strategic commitment to a versatile design and Highly automatedconceived from the beginning to grow and adapt to new demands. The construction of the other units already advances: the F112 has the keel placed since April 2025 and the blocks of the following frigates are mounted in parallel in the Ferrolan workshops. A flexible ship. From its conception, the F110 was designed as a frigate Antisubmarine war First order, with a technological package that places it among the most advanced in Europe in this field. Incorporates a helmet sonar combined with the powerful Captas-4 Compact Towed of Thales, capable of detecting submarines at a great distance and precisely, in addition to a NH90 helicopter either SH-60 Dedicated to this task, accompanied by a second hangar thought for drones or unmanned systems. All this makes the new class a multiplier of underwater forces, an increasingly relevant field in a context in which Russian underwater activity He has recovered prominence In the North Atlantic. But F110 does not give up other dimensions: it is also a Multipurpose ship with large areas of mission and space to accommodate future teams, which makes it an open platform to technological evolution. The bonifaz frigate launch in Ferrol on September 11 The strategic dimension. One of the most distinctive elements of design is its huge mast, which houses the AN/SPy-7 radar (v) 2 From Lockheed Martin, derived from the long -range discrimination system installed in Alaska. Its high position gives you an exceptional field of vision and makes it a sensor capable of continuing even objects in space. Although the frigate does not carry weapons capable of Intercept ballistic missiles In full flight, your data can feed allied networks, reinforcing NATO antimisile defense and complementing the capacities of Spanish F100, optimized for anti -aircraft war. The integration of this radar with the management system of National Scomba Combat It symbolizes technological cooperation with the United States without giving up its own industrial control, a balance that enhances the strategic autonomy of the Navy. Balanced armament. In terms of aerial defense, F110 surprises with a relatively moderate arsenal compared to its predecessors: two MK 41 modules that house up to 64 Essm Block 2 missileseffective against short and medium range threats. It is a configuration that guarantees local protection and some area coverage, although the door to be integrated into the future Standard family missiles is open, which would expand the defensive scope. In the surface fight, the ship combines the missile Naval Strike Missile of Kongsberg, with a discreet but precise and difficult scope to detect, with a 127 mm cannon in bow, two of 30 mm and light machine guns. To this are added Electronic War Systemscountermeasures, launch of fast boats and a set of sensors that reinforce their role as an escort and as a presence ship in NATO missions or the European Union. International comparisonss. The F110 approach is part of a global trend of Polivalent frigates with anti -submarine emphasis, similar to that of the British Type 26also chosen By Australia, Canada and Norwayoa la American constellationbased on Italian design FREMM. Paradoxically, the US Navy rejected the Spanish proposal of a F100 frigate, opting for the FREMM, and today Pay the consequences with a program that accumulates delays, overweight and cost overruns. In contrast, the Spanish calendar progress promptlywith the bonifaz even advanced to the expected. This industrial discipline reinforces the attractiveness of F110 as a possible export product in an international market that demands versatile, modern and controlled costs. Multiple relevance. If you want also, the Incorporation of the ship War will consolidate the transition from the Navy to a fleet of complementary frigates: The F100 as specialists in area air defense and the F110 as submarine hunters with a sufficient balance in surface and air capabilities. Together, they will offer Spain a strategic combination of media adapted to the challenges of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, while projecting full interoperability with NATO allies. Thus, F110 is not just a new ship: it is the materialization of a national strategy that combines its own technology with international integration, a bridge between tradition and future that, unlike other international programs (Many in trouble), seems to advance with a firm step and could place Navantia in the world showcase as a reference construction company. Image | Navantia In Xataka | If you have ever wondered what the pride of the Spanish Navy is like, this virtual walk puts you in the S-81 In Xataka | The F-35 not only costs a fortune, it has a button that Spain does not like. So he told the US that he doesn’t want them

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