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Israel has been bombing the nuclear facilities that build other countries around its surroundings. This is the real risk of collapse

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On February 28, 2022, just four days after the start of The Russian Invasion of Ukrainethe country’s troops led by Vladimir Putin bombarded the vicinity of The Zaporiyia nuclear power plantlocated in the southeast of the country. Shortly after, during the night of March 3 to 4, the Ukrainian and Russian soldiers They fought together with the buildings of this nuclear installation. This scenario has been repeated several times since then, which has represented at some times a threat to the integrity of the nuclear reactors of this central. Unfortunately, the Ukraine War is not the only war conflict that has endangered one or more nuclear facilities. During the last five decades Israel has repeatedly bombarded Iraq nuclear plants, Syria and Iran with the purpose, according to the Israeli government, to prevent these countries from developing nuclear weapons. This is the same scenario as presumably triggered The last episode of the conflict between Israel and Iran on June 13. However, not all nuclear facilities are the same. Israel and the US argue that the plants of Fordo, Isfahán and Natanz, all in Iran, who have recently bombarded several thousand Uranium centrifugers. These machines contain uranium hexafluoruro (UF₆) inside, a corrosive gas that if it came to filter to the environment could trigger a radiological and chemical emergency, although there would be no nuclear explosion. In any case, in this article we propose to explore what would happen if one missile or other large -capacity projectile impact on the building of a nuclear reactor. Nuclear reactors cannot explode as an atomic bomb Nuclear centrals in operation used by many countries to generate electricity have been designed to offer A very high security level and hold your operation over time. The first protection barrier that nuclear reactors have external threats is the containment enclosure. This concrete structure is watertight and is designed to keep the primary circuit of the environment completely isolated (we will immediately see what this circuit consists of). This framework is designed not to be degraded by dilation, to support the energy of an earthquake, and even to resist very important collisions, such as the impact of an airplane. However, in addition to protecting the nuclear reactor from external aggressions, it is responsible for preventing the radioactive material to be lodged in the primary circuit Remove and get in touch with the atmosphere. Anyway, the first thing that a missile or a pump would have to damage to damage a nuclear reactor is to destroy, or, at least, penetrate the containment enclosure. The containment enclosure is designed to withstand very important collisions, such as the impact of a plane The other element of the installation that has a crucial role in the proper functioning of a nuclear reactor is the cooling circuit. Although, in reality, a nuclear reactor works side by side with three different circuits. The primary circuit consists of the vessel, which is the deposit that contains Fuel bars and the water that must remain in contact with them to absorb their thermal energy; For the heat exchanger, which is a second tank to which the hot water comes from the vessel; and by a pump that facilitates the circulation of water between the vessel and the heat exchanger. The primary circuit must be closed because the water it contains being in direct contact with the fuel bars is contaminated. And therefore, It is radioactive. The heat exchanger acts as a steam generatorso a second circuit is responsible for introducing the cold water inside that when it comes into contact with the hot water of the primary circuit, it enters the boiling. From there the necessary steam proceeds to transfer to the turbine the kinetic energy that will make it possible to obtain electricity thanks to the action of the alternator. Once the fluid crosses the turbine the water vapor cools and condenses inside an additional tank to promote the appearance of water in a liquid state that will be introduced again in the heat exchanger, thus giving rise to a second closed circuit known as secondary circuit. Again a pump is responsible for the water to circulate between the condensation tank and the heat exchanger. So far we have described two different closed circuits, the primary and the secondary, but we have left a loose end. In order for the water vapor of the secondary circuit to be condensed inside the condensation tank it is necessary to introduce in the latter cold water. And to do so it is necessary to resort to a third circuit known as cooling circuit. The water of this last installation comes from the sea or from a river near the nuclear power plant, hence it is necessary to accommodate this type of centrals near one of these two natural resources. The thermal energy exchange that occurs between these circuits allows us to obtain the electrical energy we need, which is the ultimate goal of nuclear power plants, but also seeks to keep the fuel bars housed in the reactor core within its optimal range of working temperature. The most serious scenario implies the fusion of the reactor core If the thermal energy generated by the fuel material of the fuel bars as a result of the sustained fission over time exceeds, for whatever reason, the capacity of the refrigeration systems of transporting that energy and maintaining the core of the reactor within the optimal range of working temperature, the fuel could be degraded. And if this happens, it could happen from the solid state in which it is initially to the semi -solid state, or even a liquid state. This phenomenon is known as the fusion of the nucleus, and can cause a part of the radioactive material to end up coming out of the vessel. This was, in broad strokes and without entering the causes of the accident, which happened In Chernobil reactor 4 In 1986, but There are very important differences between the nuclear power plant that … Read more

The size of the submerged economy of all countries in the world, exposed in this developer map

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It is said that, each one does what they want with their money, but in the future there is the question of whether each one You can pay as you want. Cash is still a important part of day -to -day paymentswhat has generated an unequal career in half the world and a problem: the submerged economy, which in many countries is a good percentage of GDP. And on this map prepared by Visual Capitalist It is perfectly reflected, although we must bear in mind that the percentages … they deceive. In the shadow. There are countries that have A crusade against cashand that is why you are promoting payment in digital and tools such as Digital euro. The map is based on the Global Report of Economy in the 2025 shadow of Ernst & Young and reflects which part of the GDP of each country escaped to fiscal control in 2023. Complicated. While this informal economy represents a significant loss of tax revenues for governments, it is really complicated to obtain an exact figure. That is because they are all those economic activities that are not declared and, therefore, regulated. For example, payments without invoice to avoid VAT, but also not declared and without contract, Rentals without contract or something that seems as innocent as some private classes in which no invoice is issued. Depending on the study, percentages of GDP by country or others are handled, but there is something that does not usually vary, and it is the difference between hemispheres. North. Worldwide, it is estimated that the submerged economy is equivalent to 11.8% of GDP and, although there are exceptions, there is a clear line that divides the world into north and south if we get carried away by that percentage of GDP that would correspond to money from the submerged economy. In Europe, countries such as Poland, Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece have higher levels of submerged economy. Countries like Greece, Romania or Ukraine raise the average, and in others as Albania we talk about more than 27% of its economy belonging to the submerged economy. Canada and the United States remain at 4.5% and 5% respectively, Saudi Arabia has 5.2%, Japan 6.7%, Mexico 18% and in Central America we see that the level of submerged economy is increasing. South. Australia with 5.7% is one of the exceptions of countries in the southern hemisphere with a submerged economy contained, since in most of the rest, the percentage is overwhelming. Latin America It has a high level of submerged economy, but nothing is left if we compare it with what we see in Africa and some Asian countries. Africa takes the palm and it is estimated that, if Sierra Leone had a GDP of 6,400 million dollars in 2023, it had another 4.1 billion dollars, or 64.5% compared to GDP, in submerged economy. It is not an isolated case, since Nigeria, Ethiopia or Burundi are also cases in which the submerged economy is 50% or more of its GDP. And Asia. In Asia, the film is not so dramatic, but it is also not the region with the more transparent economy. India submerged would be comparable to 26% of its GDP, in Iran and Iraq it is similar, in Nepal it rises to 51% and then we have the case of China with 20%. It is not much if we compare it with the rest of the territory, but taking into account the amount of population that hasWe talk about important quantities. The same happens in Indiawith 26% that is much less than what is seen in many African countries, but that in total numbers, is much more. The percentages deceive. Because here there is something to take into account, 64.5% of Sierra Leone GDP has nothing to do with 5% of the United States. The higher an economy, although the percentage of submerged economy is lower, the total will be astronomical. In This other graph It can be seen perfectly, since that 20% of China translates into a total of 3.3 billion euros and the United States, with that “scarce” 5% submerged economy, translates into the largest economy in the shadow of the planet with 1.3 billion euros. Cash safety. As we said, there are countries trying Face this economy In the shadow. Portugal, for example, has converted invoices into lottery ticketsbecause not all activities that are not declared are illegal and the objective is that there are higher tax revenues. Paying with a card or digital media seems to the solution and, although it raises doubts about its operation without internet or electricity, the recent April blackout showed that There were TPV terminals prepared for it And that the future digital euro … It is too. If it arrives one day. In Xataka | The sudden enthusiasm for a society without cash or physical portfolio: the geek and the accommodation, a drama for the poor

Until we saw the data from other countries

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The most students Second of Baccalaureate in Spain have already completed their University access tests (PAU) and have the challenge of their higher studies ahead. Comparatively, Spain has advanced a lot in terms of the number of people With university career or higher studies. However, it is enough to take a look at the countries around us to confirm that there is still a lot of work to do in this area. The “most educated” countries. A study prepared by CBRE Research With the latest available data on higher education in OECD countries and main economic powers, the list of countries has just established with the highest percentage of adults with higher education titles. Those countries with the highest proportion of qualified workforce They tend to offer better productivity and greater capacity for innovation and economic growth thanks to having a better prepared work mass. The portal Visualcapitalist He has collected all this data in a single more enlightening graph so that, in a single glance, we can get to the idea of ​​how the level of higher education is located in Spain with respect to other countries. Spain, a lot of work to do. According to Fedea dataSpain has made Very good job As for education during the last decades, going from illiteracy rates of 15% of the active population over 25 years of age registered in 1960 to only 1.9% registered in 2022. However, according to data from the study of CBRE Research Only 28.8% of the active population between 25 and 64 years has a university degree or accredited higher studies. This, in absolute figures, assumes that 9.2 million Spaniards have completed His university studies. Ireland, the example to follow. The absolute leader in population with university training is Ireland, which with 52.4% is placed as the country as more graduates in their labor market. The Eurostat figures About Ireland confirm the theory that a more formed population improves productivity since it is like the country with the highest productivity of the OECD duplicating the European mean However, if we look at the absolute population values, we find that, by population, only 1.8 million Irish has a university training. Switzerland (with 46%), Singapore (45%), Belgium (44.1%) and the United Kingdom (43.6%) compete with the top 5 of countries with the highest percentage of university graduates with respect to the whole of its population. Our environment is not better. If we look at our northern neighbors, France is not much better than Spain in terms of education with 28.1% of its population with higher studies, while Portugal significantly exceeds the percentage of Spain with 29.4% of its active population with university education. Demographic trap. However, despite using percentage values ​​of its population, it is worth highlighting the population differences of each country when taking into account the percentage of population with a university degree and the economic effort that this supposes for the states. For example, Singapore had a total population of 5.91 million inhabitants in 2023, of which 1.9 million had a higher education title, hence their percentage is 45%. On the other hand, cases such as India, which occupies the penultimate position in terms of training, in 2023 had a population of 1,438 million inhabitants, of which 139.4 million had completed a university career. The relative percentage with respect to its total population is 14.2%, but it is an educational system that has formed 139.4 million people. Brain drain. On the other hand, one of the biggest challenges for these countries is to get their higher studies, these future professionals return Investment that the country has done in its education Avoiding talent escape to provide added value to the economy. The problem is that the lack of job stability and opportunities in countries such as Spain or Portugal is making many graduates have MORE Remedy to migrate To countries such as Australia, Ireland, Germany or the US to develop their professional career. In Xataka | The 100 best universities in the world excluding those of the US, exposed this graphic revealing Image | Visualcapitalist

Someone has calculated which EU countries lose more money due to the falsification of wines and spirits. Bad news, Spain

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Spain is Wine landsparkling, beers, ciderliquors … and falsifications. This is revealed at least The last balance of the EU Intellectual Property Office (Euipo), which has launched a notice to navigators: fraudulent copies are hitting the alcohol industry, subtracting billions of euros in sales, destroying thousands of jobs and depriving public coffers of large income via taxes. And the one who is spending it worse is Spain. Here the wineries and companies that lose more money are located. The bottle, the most affected. When we talk about falsifications, the mind usually goes to luxury articlesgarments, wallets and bags of large brands, watches or exclusive jewels. The shadow of pirate copies is however elongated and extends to many other merchandise, including food. Moreover, the Euipo assures that in 2020 the falsifications of food were among the most common found at the EU borders. And by “food” not only refers to Iberian sausages. In the list there are also cookies, pasta, potatoes or sweets. If there is a sector that is suffering alarmingly the mazazo of the copies is nevertheless that of wine and spirits. “It was one of the most affected during the 2013-2017 period”, Clarifies the organism Before sliding a couple of figures. “It is estimated that 2,289 million euros were lost in sales and almost 5,700 jobs were destroyed a year in the EU due to falsifications in this sector.” In tax only 2,068 million euros vanished. Spain, in the focus. The sector does not happen as evil throughout the EU. Euipo estimates for example that the Portuguese industry falsified some 33 million of euros in sales and just over 200 jobs every year. In Austria, illicit copies subtract the winemakers and other professionals in the sector near 28 million of euros and in Greece that invoice amounts to 49 million. The blow is more severe in Germany, with losses of 279 million of euros, Italy (302 millionor France, where that hole amounts to 316 million of euros. They are high figures, but not as much as those suffered by Spain, one of the world’s great wine powers with Italy or France. He warns Euipo clearly, which launches a warning: “Spain is the first EU country in direct economic loss in this sector, with 380 million in sales not made by falsifications.” The Spanish sector is also one of the ones that loses the most for that cause: more than 1,100 positions per year, a fact that only exceeds France. Old problem, new challenges. The falsifications of wines and spirits are no novelty, but the authorities continue to encounter new challenges. The EUIPO notes that the rise of online trade “has opened new roads” for the sale of copies and makes customers “increasingly difficult” when distinguishing between an authentic and a falsified article, a problem that does not only affect the industry of alcoholic beverages. “Criminal networks manipulate labels, containers and even alter the manufacturing processes, focusing on value products,” duck The organism. In the specific case of alcohol, what experts do perceive is that counterfeiters are resorting to “sophisticated methods” to mock controls, which includes from the reuse of original bottles to the impression of false labels. Two countries: China and Türkiye. Community authorities have not only detected the most punished nations (at an economic and employment level) for falsifications. The report From Euipo does something else: pointing out the countries of origin that are most frequently related to food and drink falsifications. And there are two that stand out if we focus on the pirate copies that were seized between 2019 and 2020 on the EU borders: China and Türkiye. As a conclusion, the text slides another equally important idea. Falses are not a problem just because of the damage they cause to the sector or their ability to destroy employment. The Euipo adds another more important handicap: public health. “Recent reports alert about the risks of these consumer health products,” warns Before remembering that food and drink has been detected with “dangerous substances”, such as methanol, mercury or pesticides. Images | Kelsey Chance (UNSPLASH) and Zachariah Hagy (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | If the question is what is the future of wine, more and more Bordeaux wineries are clear: the without alcohol

More and more countries see how the average age of its population approaches 50 years

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Europe ages. That is not No novelty. Not an exclusive phenomenon of the old continent. In other regions of the planet, such as Japan, South Korea or even ChinaThey also suffer more or less clearly The effects of A demography marked by the collapse of birth rate and the increase in life expectancy. With everything and despite the fact that the trend is known, from time to time data arises that help us better understand the scope of change. Eurostat has shared one that shows to what extent the EU begins to become a territory of middle -aged people. The data also reveals another trend: aging is much clearer among the native population, those born within the EU itself, which among immigrants. A figure: 44.7. Recently Eurostat technicians made accounts and calculated that The middle ages From the EU population it is already at 44.7 years. The data is interesting for several reasons. The first, because confirms the gradual aging of Europe. Does A decade That same statistical indicator was 42.5 years ago, two ago it was 39.3 and if we looked back further back, 2001 (the first year documented by Eurostat), it did not reach 38.5. The second reason why the data is interesting is for What reveals us. The median is not the same as the average, but it shows us the value located just in the middle of the statistical series. In this case that means that 50% of the EU population is already above 44.7 years. They are probably even more because the median was calculated based on the statistics of January 2024 and the indicator has not stopped growing over the years. Differences in the EU. 44.7 is the data of the European Union as a whole, which means that there are countries in which the median age is even higher. The clearest cases are Monaco and Italy. In the first, the indicator is already 50.5 years and in the second brand 48.7. In Bulgaria, Portugal and Greece approaches or exceeds 47 and in another half a dozen countries the median overcomes the 45 years. Is The case of Spainwhich started 2024 with half its population above 45.6 years. In 2014, the median was 41.8, two decades ago it marked 38.3 and in 1994 it did not even reach 35 years, which gives an aging. Native Foreign Vs.. Eurostat tables show something else: how immigration is serving to cushion the aging of the EU, just as it has helped some countries (Spain included) To win population despite prick of indigenous birth. According to the data of the EU Statistical Office, on January 1, 2024, the average age of the population born outside the 27 countries of the community club was two years lower than that of the natives. Moreover, Eurostat acknowledges that “compared to the native population, those born abroad are overrepresented between 20 and 54 years” and “underrepresented” in the groups located at the extremes, those of younger and more advanced ages. “59.7% of the population born abroad was between 20 and 54, compared to 42.1% of the native,” They need. A percentage: 6.1%. Eurostat data also reveal that the EU demographic pyramid narrows every time by the base and grows on the cusp, among the older population group. And clearly, in addition. Between 2004 and 2024 the proportion of citizens over 80 years in the EU increased from 3.8 to 6.1%. The statistical office Precise In addition, growth was recorded in all EU countries, with increases especially pronounced in Greece, Latvia and Portugal. The same happened with the group of those over 65: to assume 16.4 went on to represent 21.6%. The other face of the currency. The trend is diametrically opposite among people under 15. At the statistical level, today children and adolescents “weigh” much more in the EU that just two decades ago. If in 2004 they represented 14.6%, now they suppose 16.2%, a setback that has been even more pronounced in countries such as Malta or Cyprus. “During the same period the proportion of young people (children under 19) decreased in all EU countries at the level of the Union, the Fall was 2.4 percentage points, from 22.4% to 20.0%,” Clarifies Eurostat. Why is it important? Because demography is much more than mathematics or simple statistics. The evolution of the middle ages helps to understand where the whole of European society walks and better understand the scope of its aging with All drifts that this implies at a social, economic, welfare or even in defense level. It is not something exclusive to the EU or the West. TO late 2024 South Korea officially became a “overwhelming” society, a label that reveals that about 20% of the population already exceeds the 65 -year barrier. Japan’s example. The clearest case is probably Japan. After decades seeing how its birth rate collapsed, in the country it begins to talk about “Problem 2025”marked by the gradual aging of the millions of citizens who were born during the Baby Boom in the middle of the last century. There the experts already warn of the challenge that this growing imbalance between the population of working age and the elderly will have at a social and economic level. Images | Bennett Tobias (UNSPLASH) and Eurostat In Xataka | Russia is desperate to increase its birth. So you will veto the series that promote a “culture without children”

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

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