countries

China has broken the dependence of the GPS in two decades. His proposal has already convinced 140 countries

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China has just published The data of your satellite navigation system (Beidou) for 2024. After the figures a geopolitical transformation is read that has not made much noise but that is full of meaning. Why is it important. The United States controlled global satellite navigation through GPS. China has created a viable alternative in just twenty years, breaking its own agency and also offering options to other countries. Beidou began as a Chinese military project in the 1990s. Today it is recognized by the United Nations as a global satellite navigation provider, integrated into eleven international organizations. In figures: The Chinese satellite navigation sector invoiced 79.9 billion dollars in 2024. That is 7.4% more than in 2023. Beidou processes more than one billion daily location requests (it is not a False Friend: one billion). And guide 4,000 million kilometers of navigation every day. Besides… 288 million Chinese mobile phones already integrate Beidou. The system covers 99% of urban and rural roads in the country lane precision. Yes, but. Beidou has not displaced GPS as a dominant global standard. Most current devices use several satellite constellations (GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass) to improve precision and reliability. The 140 countries that use Beidou do it mainly as a complement to GPS, not as a total substitute. And they adopt it differently: More than 30 African nations They have installed continuous reference stations for high precision services in agriculture, water management and weather monitoring. In Latin America, ports like Chancay’s in Peru They integrate Beidou In smart navigation systems. In Asia and the Middle East, several countries use Chinese constellation to complement transport and logistics services. The majority does not completely replace GPS, but adds Beidou as a second option to reduce dependencies or improve coverage in regions where US signals are weaker. One of Beidou’s strengths is his best coverage in the southern hemisphere. In 2020 he completed his global scope. Between the lines. China has not defeated GPS, but has achieved something equally valuable: reduce its critical technological dependence. The United States can no longer cut access to satellite navigation as a diplomatic weapon against China. And now what. Beidou marks the Chinese patron: not completely replace Western systems, but to create viable alternatives that reduce strategic dependencies. Not to compete, but build your own parallel reality. As Huawei has doneamong others. Satellite navigation is only the beginning. China replicates this strategy in 5g, AI and renewable energies. In Xataka | China is turning its roofs into power plants. He has achieved in three months what in Europe costs three years Outstanding image | Xataka

The countries that drink beer around the world, exposed in this happy graphic

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There are more than 2,000 million people drink alcohol often, according to The World Health Organization. Within these data are the Beer drinkersa drink that, Like coffeeit is one of the most consumed in the world. Logically due to its population, China has been dominating as the country that consumes more beer In the world. But if we look at the consumption of per capita beer, the thing changes. And here it only remains to ask … what happens in the Czech Republic. The Czechs is one thing. The Kirin Group public At the end of last year a report on world beer consumption based on questioning sent to beer associations from different countries and industry reports, and is the basis on which Visual Capitalist He has elaborated the graph that you have on these lines. In it, we can see that many countries are quite aligned in per capita annual consumption, but there is one that is notable: Czech Republic. According to these data, the country’s per capita consumption was 152.1 liters per year. It is a figure that is far, far from the 106.5 liters of the Austrians, of the 103.3 liters of the Lithuanians and the 100.6 liters of the Irish, who are the ones that complete the list of countries with consumption above 100 liters. Heritage. Kirin’s report points out that most countries have remained in the same positions that occupied the previous year, but with a notable rise in Croatia, which passes from position ten to five in 2024. Consumption in Spain is not far behind, but there are more and more reports that point to a decrease in consumption In Spanish lands. Let’s go back to the Czech Republic for a moment, since it is a country where beer serves you in bars, unless you say they stop doing it. As in Germany or Belgium, they have recognized the beer culture as part of its national heritage. The three have cataloged the drink and its preparation as an intangible cultural asset, something that is not yet on the Unesco heritage list, but that reflects the importance that the drink has in each of the nations. Because this goes beyond the product, bottled beer, but covers The whole process. It is a celebration of the cultivation of hops and barley, traditional beer trades, the social role of taverns in both rural and urban areas and the role it plays in everyday life. Interestingly, in the list, Belgium occupies much lower positions of consumption. Leaving Europe. This beer tradition permeates consumption worldwide and therefore, although Europe is not the leading territory, it does have the countries where each citizen drinks more liters a year. To find the first non -European country, we must go down to 13th place, where Panama is. Here we start seeing countries like Mexico (15), Gabon (16) or South Africa (18). The United States, which also acquired a wide beer culture fruit of all the miscegenation of the country, is in 27th position with 63.1 liters per capita and curious is the 25th place in the United Kingdom with 65.5 liters. Zero-Ceroseseism. These data, remember, belong to the study prepared by Kirin, but, liter above, liter below, the top positions with that Czech Republic at the head of world beer consumption are something that remains in other statistics. Now, within all the beer consumed in Europe, there is something that is taking impulse: The production of alcohol without alcohol. In 2023 se They produced 34.3 billion liters of beer (being Germany, Spain and Poland the ones that most fermented), 1.8 billion Liters without alcoholbut although it seems little, it is an increase of 13.5% compared to beer data with less than 0.5% alcohol of 2022. And it occurs more because it is also consumed more. In Spain, for example, in 2023 it was consumed 3.5% more of alcohol -free beer than in 2022. We will see if that increase in the consumption of beer without alcohol, something that already shows in advertising, and the decline of alcohol consumption in young Europeans becomes a trend and how it influences these annual statistics. In Xataka | Alcohol kills, but not everyone equally: why Spain and Italy consume more but die less

Only three countries have launched human beings to space. A room is about to join the club: India

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The last great spatial power is preparing to register its name in one of the most exclusive clubs of humanity: that of nations capable of sending astronauts to space by their own means. Until now, only the United States, Russia (heiress of the Soviet Union) and China hold that honor. But India and its ambitious Gaganyaan program are knocking on the door. In two years. Announced in 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the aim of launching in 2022, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence, the Gaganyaan program accumulates several delays. However, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has stepped on the accelerator, confirming that, although the first manned mission is postponed in early 2027, preparations advance at a good pace. The road map. Isro prepares three unmanned orbital missions of the Gaganyaan ship before starting to launch astronauts, According to Eureka. The first is called G1 and is scheduled for the last quarter of 2025. The Vyommitra humanoid robot will carry on board, loaded with sensors to prepare manned flights. The G2 and G3 missions will be followed in 2026, also with Vyommitra. And, if everything is going as planned, Mission H1, the first manned, will take off in the first quarter of 2027 aboard the HLVM3 rocket (a version of the LVM3 adapted for manned flights), followed by the H2 mission. Astronauts. India has already designated four astronauts for these historical missions: the pilots of the Indian Air Force Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Prathap, Angad Pratap and Shubhanshu Shukla, who will previously fly to the International Space Station in the Axiom 4 mission aboard a Spacex ship. Everyone has formed as astronauts in Russia and, one of them, Shubhanshu Shukla, will have a previous experience this one before, when it flies to the International Space Station aboard a Crew Dragon ship as part of the commercial mission Axiom 4. Ambitious plans. Indian ambitions do not end with putting astronauts in orbit. After the first two manned missions, a fourth unmanned mission of Gaganyaan, the G4, will be attached to the US segment of the International Space Station with an coupling system compatible with the NASA standard. Will serve as proof of concept to put the orbit the first module of the Indian Space Station Bharatiya Antarksha Station (BAS), whose first module would be launched in 2028 in an orbit similar to ISS. The first load mission to BAS, the G5, is scheduled for 2029. BAS has the objective of establishing a permanent presence of Indians in low orbit, adding to China, which has its own space station, and the ISS member countries, which will be abandoned in 2030. The next step will be to put an Indian astronaut on the lunar surface by 2040. For this, Isro is developing a new generation rocket propelled by methane, the NGLV (Next Generation Launch Vehicle), which will have a version capable of placing 70 tons in low orbit. Image | Isro In Xataka | India is crowned in space history: it manages to land near the South Pole of the Moon days after the Russian failure

Since the end of World War II there have only been two countries with nuclear weapons at war. They just restart it

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And suddenly, the Indian army has launched An aerial offensive as it is not remembered in a long time against several positions in Pakistan and in the Kashmir administered by Islamabad. As we will see below, the tense story between the two territories came long, but above any other interpretation at this time, there is something that completely changes the hostility between the two nations. He Theme “Nuclear”. Context of a history of distrust. The conflict between India and Pakistan for Cashmerea region of the Himalayas disputed from the partition of India in 1947, has been a Constant source of tensionswars and insurgency between two nations that today have nuclear weapons. Its origin dates back to the decision of Maharajá Hindu of join the territory to India After an incursion of Pakistani militias, which unleashed the first war between the two countries. Since then, military clashes have occurred (1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999), provisional agreements such as the high fire of 1949 and the creation of the “Control line” in 1972as well as repeated reconciliation attempts that have failed, as happened after The Peace Summit of 1999, which was followed months later by a new armed conflict. More deaths. The situation is worsened in 1987 With the emergence of a separatist insurgency in the Indian part of Kashmir, fueled by the political discomfort and support of Pakistan, which led to a decade of intense violence. To get an idea, throughout the years 2000 and 2010, Kashmir more militarized on the planetwith regular bursts of violence. In 2019, after an attack that He killed 40 Indian soldiersIndia responded with Air attacks In Pakistan and, subsequently, the Narendra Modi government suppressed autonomy Constitutional of Kashmira, imposed a communications blackout and arrested thousands of local leaders, causing international criticism, although with the argument of restoring order and reducing terrorism. In April 2025, a brutal attack in which 26 civilians diedmostly Hindu tourists, turned on the polvorín again. India accused terrorists based on Pakistan, although he denied all involvement. A symbolic retaliation. The attack of a few hours ago, An aerial offensive against nine goals in Pakistan And in the Pakistani part of Kashmira, it is a retaliation for the terrorist attack of April 22. The military operation, Baptized Sindor (In reference to the red dust that symbolizes marriage in the Hindu tradition), it was presented by New Delhi as “measure, responsible and non-escalative”, directed exclusively against terrorist groups camps linked to Lashkar-E-Taiba and Jaish-E-Mohammad, both based on Pakistan. However, the scope of the attacks (which for the first time have hit areas outside the disputed region, within the heart of the Punyab Pakistani) represents a dangerous climb that leaves us on a new stage. Pakistan denounced the action as a “flagrant war act” and promised to respond with a “measure but forceful” retaliation at the time and place of his choice. The immediate tension has been aggravated with reports of fallen aircraft (at least two in Indian territory) and civil victims by fire of Pakistani artillery On the border. Map of states with nuclear weapons in the world The nuclear threat. We already said it at the beginning. This last round of clashes between two nations is not “one more” for one reason: its Nuclear weapons They revive ancient fears. They both possess Developed nuclear arsenals After atomic essays in 1998 that formalized their status as states with this type of weapons. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates (SIPRI), India has around 172 nuclear eyelaces, while Pakistan has approximately 170, which makes them two of the nine countries with a nuclear weapons in the world. Different doctrines. The difference is that both maintain different doctrines. India holds one policy of “not first use”although its doctrine allows massive reprisals to a nuclear attack, while Pakistan has not adopted A formal posture of not first use and maintains a “plausible” deterrence strategy, supported by tactical nuclear weapons to counteract Indian conventional superiority. Although neither nations has deployed missiles with eyelets Permanently, both have land, aerial and, in the case of India, maritime launching systems, which constitutes a capacity of second developing attack. Persistent rivalry, border scarves and the current risk of rapid climbing make the situation a new focus of concern on global nuclear safety. Unprecedented from 2gm. The truth is that, if we stick to the definition of war, from World War II There has been no such worrying confrontation Between two nations. The “nuclear” theme changes everything. The closest thing to the current dispute between India and Pakistan and that “as nuclear” was halfway, in the Korea Warwhen direct clashes occurred Between US and Soviet fightersalthough Moscow never officially recognized them at that time. These fights occurred mainly in the called “Callejón de los Mig”near the Yalu River, on the border between North Korea and China. So, Soviet pilots, with MIG-15 aircraft and using North Korean or Chinese badges, they met American fighters, especially F-86 Sabre. Although it remained a secret to avoid open confrontation between both superpowers, subsequent records confirmed that hundreds of Soviet pilots They participated directly In the Air War. That said, it was not technically a war between the two nations, at least not in the terms of the current conflict. A fragile balance. In short, events after The air attack of India mark a very serious intensification of the conflict, with unpredictable consequences If a rapid offalized is not achieved. The activation of air defenses in India, the closure of civil airports in sensitive areas and the reports of victims by cross -border fire indicate that the region is in A critical moment. While India affirms that her operation was precise and surgical, limited to terrorist camps, the fact of bombing areas outside of Kashmir has redraws the limits of the conflict. In the absence of a bilateral mechanism of effective containment and with the international community limited to rhetorical exhortations, the risk of an uncontrolled escalation between two nuclear powers remains very present. Cashmere, … Read more

There are countries that do not exercise as they should, and this map exposes the most sedentary

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Change Life habits and putting in shape is one of the most common purposes when the year begins. So much that there are studies that have proposed to analyze How to meet that goal Without discouraging ourselves because, for many people, putting on form implies “from zero”. The reason is that many do not perform the physical activity necessary to remain in good shape, which implies a risk for both physical and mental health. And on this map of Visual Capitalist We can see what are those countries in which people do not do the necessary exercise. The recommendation. The World Health Organization recommends that adults dedicate 150 minutes a week, at least, aerobic physical intensity activities. This includes walking -which is increasingly uncovered as A highly recommended exercise-, but also swim, jog or ride a bike. And these 150 weekly minutes must be complemented with 75 minutes of activities such as peso lifting for Strengthen both muscles and joints. WHO also says that any physical activity is better than any. The exercise not only keeps us healthier, but also contributes to a Best Mental Healtha better humor and a better resistance to diseases. The problem is that, as a study published in The Lancet Global Health It has demonstrated, much of the population does not move as much as it should. The study. The article explores and collects the data related to the physical activity reported by adults in different population surveys. Through the analysis of 507 surveys in 163 countries with a total of 5.7 million participants, researchers have been able to estimate the prevalence of insufficient physical activity between 2000 and 2022. The data. They are not good. According to their interpretations, in 2022, 31.3% of people worldwide performed insufficient physical activity, not reaching those minimal recommendations of WHO. In 2010, that figure was 26.4% and in 2000 it stood at 23.4%. We see, therefore, a bullish trend, but also a significant increase between the last decade and the previous one. By countries. The map prepared by Visual Capitalist collects this data and reinterprets the maps published in the study itself. In some cases, these data are devastating. In much of the American continent, two thirds of the population do not meet those guidelines marked by WHO. There are exceptions like Mexico, but the population is also close to that inactivity figure. In Europe, the situation is quite diverse. Spain has 22%of the population that performs insufficient physical activity, France 23%, Germany 12%, Austria 20%and Belgium 25%. However, there are cases such as Poland with 35% inactivity, Italy with a striking 40% and Portugal with 52%. Dramas. They are striking data, but together, the worst part is taken by the Middle East and part of Asia. United Arab Emirates is the worst country in this regard, according to the analysis, with 66% of its population performing insufficient physical activity. Kuwait is not very far with 63% and Lebanon stays at 59%. It is a trend in the area, with Qatar and its 54% inactivity, or Iraq and Saudi Arabia with 52%. Looking at Asia, South Korea is not much better, with 58% of the population that does not move what should, 52% of the Japanese are also more sedentary of the account and we see that India has an index of 49%. Japan’s case is curious, since it is a country that is proud of its longevity and of the exercise programs for the elderly. More and less aligned countries with the objectives for 2030. The more azul, the better Social inequalities. Speaking of age, it is something that also plays a role in these data. In this period of analysis, insufficient physical activity increased between those over 60, regardless of the sixth and the region to which they belong. But we also see many countries with light colors that represent that they are doing the recommended activity, but as we used to have meme in Xataka, it has a trick. Some of them are in Europe as Finland (10%), Netherlands (9%) and Sweden (8%), among others, but the vast majority are in the Sub -Saharan Africa area. And it is not that they want to train than the rest of the world, but that it is a very active population due to economic reasons since a greater proportion of population in poorest countries is used in tasks such as agriculture or manual works, something that counts for movement statistics. Because these social inequalities, in the end, are represented in a very varied arc of situations, and in the study itself we can see that the activity index barely varies between people with low income, but that when life is somewhat more accommodated, Sedentary lifestyle also increases. And the conclusion of the study is that, in the end, almost a third of adults around the world do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity and it would be a good idea that policies were strengthened to foster that exercise. In Xataka | The human being is not made to run, but to rest. At least according to a Harvard teacher

Spotify will rise in price this summer in Europe and Latin America, according to FT. Some countries will be out of adjustment

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Everything indicates that Spotify will adjust its prices again. According to Financial Timesthe streaming giant plans a new climb that will affect several countries in Europe and Latin America as soon as this summer. It would be a strategic change that, for the moment, has not been officially announced and that relies on anonymous sources. What seems clear is that the United States would be out of movement. It is not a minor detail: it is its largest market and already lived a price increase in July last year. The scope of the adjustment is not yet confirmed. There is no concrete list of affected countries, but the British medium offers clues that allow anticipating the course. In recent weeks, and almost silently, Spotify has increased its rates in the Netherlands and Luxembourg. In both cases, the price of the individual plan has gone from 10.99 to 12.99 euros per month. For the rest of Europe and Latin America, however, there is talk of a more gradual approach. According to these same sources, the company would be considering a rise of only 1 euro in the individual plan. It would be a more content adjustment, probably to avoid any adverse reaction in markets where there are millions of customers. In the case of Spain, the history of upload is limited. For more than ten years, the individual plan remained at 9.99 euros. It was not until July 2023 when Spotify applied its first adjustmentraising the price up to 10.99 euros. If the rumors are confirmed, the new price could be at 11.99 euros per month from this summer. It should be remembered that in the United States, where the climb is already a fact, users are currently paying $ 11.99 a month for the same plan. It will be necessary to see how the market reacts if this new round of increases is formalized. And above all, what countries are finally included. At the moment, the only certain thing is that Spotify moves. And it is not an isolated movement. All this happens at a key moment for the company. Spotify has just registered benefits after 18 years accumulating losses. A milestone that marks a before and after in its financial strategy. Besides, The rumors point to work in a new subscription that would finally include audio in high fidelity. A long -awaited promise that could be part of the redesign of its offer to justify the new price positioning. Images | Emojisprout emojisprout.com | Eyestetix Studio In Xataka | Modern algorithms decide for us to see. YouTube is the last redoubt where the algorithm does not choose for you

Many countries already have more mothers between 30 and 39 years than between 20 and 29. With all that implies

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On September 5, 2019, a woman named Mangayamma Yaramati went down in history: she had been the mother of twins. The key fact is that I was 73 years old at that time And it was possibly the oldest woman who had given birth. It is an extreme case, but the truth is that the world has been embarked for years in a situation in which every time Less births occurand increasingly. And these graphics that we can consult in Our World in Data They reflect that reality that is not encouraging. 2012. The tabarra was given a lot with what the world would end in 2012, but what really happened is A change of trend in births: It was when they began to give more births between mothers from 30 to 39 years and when births between mothers aged 20 to 29 years began to fall. Worldwide, this is significant because there is a good part of the world (especially developing countries) in which the weight of births falls to those women aged 20 to 29, with alarming birth figures between girls from 10 to 19 years. It is those countries that make up a world photo that shows that The birth engine is gripped. Spain. Let’s focus on Spain for a moment. Although we walk to the record of inhabitants with more than 49 million, this has little to do with more children. In fact, it is thanks to immigration, since The tables Births and vegetative balance show a very unfavorable situation for Spanish demography. And the data is devastating: more children are born of 41 -year -old women than 25. The change in global trend occurred in 2012, but in Spain we advance a little. If we put the magnifying glass in 2008, we can see the curve between the two age periods we were talking about, increasingly distancing themselves and adding Another age strip to the equation: Women between 40 and 49 years. In recent years it has stabilized in the three stripes, but in 2008 60.1% of children were born in the strip of 30 to 39 years, 32.6 in the strip of 20 to 29 years and 4.3% in the 40 to 49 years. In 2023, the figures had changed a lot: 63.3%, 24.8%and 10.2%, respectively. The neighbors are not much better. The European panorama is very similar. If we discriminating between the different countries, we see that the data and curves are very similar to those that we can find in the case of Spain, but if we group Europe, we can see two very clear inflection points. One in 2014, at which time births by girls from 10 to 19 years decreased and crossed those who occurred in women from 40 to 49 years, who have continued to increase in recent years. Another, in 2015, when exactly the same happens, but between the descending strip of 20 to 29 years and the ascendant, in a meteorically, segment of births between women aged 30 to 39. Stable latam, but eye. On the other side of the puddle, in Latin American territory, the situation is very different. It is more aligned with what we see in the world graph, with a strip of births predominant among women aged 20 to 29, but where we can already appreciate a clear increase in births between women aged 30 to 39. Then, of course, it depends on each country. Mexico is very aligned with that territorial graph, but in Argentinafor a few years the lines of 20-29 years and 30-39 years are approaching dangerously. In Chili There are more mothers from 30 to 39 years and in Colombia The good news is that birth between 10-19 years is falling. The Asian drama. And the European situation is not encouraging for the generational relay, but if we go to Asia, the graphics are devastating. It is a case of those of “It is better an image than a thousand words”, and then we leave the graphics of China, Japan and the most devastating: South Korea. China is the one that “saves”, but the two stripes of critical age are getting closer. The government is applying measures of all kinds: Looking for Women by Door, lower the legal age to marry either Finance painless birthsall in order to increase the birth rate. In Japan they are also Applying measures Not only to foster birth, but to attract foreigners who can work in different positions throughout the country. And South Korea is in a demographic winter from which it will be difficult for him to come out. In the end, it is something that depends a lot on each country, but there are more and more arrows that suggest that, most people They don’t want to have children. Within this, there are economic and conviction reasons that we will see if they are passengers or have come to stay. At the moment, in Europe the demography goes to the idle and the countries that go best … They are still a disaster. Images | Our World in Data, Jonathan Borba (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | Japan already knows when he will run out of children under 14. At least if an economist’s calculations are fulfilled

Europe will invest a lot of money in countries as far away as Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan. The reason: rare earths

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Surely it went unnoticed by the vast majority of the planet Between tariffs and war conflicts. Kazakhstan announced last week the discovery of his Greater rare earth sitewith an initial estimate of one million tons of key elements such as Cerio, Lantano, Neodimio and Ititrio, all fundamental for the global energy transition … or to begin a new arms era. And now the news that did reach more people: the EU will invest a fortune in Five Central Asian countries. The official reason? Strive ties. The truth? The track is one of the five countries: Kazakhstan. The news. In full escalation of commercial tensions with the United States, the European Union surprisingly announced an investment of 12,000 million euros in Central Asia during its first summit with the five countries of the region (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzista, Tayikistan and Turkmenistan). The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stressed that these funds will go to key sectors as transport, clean energy, connectivity and sustainable development of strategic natural resources. Tariffs and foreign trade. In a context marked by the new 20 % tariffs imposed by Washington to European imports, von der Leyen stressed that the EU seeks to offer A reliable alternative Faced with powers such as Russia and China, betting on egalitarian associations and investment in local capacities. In addition, the common commitment to the Territorial sovereignty and peace in Ukraine, condemning the Russian aggression and reinforcing the message that respect for international law will be a cornerstone of this new strategic association. The EU, which already represents 22.6 % of foreign trade And more than 40 % of foreign direct investment in Central Asia, seeks with this summit to consolidate its regional influence and open new trade routes that avoid Russian territory, such as the Transcaspiano corridorKey to reduce the Eastern Energy and Geopolitical Dependence. A key region. Behind good words are not only sustainable development and regional cooperation, but a critical geoeconomic priority: ensure the supply of essential minerals For the European green transition, the strengthening of its industrial base and the development of its defense capacities, all in a context of growing global tension and structural dependence of China and Russia. Strategic minerals. The urgency of this strategic turn was evidenced after the recognition of a disturbing vulnerability: in 2023, 94 % of imports European rare earth came from China, Malaysia and Russia. In addition, China controls the 60 % of world production of critical minerals and 85 % of its processing, while strengthening its own green industry. This concentration of power, added to political proximity between Beijing and Moscow, has led to worrying episodes, such as Chinese restriction to Antimony exporta key mineral in military technologies such as precision optics and night viewers. Abundance, but with limitations. In this panorama, Central Asia emerges as a realistic and attractive alternative. Kazakhstan currently produces 19 of the 34 minerals critics defined by the EU and could expand this figure 21 in the short term After the announcement of last week. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, is the fifth major supplier Uranium World and has important reserves of gold, silver, titanium and molybdenum. The region also has lithium, silicon and tungsten, fundamental for batteries, solar panels and electronic defense systems. However, much of these resources are trapped in a poorly developed mining sector, lacking modern infrastructure and technological capabilities for sustainable extraction. There, a priori, money would be destined. The European strategy. They counted on DW That, in the face of the geoeconomic competence of China and Russia, Brussels seeks to differentiate offering cooperation models based on industrial associations and mixed companies with local actors, favoring direct foreign investment, regional business growth and progressive industrialization. This approach is especially attractive to Central Asian leaders, who see in it a way to diversify their economies, reduce dependence from Moscow and gain greater strategic autonomy. The cornerstone of this approach would be the Gateway Global Initiativethe ambitious European project of 300,000 million euros conceived as an alternative to the New Silk Route China. The transcaspian corridor and a promise. A crucial component of the European Plan is the development of the Transpian International Transport Route (Titr), that logistics corridor that would unite China and Europe through Central Asia and the Caspian Sea, reducing traffic times to 15 days and avoiding the step by the Suez Canal or Russian territory. The problem? The dimension of investment. The implementation of this corridor requires an estimated amount of 18.5 billion euros In infrastructure, of which more than half have already been mobilized by the EU through an investment forum with support from its member states, the private sector, and institutions such as the European Investment Bank and the BERD. To get an idea, the Expert Samuel Vestterbye That this route could multiply container traffic from the current 100,000 to 800,000, with a transformative economic impact for both regions. The Russian “friend.” No doubt, the European turn also has a clear geopolitical dimension: stop use which makes Russia of Central Asian countries for avoid sanctions Western imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. The European diplomat Kaja Kallas was explicit in that sense when warning in Asjabad that Russian companies should not use the region as commercial escape route. In this context, the EU needs to balance a incentive and pressures policy: Offer real economic development through infrastructure and commerce, while demanding cooperation in compliance with the western sanctioning regime. Something like the “carrot and stick” approach that analysts see as an opportunity to consolidate strategic relationships that transcend the economic. Challenges and Emergency. Despite the advances, the European strategy has notable challenges before him. Experts Like Marie Dumoulinof the European Council on Foreign Relations, warn that the concrete projects of the Global Gateway take to materialize and lack visibility in the region, which could weaken the EU’s ability to compete with Chinese or Russian offers. In other words, that what is said is credible Brussels must Accelerate implementation of infrastructure works, show tangible results and … Read more

China is getting closer to overcoming NASA in its Martian mission. And just invited other countries to join

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Mars Return’s drama. Since I arrived in Mars in 2021, NASA’s Perseverance Rover has been depositing Roca nuclei and Marciano Regolito in hermetic tubes dispersed by the red planet for your future collection. Mars Sample Return is NASA’s mission and the European Space Agency to recover those samples (38 tubes in total) and bring them to Earth. Last year, with a forecast of delays in sample return up to 2039 and an estimated budget of between 7,700 and 11,000 million dollars, NASA de facto canceled Mars Sample Return to control the cost overheads. The agency listened to alternative proposals and, at the beginning of 2025, delayed the decision for a year to Choose between two options: An internal architecture of the NASA JPL laboratory or a commercial ship of the private industry. China has taken the lead. With Mars Sample Return in suspense, China has many ballots to Become the first country to bring Martian soil samples. The launch of the Chinese mission Tianwen-3 is scheduled for 2028after Tianwen-2 launches up to an asteroid near Earth this year as proof of previous technological concept. Tianwen-3 is a simpler mission that Mars Sample Return because it would collect the samples of the landing place, instead of the carefully selected rock nuclei in different places by the Rover Perseverance. However, it has the same objectives as the NASA mission: analyze samples on Earth in search of organic substances and “biosignuras”, signs of past life. Tianwen-3 opens to other countries. The China Space Agency (CNSA) also announced that its sampling recovery mission will be open to international cooperation. Scientists and space agencies around the world can propose until June 30 scientific experiments or instruments to include in the Chinese mission. Tianwen-3 will carry 15 kg of foreign instruments on the ship that will return to the Earth with the samples and 5 kg of additional foreign instruments in the orbiter that will remain in Martian orbit. It could be the case that the European Space Agency, which already participated in Mars Sample Return with the return ship, made a proposal and ended up advancing NASA in this way. Multimillionaires to the rescue. Meanwhile, in the United States, Spacex and Blue Origin have proposed NASA to take advantage of the same ships they have in development for Artemis lunar missions (Starship and Blue Moon) with the aim of recovering Mars samples. However, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have already received numerous public contracts, and a third millionaire, Peter Beck, CEO of the Rocket Lab’s rocket company, It has a more concrete and simple proposal. A solution of 4,000 million dollars with simple technology to bring the samples in 2031, the same year as the Chinese nave Tianwen-3 would return to the earth. Rocket Lab architecture. Three launches in total for all ships of the mission. The orbiter Mars Telecommunications Orbiter would facilitate communication between Mars and Earth. The Lander Lander Lander lands would land on the surface of Mars to collect the samples with the same supersonic aerocies and parachutes that the Martian Rovers use. The Mars Ascent Vehicle, designed as a single rocket stage, would take off towards the Martian orbit with chemical propulsion Using Electron Rutherford engines from Rocket Lab. The Earth Return Orbiter ship would collect the samples in the Martian orbit to bring them back to the earth using similar engines. The three goals of the space race. Decide what NASA decides, China is determined to take advantage of the delays of Mars Sample Return to get the symbolic victory of bringing the first samples of Mars, as has already happened with the Chang’e-6 mission and the first samples of the hidden face of the moon. At the same time, there are two other goals in the space race. The United States announced to hype and saucer that would take the first woman to the moon with the Artemis III mission (planned by 2027), but its launch has been delayed and now the architecture of every Artemis program, as well as that of Mars Sampple Return, It is in question for the numerous cost overruns of the SLS rocket and Starship’s delays. China, meanwhile, plans to reach the moon in 2030. Then, both countries will try to take the first humans to Mars. Image | POT In Xataka | NASA had marked two major short -term objectives. China threatens to defeat her in both

More and more countries in the world are painting their colored roads. The goal is the same: reduce accidents

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A road with a huge red line. Another with a green line that shines in the dark. Stripes to the sides, circles in the curves and even pedestrian crossings that have become murals. The fight to contain traffic accidents is living its own fever: the fever of painting roads and streets. And it makes a lot of sense. Really It’s about deceiving our brain. When a driver or motorist perceives that it circulates through a narrower step, he lifts his foot from the accelerator instinctively. The same happens if you approach a crossing where the entire ground has been painted to get attention. It is obvious that this narrowing does not exist. Everything is in our mind. It is proven that a vertical signal does not generate the same perception of risk as road paint. Simply because a signal is easy to ignore it but when the view detects that the ground has a lower “free” surface a signal is sent to the brain that perceives a greater risk and the driver decreases speed. The samples are multiple and are being tested with them worldwide. Of course, Spain is also doing its own tests. A generalized illusion It doesn’t matter if we talk about Spain or any other place in the world. The human being behaves the same in Scotland, the United States, Malaysia or Andalusia. We have the test that in all these places solutions are sought to a recurring problem with an equally recurring mechanism: paint the soil. Within the cities The most striking cases are found in countries where urban distribution is designed for the car (United States) or where a road crosses a town (France). Nor are the evidence in school environments or small populations where it is common to cross walking (Spain). The first example is not only a test. As rescued in BloombergNew York City implemented Asphalt Art Initiativea project to draw large murals at conflicting crosses in the city. The results have been striking, before launching the project, 50% of the pedestrians who had suffered an outrage had suffered injuries. Painting the soil, the vehicles circulated more slowly and the percentage of pedestrians that referred injuries after an outrage had been reduced to 37%. Dragon teeth on a Madrid school Reducing the speed at which it circulates is especially important in these cases, The DGT He points out that at 30 km/h, the possibility of dying in an outrage is 10% but that at 50 km/h, the risk increases to 80%. That is why the measures taken with the educational centers where in recent years have grown up of those known as “Dragon teeth” They aspire to generate the sensation of narrowing in the streets. In Spain we have other cases. El Campillo, municipality located 70 kilometers from Huelva, He is studying If painting on zebra crossings that generate a 3D perspective It can help reduce drivers. It is not a new idea, much less, it is something that has also been tested in Iceland and USA. Of course, in the latter case they received criticism from the Federal Highway Administrationwho claimed that it was simply a false security sensation for pedestrians but doubted their direct impact on specific cases. Criticism focuses on that, really, there is nothing that really prevents the driver from continuing to circulate at a high speed. However, in France they have another idea. Tired that Beuné’s journey (a town located near Angers, west of the country) was taken as a real highway, the neighbors decided to paint the streets of the municipality. And the results were positive … at least As far as your perception is concerned because they recognized not having data from whether drivers had really reduced speed. Click on the image to go to the original publication More slowly Getting drivers to raise their foot from the accelerator when passing through a town is one of the biggest problems with which a town can fight. Especially if, as in the case of This Italian peopleit is the road that starts in two the municipality. In that case, Acchetico, a town of just over 100 inhabitants, ended up installing a radar that sanctioned 58,000 drivers in 10 days. It was a desperate measure. In Spain, work has also been worked on the secondary roads, although otherwise. In recent years, those painted on the ground that generate the feeling that the lane is narrowed before reaching a town have been popularized. It is exactly the same that is used in the streets of the School Centers although in this case they are at the entrance of some municipalities such as Nava de Roa (Burgos). It is only one of the examples that the DGT has launched in recent years. In northern Madrid, road marks such as implemented in Catalonia where some circles located in the line that divides the two lanes helps the bikers draw the curves safely and remove some gas in their path. It is a pilot test that has also been implemented in other places such as Austria. In the latter case they affirm that the simple road marks of the soil has an immediate effect in the perception of the motorist. With an investment of just 3,000 euros, it was estimated that the percentage of bikers who violated the norm and entered the opposite lane was 44%. Before painting the soil, 77% exceeded their lane. Specifically, the best data was reported from the Tyrol, where accidents had been reduced by 80%. Although the clearest example of recent years in Spain has been implemented by the DGT with a red line on a secondary road in Andalusia. On the A-355 road, which connects the populations of Marbella and Cártama, Traffic has painted a huge red line with the aim of reducing accidents on one of the most dangerous roads in Spain. When the road was created in 2014, a traffic of 7,000 cars was expected, today more than 20,000 vehicles are calculated daily. … Read more

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