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The war in Ukraine has crossed a red line in Europe. They are no longer drones violating airspace, they are nuclear plants

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Ukraine has once again placed the nuclear alarm at the center of the European conflict after denouncing that Russia is deliberately attacking the electrical substations that feed the Khmelnitsky and Rivne power plants. According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, drone attacks are not isolated incidents, but planned operations to endanger continental nuclear security. It happens that drones are reaching European power plants. The drone offensive. Over the past weekend, Moscow launched more than 450 drones and 45 missiles against various regions of Ukraine, causing at least seven dead and damage to critical infrastructure. In Dnipro, a drone hit a residential building, killing three people, while other attacks occurred in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. kyiv accuses Russia of instrumentalizing the atomic risk as a psychological weapon and trying to cause an accident in plants that still depend on external electricity supply to avoid a collapse of the cooling system. Nuclear risk. In parallel, Moscow is advancing with its own nuclear agenda: the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, confirmed that the Kremlin is working on proposals for a possible nuclear test on the direct order of Vladimir Putin, a response to US President Donald Trump’s recent statement that Washington could resume their own tests. The atomic stress between both powers, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, has plunged Europe into a scenario of unprecedented vulnerability since the Cold War. The epicenter of the threat: Belgium. While Ukraine try to contain the Russian offensive on its own territory, Western Europe has begun to feel the echoes of a hybrid war that expands beyond the front. In Belgium, one of the countries with the highest density of critical infrastructure on the continent, there has been a wave of raids of drones over strategic installations. The most alarming took place at the Doel nuclear power plant, located next to the port of Antwerp, when three drones were initially detected at dusk on November 9, which were later confirmed as five different devices flying over the complex for almost an hour. The energy company Engie, which manages the plant, assured that operations were not affected, but authorities activated the National Crisis Center and reinforced security in the area. Belgium nuclear plant near Doel And more. Hours before, air traffic at Liège airport was had suspended briefly after multiple reports of drones, and in the previous days both Brussels airport and the Kleine Brogel air base (where NATO nuclear weapons are stored) had been targeted of similar sightings. Research points to a coordinated pattern affecting several northern European countries, including Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, where unidentified aerial intrusions have also been reported. Suspicions of espionage. Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has linked sightings with possible foreign espionage operations and pointed to Russia as the most plausible suspect, although without conclusive evidence. The country’s intelligence services consider that drones could be part of a recognition strategy aimed at evaluating the European response capacity to combined attacks on critical infrastructure. The accumulation of incidents led the Belgian government to convene a National Security Council, after which the Minister of the Interior, Bernard Quintin, assured that the situation was “under control”although he recognized the seriousness of the incursions. The United Kingdom, France and Germany announced sending specialized personnel and equipment to assist Belgium in the detection and neutralization of hostile drones, a gesture that underlines the shared fear that the border between visible war and covert war is becoming dangerously blurred. Technological epicenter. Faced with this new dimension of the conflict, Ukraine has positioned itself as a key actor in the technological response. President Volodymyr Zelensky advertisement the upcoming opening of defense production offices in Berlin and Copenhagen before the end of the year, with the aim of strengthening industrial cooperation on drones and electronic weapons. These “export capitals”, according to his wordsthey will finance the domestic production of scarce equipment and help European allies build their own defensive systems. kyiv, which has made the use of drones one of the pillars of its military strategy, now offers your experience to countries that are beginning to suffer firsthand the effects of the Russian hybrid war. Ukraine as a test. In parallel, Ukrainian creativity in the improvised field of defense is reflected even in unusual solutions: old fishing nets French drones, made from horse hair, are being reused to create tunnels where the propellers of Russian drones become trapped. In contemporary warfare, technology intersects with craftsmanship, and ingenuity has become a form of national survival. Nuclear vulnerability. The incidents in Belgium and Ukraine reveal the same constant: the European nuclear infrastructure (plant, wiring, energy, logistics) has become a target symbolic and strategic. The attacks on Ukrainian substations that feed power plants and the drones that fly over Belgian reactors expose the fragility of a continent that depends on complex systems where any sabotage can multiply its effects. The threat no longer comes only from missiles, but from invisible swarms of drones, of disinformation, of political and technological engineering that undermines stability from within. Russia, faced with isolation and with a still powerful military industry, seems willing to use this asymmetry as an instrument of prolonged pressure. The European responsestill fragmentary, is beginning to be articulated between military cooperation, technological innovation and civil defense. Plus: the lesson left by this sequence of attacks and suspicions seems clear. In the Europe of 2025, the border between energy security and military security has fadedand the future of continental stability could depend less on the size of armies than on how quickly a drone is detected on radar before reaching a nuclear power plant. Image | Trougnouf, Wwuyts In Xataka | The latest tactic of the Russians in Ukraine breaks with the previous one: they have gone from appearing “out of nowhere” to directly disappearing In Xataka | Orion was the Russian version of the US’s most lethal drone. Ukraine can’t believe it when it opens: it’s not a version, it’s the work of the US

The world has been wondering for years whether The Line is viable or a megalomaniac fantasy. The answer is becoming clearer

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You will like it more or less, but something cannot be denied to The Linethe ambitious ‘corridor city’ that Saudi Arabia wants to build in the middle of the desert: it does not leave anyone indifferent. After all, it is not every day that a 170 km long, 500 m high and 200 m wide metropolis made up of skyscrapers is built from scratch. Since the country’s crown prince presented the project, back in 2021the world has wondered if it is feasible or an extravagance doomed to failure. The question has continued to rage ever since, despite the start of works. Now it’s starting to become clear. What has happened? That The Line goes through turbulence. Although Saudi Arabia’s flagship megaproject has advanced on the ground, something that its promoters have made clear by sharing aerial imagesin recent days they have jumped several news that suggest that dark clouds appear on the horizon. Recently the Reuters agency informed that the priority now is to complete a first section of 2.4 kilometers, far from the 170 km that the project aspires to (its idea is to accommodate nine million people) or the structure that they wanted to have ready. looking forward to 2030. Meanwhile, other media talk about challenges or change of course. What exactly do we know? This is not the first news that suggest that Saudi Arabia was optimistic when considering the magnitude and schedule of The Line, but now they seem to confirm something important: the project (actually NEOM or the entire Vision 30 plan) is not immune to economic ups and downs and challenges in financing the works. This is how he revealed it a few days ago Reuters, which assures that Saudi Arabia plans to reorient its sovereign fund (PIF) of 925,000 million, a strategic financing lever, away from real estate megaprojects. While NEOM advocates large constructions, such as The Line, a futuristic ‘corridor city’ 170 km long, 500 m high and 200 m wide with the capacity to house nine million people, the new strategy would focus the PIF on investments with more sustainable returns in the short term. This involves logistics, tourism, AI or data centers. As remember The Timesthe Vision 2030 plan was based on a scenario in which a barrel of oil was trading at $100. Now it is around 60 and has not reached triple digits since 2022. What does that mean? “We spent too much. We acted at full speed. Now we have a deficit. We need to redefine our priorities,” he acknowledged. a few days ago a Saudi official at an investment forum held in Riyadh: Other sources speak directly of “course correction” and a scenario that requires being “more conservative” in investments. Even the country’s Minister of Economy, Faisal Alibrahim, has explained that they are “reorienting priorities towards the sectors that need it most.” “And today that sector is technology, AI.” Does that mean that mega structures are shelved? Jerry Inzerillo, an American executive who advises the crown prince, warns that he can’t go that far: “Don’t forget that nothing has been cancelled. It may just take a little longer. The ambition is still intact.” For now, at the end of 2024 the sovereign fund placed its investments in Saudi megaprojects in 56 billiona notable sum, but 12.4% below the previous year. Does it only affect The Line? No. The Line is not the only one that has seen its original plans complicated. The Times keep it up that the Trojena tourist hub may not be in time for the 2029 Asian Winter Games, as expected. The project would not actually be completed until 2032, which would have led South Korea to prepare to serve as headquarters in four years. There are other large developments in the country, such as the island of Sindalah or the district New Murabba of Riyadh, whose completion is expected in 2040, although without ruling out delays. Do you know anything else? Yes. Perhaps the most detailed ‘photo’ of where and what challenges the NEOM megacity faces I gave it on Thursday Financial Timeswhich published an extensive analysis with an illuminating headline: “The end of The Line: how the Saudi dream of NEOM fell apart.” The newspaper points out that, although the promoters insist that the city remains “a strategic priority” and it is possible to see the result of the works in the desert, the authorities have chosen to drastically reduce the first phase. Furthermore, among those who participate or have directly participated in the project there would be misgivings about its viability, as specified by FT. All this between calculations that place the final budget well above what was planned and figures that (at the very least) invite you to raise your eyebrow. For example, the staff interviewed by FT speaks of an enormous need for concrete (just the first 20 modules would need more cement than France produces in a year) and millions of tons of steel. This is without taking into account the logistical, transportation and time challenges or the services that The Line would require to provide for such basic issues as water, mail delivery or waste collection. Is it a surprise? Since the Saudi prince presented the project, years agoThe Line has aroused above all two emotions. Astonishment. And skepticism. The works have started and its promoters have shown that the project will not remain on paper, but another thing is its tempo and if it will reach the ambitious scale that was initially proposed. There are experts who have already warned that, if fulfilled, the vertical megacity will be a kind of hell for its residents. a few months ago transcended In fact, the authorities commissioned several consulting firms to carry out a strategic review of the project to confirm its viability or propose possible changes, a decision that the promoters rejected. Images | NEOM In Xataka | Years ago Alicante opted for an artificial island with a luxurious restaurant and taxi boat. It hasn’t … Read more

30,000 lightning strikes, orange warnings and severe events: don’t call it ‘squall line’, call it ‘new normal’

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During the early morning and early hours of this Wednesday, November 5, the arrival of a cold front to the Peninsula has caused a very active squall line throughout the southwest. And, in this case, saying “very active” is not an exaggeration: the images that they come to us from Portugal they are incredible and at the moment, he is heading to Extremadura and Western Andalusia. The interesting thing is that we no longer talk about meteorological information, we begin to enter the field of Okay, but what is a squall line? This is an organized storm system that, often ahead of a cold front, forms in a line. Due to its structure, this phenomenon causes strong and destructive winds, torrential rains, hail and lightning. In addition, they are characterized by advancing very quickly and being able to cause significant damage. In Xataka The "tropicalization" of the atmosphere is going to change Spain and not exactly for the better And so it has been. Portugal’s Civil Protection recorded more than 150 nighttime incidents and, as the Portuguese press explainedit is not just the problems caused by the rain and wind; is that tens of thousands of electric shocks have been recorded. About 30,000 in a few hours. Given this, AEMET activated orange noticesin Galicia, Extremadura and Andalusia. In addition, 122 Extremadura is prepared for rains of 5–20 l/m² in very short periods of time. It’s not a lot of water, but in these circumstances it can cause a lot of problems. Aren’t we talking about autumn showers? No, we are not talking about loose showers: it is an organized convection capable of producing severe gusts, hail and wet blowouts. They are formations that trigger the risk on urban areas, electrical networks and mobility. It’s another episode of “This is not just an Atlantic storm” that has been with us for weeks now. It is true that November is a typical month for hallways in the southwest; but the data suggests that we are facing something more. {“videoId”:”x89b35l”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”PROFESSIONAL STORM CHASERS_ this is their daily life”, “tag”:””, “duration”:”400″} What is really happening? In technical terms, we are talking about the arrival of an Atlantic trough and cold front with sufficient shear to organize convection and force a quasi-linear system. Ambient humidity does the rest and that is the key. As we said a few days agothat area of ​​the peninsula is prone to low convergences that, with adequate shear and sufficient humidity,They organize convectively very easily. As connections with the Gulf of Mexico (the famous ‘rivers of moisture’) become more common and, with them, the available humidity grows: these systems will become more frequent and more intense. It is the same as occurs in the Mediterranean with DANAs: It doesn’t matter if climate change causes more or not, the amount of “available fuel” makes any spark turn into a fire. Meteorologically speaking, of course. Image | Carlos Virazón (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news 30,000 lightning strikes, orange warnings and severe events: don’t call it ‘squall line’, call it ‘new normal’ was originally published in Xataka by Javier Jimenez .

171 million euros later, Metro de Madrid wants to reopen line 7B. The big question is whether the tenth time will be the charm.

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Line 7B of the Madrid Metro will fully reopen this same month of November after more than three years closed. It is the tenth attempt to normalize a service that was inaugurated in 2007 and that has accumulated more than 800 days without functioning since then. The total cost of repairs reaches 171 million eurosnot counting compensation to neighbors, which already exceeds 23 million and continues to increase. A disaster that began in 2007. When Esperanza Aguirre promoted this expansion to have it ready before the regional elections of 2007, no one could imagine the consequences. The construction of the tunnel seriously altered the subsoil by bringing salt and water into contact, which caused the progressive dissolution of the soil. The result: collapse of the tunnels, massive water leaks and structural damage to hundreds of homes in San Fernando de Henares and Coslada. According to internal documents obtained by El Paísalready in 2008 the technicians warned of the “risk of collapses in the metro tunnel and the surrounding buildings”, and in 2009 they warned that action was “extremely urgent.” The figures of the disaster. The repair bill includes 117 million invested by the Ministry of Transport in works and compensation, 49.7 million from the Canal de Isabel II in hydraulic infrastructure, 2.4 million from the Metro itself and 1.7 million from the Ministry of Education to demolish the El Pilar educational complex. In total, more than 171 million euros. But the number will continue to grow: Property compensation, which in 2022 was estimated at 12 million, has already reached 23.3 million and there are nearly 300 open files. Additionally, 73 homes had to be completely demolished, leaving families paying mortgages on homes that no longer existed. The technical solution. To stabilize the ground, the Community has injected more than 11,000 tons of mortar of concrete in the subsoil through 26,000 drillings that reach up to 45 meters deep. It has also deployed 179 mini topographic prisms inside the metro and laser sensors that send daily data on ground movements. The Polytechnic University of Madrid analyzes also satellite images to detect any anomaly. According to the Minister of Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, Jorge Rodrigo, 511 surveillance elements and five robotic stations have been installed that will constantly monitor the road, the land and nearby buildings. The neighbors don’t forget. Although the Community assures that the infrastructure now presents “stability” and meets “the necessary security conditions”, those affected they maintain their mobilizations and demand greater compensation in court. Furthermore, a study by the Polytechnic University detected “considerable movements” in distant areas “without stabilizing”, although without specifying more details. For the 120,000 inhabitants of San Fernando de Henares and Coslada, the November reopening is just the first step to move forward in almost two decades of nightmare. And now what. The Community will allocate an additional 8.2 million to surveillance and maintenance contracts to act immediately in the event of any incident without the need for emergency contracts. Line 7B will be the most monitored infrastructure of the Madrid Metro, precisely because it is the one that has caused the most problems. It remains to be seen if this time the line is truly stable or if it will close again, as has happened on nine previous occasions. Cover image | Zarateman (Wikipedia) In Xataka | Madrid and Lisbon will be linked by the AVE. It will only arrive (if it arrives) 24 years late

A 1,500-ton tunnel boring machine is already traveling to Madrid to drill the new Line 11

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“Notify when you leave and when you arrive” Mayrit has already done the first. The second will be in more or less a month when all the pieces are already on Spanish soil. Mayrit is not the youngest son of a family. Mayrit has many fathers and mothers. Many. Those necessary to give life to a 1,500 ton tunnel boring machine. That tunnel boring machine that will directly expand line 11 of the Madrid Metro. A line that, until now, has been excavated with much more traditional means and that of course will take a huge leap forward in its future projection with this gigantic and enormous artifact. What’s coming, what’s coming Connecting Cuatro Vientos, southwest of the capital, with Valedebebas, northeast of it, Line 11 wants to become in one of those star connections in Madrid. Tracing a diagonal, the intention is to convert what is currently just seven stations into one of Madrid’s great corridors. The qualitative and quantitative leap in the progress of the works will be made by Mayrit. This gigantic tunnel boring machine weighs 1,500 tons and is 98 meters long. It is expected that each day about 15 meters can be advanced on the land, key in a line that will have stations 33 meters below ground from Madrid. My colleague Javier Márquez explained a few months ago that the transfer is not easy. The machine is built by Herrenknecht AGa German company that has assembled the entire gigantic puzzle of pieces, screws and components in its country. Once assembled, the machine is cut into pieces to be sent to our country. Of course, “it won’t be quick or easy,” as my partner explained. Now we know that the powerful tunnel boring machine has already set out on its way to Spain. It comes by land and sea. And the bulk of its pieces will arrive in Santander by boat where they will board land transport to reach the capital. Another good package of these pieces will arrive at the port of Valencia, originating in Venice. Map of the new Line 11 Once the pieces arrive, they must be transported to Carabanchel. There, next to Plaza Elpítica, this monster will drill into the ground at a rate of 500 meters per month to connect with Conde de Casal, about six kilometers from the point of origin. This stage is considered one of the most problematic and complex. Until now, the connection between Parque de Comillas (which will have a new station) and Plaza Elíptica is being done by hand. However, the transfer and assembly is so delicate and complex that it will not be until March 2026 when everything is expected to be ready in the Madrid neighborhood to begin drilling the ground. The system is so complex because the tunnel boring machine is not only responsible for excavating the earth and disposing of what is found there. While working advancing into the subsoil, an auger transports the excavated material with a conveyor belt. This material can be washed if it encounters mud but it can also affect the stability of the ground with injections of bentonite, water or foam. All while sensors control the pressure the machine experiences to control how fast it can work. If everything happens according to the planned deadlines, the last piece from Mayrit should arrive in December and, as we said, it is not expected to come into operation until March 2026. For now, it’s time to pull the shovel and pneumatic hammer. Photo | Madrid Metro In Xataka | Faced with daily collapses, the Madrid Metro could increase frequencies or put in “pushers.” He has chosen the second

The DGT has created a Big Brother against belts and cell phones. Next objective: the continuous line

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Little by little, without making much noise, the DGT has been expanding its horizons. First there were speed cameras. Then came mobile controllers and the use of helicopters. And, over the years, a continuous expansion of cameras to monitor the use of seat belts or mobile phones. And, now, for the continuous lines. By land… and air. In Spain there are currently active, a total of 3,395 devices to control speed or any other type of infraction, according to data collected by Faconauto. These data not only include the DGT controllers, it must be taken into account that the Basque Country and Catalonia have transferred powers and that the municipalities can also have their own devices. According to the DGT itself, which collects this data on its website by compiling the position of all its radars, in Spain there are more than 1,300 points to be monitored between fixed and mobile radars. Furthermore, it must be taken into account that, regarding the latter, the DGT has empty boxes scattered throughout the territory national as an intimidating measure. To these systems we must add the performance of Pegasusthe DGT helicopters that chase speeding from the air. Some teams that, despite being leaders, seem to have become obsolete next to the Catalan teams in this sense. Not just radars. In this aerial surveillance, the DGT does not only live on speed radars. The public entity has more than 200 cameras that monitor the use of the seat belt and the mobile phone. We are talking about teams that can sanction us with 200 euros and four points In the first case and with 200 euros and six points of the driving license if we use the second one. But, in addition, in recent times the DGT has introduced a new type of controllers. With cameras, the agency is able to detect if a driver skips a stop sign or skips a continuous line. Infractions, both, punishable by a fine of 200 euros as they are considered serious infractions. Madrid as a laboratory. Of these last continuous line control cameras, the four registered by the DGT are located in Madrid. The region is the one highlighted by the DGT. All of them are located near the capital. According to the data shown by the DGT itself, we find them in the following locations: Camera type Road kilometer point Sense continuous line A1 15.95 Decreasing continuous line A2 11.8 Decreasing continuous line A42 16.9 Decreasing continuous line A6 20.2 Decreasing And how do they work? The system, explained by the DGTit’s simple. A camera in each lane detects at the beginning of the monitored section which cars are traveling on each side of the continuous line. Thus, they record all the license plates that pass by. At the end of the controlled section, the camera has to record the same car again. In case the second camera does not coincide with the first, the answer is clear: the driver has jumped the solid line. That is, if it appears in the right lane (let’s say camera A) in a first step and when leaving the monitored section it is recorded by the camera in the left lane (let’s say camera B), the driver has skipped the solid line. The same happens in the opposite case. In the event that the license plate is recorded by the same camera (A or B) at the two monitored points, the car will not have moved from its place: Photo | Google Maps and Xataka In Xataka | The 0 and ECO label classification of cars is broken: it is being filled with highly polluting combustion cars

Openai has just launched a missile to Amazon’s flotation line

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Until now, when you were looking to buy an online product, you did Looking for it on Google, in Amazonor directly in the store of those products. In Openai they want to radically change that shopping experience so you don’t have to do any of that. It will be enough to ask Chatgpt to look for the product … and buy it. And that can change many things. What happened. OpenAI has announced The creation of an option called “Instant Checkout” (“instant payment”) that will allow users to purchase individual products directly through electronic commerce platforms. Etsy and Shopify, the first. This feature will be initially available for purchases in ETSY stores in the US, and soon for more than one million sellers than They use the Shopify platform. They can take advantage of the users of the free plans, Plus and Pro de Chatgpt, and OpenAi hopes to expand this program to more platforms and other countries in the future. Direct attack on Amazon. The new option raises a potential change in the way we bought things. Amazon has become that “Everything Store” (“Store for everything”) to which we go to all kinds of purchases. However, here we have an existential threat, because AI promises to help us with purchases by selecting the best products and prices without having to do practically anything (except confirming the purchase). The alliance with Shopify – each time widespread— It is another clear blow to Amazon’s business model, but the threat is triple. Not only search and can do it outside Amazon … Affiliates. But also every time you buy something with Instant Checkout in Chatgpt, OpenAi takes a commission. The price does not change for the buyer, but the seller (in this case, Etsy or Shopify) pays an Openai commission for convincing the user to make that purchase in that trade. The same goes for Google, whose search engine was also nourished by commissions by recommending products in their sponsored results. Conflict of interest. But with this type of option, the chatbot becomes no longer only an assistant who wants to help you solve doubts, but will also be an interesting recommendation of products. It is not clear how chatgpt chooses the products that it recommends, but it seems logical to think that there will be a system similar to Google or Amazon in which stores and shops can position their products to favor the recommendations. At the moment those responsible for OpenAI indicate That the products that they recommend comes from an “organic and sponsorship search, classified only based on their relevance to the user”. The process, once again, could be distorted, and would win who invests more in marketing and positioning to make their products “look more.” Stock bags. The reaction in the American bags makes clear what has been the reception of this characteristic: ETSY’s actions rose 16%, while Shopify – which does not yet have this option although it will do it soon – they rose 6%. For both platforms this option represents a potential push for sales and income, and AI can become its best ally to reduce the traditional dependence of Google or Amazon users to choose which products buy and buy them … And incidentally, agricultural protocol. Openai also stressed that to offer this characteristic they have developed their Agentic Commerce Protocola component that will allow more stores and developers to create new integrations. The protocol has been developed in collaboration with Stripe, and is available with a license Open Source (Apache 2.0) with its code In Github. Can you trust chatgpt to buy? Taking into account that chatbots They continue to make mistakes and hallucinatetrusting purchases to an AI model can generate doubts. Will it succeed with the purchase process? Will you really ask for what you want to ask for? Here it is true that the answer is much more deterministic, because Chatgpt has a catalog of products defined among which to search. In addition, the AI ​​model depends totally on the decision and action of the user: it is he who must click on “buy”, confirm the order and details, and complete that purchase integrated in the chatbot session. Here Chatgpt is a purchase assistant who tries to simplify the process, but of course in something as sensitive as purchases – with our money at stake – OpenAi can have serious problems if the process ends up having failures. In Xataka | Sending this 320 dollar goal from Japan to Spain costs $ 29. Sending it to the US costs 2,000, and it is not a typographic error

The competition in the AVE has killed its bus line

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Something is moving on the Spanish bus map. That something is the government’s intentions to reform the concessions that make up current photography. On the way there has been talk of reforming the entire system but also how many concessions already where they should be delivered. And that directly attacks very specific lines. In coma. Among all the concessions that Spain has awarded for bus service, The Madrid-Valencia line is one of those that agonizes. In fact, nobody wants to get that concession because with the high -speed line next to him does not come out profitable. After the concession, Alsa (the company that was exploiting this line) resigned to continue with it given its null profitability. Then a contest was convened to exploit a line that crosses all the Spanish width, from Badajoz to Valencia, passing through Madrid. That contest was completely deserted. Concessions? Yes, concessions. Bus lines In Spain they compete for concessions that are then exploited exclusively. These concessions last for years and, obviously, the company has to face the possible changes in the flows of movements that can occur between its passengers. In the system, therefore, it is competed before putting the buses on the road. A line is taken to competition and awarded the best bidder. In high railway speed, companies that demonstrate that they can technically operate on the road come to compete directly. On buses, that does not happen because the chosen company has exclusivity for a certain time. A deep change. What the government raises is that Spain needs a deep change in the concession system. In recent years, the market has been completely opened and that it is the companies that rival on the road at a price. However, the final intention is to take out a great contest maintaining the current concession system. Of course, given the large number of lines whose competitions are empty or companies that do not want to maintain their concessions, from the government advocate drastically reducing the number of runners. The intention is to pass Of the current 77 concessions to a total of 22. From the government they point out that this decision goes through the difficulty of placing these concessions but also because the way of moving of the Spaniards has changed in recent years. The cities have atomized (even more) the exits and arrivals but, in addition, the high -speed train and the competition have completely transformed the panorama. It is not competitive. What happens? When high speed has affordable prices, the bus is not competitive. In the Galician corridor The train has managed to eliminate travelerseven to the plane that is faster. In the case of the bus, the situation is even more complicated because, in addition, it is slower and uncomfortable. That leaves lines like that Badajoz-Madrid-Valencia without interested companies. With such a low volume of customers and a faster and more cheap alternative, prices have to be much more expensive to compensate. It is obviously the worst option. Whenever you travel to Badajoz, Madrid, Valencia or any of the stops where the train stops. What about us? All this directly impacts the paths of those who do not live in those cities or larger populations where there is a high -speed rail stop. The bus is in charge of generating a capillary network of paths among small populations where the only alternative is private transport. This is what they defend from Travel more by busan association that defends a competitive alternative so that this means of transport can survive. They bet on a complete liberalization in these lines that have to fight with high -speed lines. They point out that with the rates raised, The bus trip between Madrid and Valencia would entail an expense of between 40 and 50 euros for the client and a duration of more than four hours. With Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo fighting on the train, it is possible to make that same trip in the middle of time in half of the money. According to the CNMCthe average price of traveling with these companies in a Madrid-Valencia is 27.46 euros. What solution is there? According to this platform in defense of these less profitable bus lines, open them to direct competition. They point out that with the current layout, it is contemplated that the rates for operating will be recalculated with inflation and that, therefore, in 2035 the average price of the ticket will return to around 50 euros despite the fact that at the time of the new award a price of about 40 euros is established. In the other side of the currency we find associations like Confebus They point out that these concessions allow companies to better study the market and their profitability but, they defend, the traveler is protected because once the service has been awarded, the company has not to leave the line overnight. Photo | Artem Makarov and Xataka In Xataka | This Barcelona bus has been working with a fuel that we all produce: our excrements

How 19 Russian drones returned Europe to a red line that has not crossed since 1945: activate article 5

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In one unprecedented nightbetween 11 and 19 Russian drones they violated the Polish airspace, many from Belarus, between 23:30 and 6:30, coinciding with new offensives against Ukraine. Several devices were shot down by fighters F-16 Poles and Dutch F-35while others fell into a Polish territory, one came to hit a home. What happened next is an escalation of tensions in the old very dangerous continent. Against Poland and the rest of Europe. Shortly after It was known that remains of at least seven drones and a projectile still without identifying were recovered. The authorities revealed many of them as gerbera drones, a simplified Russian variant The Shahed-136 Iranian, whose 600 km range Leave doubts about your launch point. The remains They appeared in areas near the eastern border and also in regions to the north and west, which forced the Temporary closure of four airports, including Warsaw. The military response. Poland activated its defenses Aeros and deployed airplanes, helicopters and an early alert system SAAB 340 Erieye To follow the drones. Together with Dutch participation, an Italian early alert plane joined, A MRTT cistern of NATO and Patriot batteries German on alert, although without shooting. It was primera time in history that alliance airplanes opened fire in their own airspace against a hostile target. Remains of a Amraam missile They suggest that modern air-air-air weapons were used, although it is not clear whether by F-16 or F-35. Warsaw and the alliance. Prime Minister Donald Tusk described violations as an act of aggression that increases the risk of a great war in Europe “at the highest level since 1945”. The Polish government summoned the Russian Business Manager, although Moscow He denied responsibilities and said he did not intend to attack Poland. Warsaw invoked article 4 of the Atlantic Treaty, which opens consultations among the 32 allies when the integrity or security of a member is threatened. It was the eighth time which has been activated since 1949. NATO, however, confirmed that there will be no immediate changes in its military position. International reactions. The episode caused immediate condemnations In Europe and the United States. Democratic and Republican legislators spoke of a “fire test” of Putin, with some qualifying the attack of “act of war” and claiming hard sanctions. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the drones were clearly directed to Poland and did not deviate by error. Many analysts consider that the action could be A Moscow essay to study the NATO reaction and reinforce its hybrid war strategy in Europe. Meanwhile, Tusk revealed which has received concrete support proposals to reinforce the Polish air defense, which already has an ambitious modernization and alert systems such as low -level surveillance hot spurs. The scope of article 4. He Article 4 establishes that allies must meet for consultations whenever one of them perceives that their territorial integrity, political independence or security They are threatened. This It does not imply An automatic defense commitment, but opens the door to deliberations in the North Atlantic Council that can lead to joint decisions, preventive measures or support deployments. Since 1949 it has been invoked On seven occasionsthe most recent in 2022, when several countries in Eastern Europe asked for consultations after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Even without formal invocation, already in November 2022 NATO celebrated an emergency meeting after a missile fell in Poland causing two deadgenerating fear of a contagion of the conflict. Article 5: The cornerstone. Beyond the consultations, the core of the treaty is the Article 5that consecrates collective defense: An armed attack against one or several members in Europe or North America is considered an attack against all. The answer is not automatic or uniform, but each State agrees in consultation what measures to adopt “including the use of the armed force” to restore the security of the Atlantic area. The text relies on the right of self -defense Recognized by the UN letter and leave each ally the decision of how far you get. That we know, in the whole history of NATO only has invoked once: After the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, which led to allied participation in the Afghanistan war. The risks in Ukraine. This is probably the key until now, since since Ukraine is not part of the alliance, the Russian invasion did not activate article 5although numerous members have contributed weapons, training and intelligence to kyiv. The danger arises that deliberate attacks or calculation errors (such as aerial incursions, accidental bombings or lost missiles) impact the territory of border countries such as Poland, Romania or the Baltic. In that case, NATO would have to decide if you consider the Cas an armed attack and respond accordingly, with the risk of extending war throughout Europe. Flexibility and dilemma. Article 5 It does not force to an immediate or uniform response. In fact, its flexible writing allows consultations without a defined term and gives each member margin to calibrate their level of involvement. That elasticity gives it political strength as deterrence, but also generates uncertainty: Its effectiveness depends on the unity and will of the allies. In the current context, with Russia intensifying hybrid operations and provocations on the eastern border, the border between “accidental” incidents and deliberate aggressions are It becomes more diffuseincreasing the probability that NATO must face the difficult decision to activate or not its collective defense clause. A risk scenario. In summary, although no victims have registered, aerial violation was described by Polish command as “an unprecedented aggression that put the life of citizens at real risk.” For NATO, the incident opens A new stage In the confrontation: for the first time the alliance demolishes Russian drones within its own space, which brings the risk of climbing. With the Memory of 2022when activated Article 4 after the invasion of Ukraine, and the Shadow of article 5the crisis leaves the unknown of whether these violations will be repeated and how NATO will react in an increasingly volatile European … Read more

The Maginot line defended Europe from the Nazi invasion. History is being repeated by Russia, but now it is not just concrete

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The Maginot line It was a monumental but rigid wall initiated by France, so much, which was dodged in 1940 by the Wehrmacht through the Ardenas. Perhaps for this reason, today’s Europe assumes that no defense line can totally shield its borders, but it can channel and delay an invasion, while determining Moscow to undertake it. The crucial difference is that this time it is not just concrete. The return of an iron curtain. Eighty years after Churchill will proclaim That a “steel curtain” had fallen over Europe, the metaphor It is reversed: Now it is the western countries that raise walls, ditches and defense systems on their eastern borders. The erosion of the Security Framework after the Cold War, the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the perception that Moscow could redirect strength towards the Baltic or Finland countries They have triggered a vast fortification program reminiscent of the great defensive projects of the twentieth century, although with XXI technologies. The beginning. We have coming counting. From the Finnish Lapia to the Polish province of Lublin, Europe prepares to build a new “iron curtain”, but this time not ideology, but of steel and explosives. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, guardians of more than 3,400 kilometers of border with Russia and Belarus, have decided abandon The Ottawa Convention of 1997, which will allow them since the late 2025 to manufacture, store and deploy millions of antipersone and anti -tank mines. The measure, considered unthinkable just two decades ago, responds to the conviction that only one lethal and deterrence obstacle It can stop an eventual Russian offensive in a moment of maximum tension in the NATO eastern flank. Remains of the Maginot Line The end of a consensus. The decision is a drastic turn against international efforts that, from the 1990s, with figures ranging from Princess Diana to Tony Blair as driversThey sought to eradicate land mines due to their indiscriminate character and their devastating effect on civilians long after conflicts. That humanitarian ideal, translated into a treaty signed by 164 countries, now fades before the Russian threat, which never joined the agreement and today accumulates More than 26 million minesmassively used in Ukraine. The perception in Eastern Europe is clear: prohibiting them was a luxury of safe times; Today, national survival It demands to recover them. The epicenter: Lithuania. The most dramatic case is that of Lithuania, which must Defend 720 kilometers of border with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, including the strategic Suwalki runneronly land step for NATO reinforcements towards Baltic countries. There, in villages as Šadžiūnaibarely inhabited by the elderly who remember the devastation of World War II, the inhabitants fear that their pine and birch forests, already surrounded by fences and border stalls, soon become mined fields. The contrast between rural life and imminence of a war scenario summarizes the Decision rawness. Europe divided by the original “curtain” of Churchill. NATO countries in Azul, the members of the Warsaw Pact in red, those not aligned in green and neutral gray countries (1988) Total defense and strategic urgency. Vilna plans to spend the 5.5% of your GDP In defense (more than double the United Kingdom) and has already reserved 800 million euros to produce hundreds of thousands of mines of all kinds. These will be integrated into a “counter -river” strategy that also includes dragon teeth, ditches, armed drones and long -range artillery. Lithuanian leaders, such as Defense Minister Dovile Šakalienė and her predecessor Laurynas Kasčiūnas, They argue That history shows that Russia only respects strength, and that the experience of Ukraine, which destroyed its arsenals by the treaty and today suffers millions of Russian mines in its territory, is an impossible warning to ignore. The closure of the most extensive border. With 1,340 kilometers of shared border, Finland approved the construction in 2023 of a fence that will cover 15% of its border territory, with a cost of more than 400 million dollars and completed completion for 2026. There is a nuance here: not only seeks to stop hypothetical Russian incursions, but also control the flow of citizens fleeing the conscription. The new walls and positions, even in Remote Arctic AreasThey replace the old wooden fences that only served to contain cattle, and mark a symbolic turn on a relatively permeable border. The Balkan effort. Already We tell it. Estonia was a pioneer In 2015 After the Russian annexation of Crimea, and since 2024, the three Baltic states with Poland advance in a joint fortification plan of 700 kilometers, budgeted in more than 2,000 million pounds. The measures include Anti -tanks, concrete dragon teeth, pyramids and blocks of several tons, blocked roads, mines, bridges prepared to fly and trees destined to collapse in case of invasion. In addition, more than 1,000 bunkers and deposits for ammunition and supplies are built, small but capable of resisting artillery fire and hosting squads of up to ten soldiers. In parallel, Poland builds a permanent fence Against Belarusconsidered the main ally of Moscow. Human impact and contradictions. The paradox is evident: it seeks to protect populations from a Russian aggression at the price of introduce weapons They have historically caused most of their victims among civilians, including children. In 2023, more than 2,000 people died in the world due to explosives of this type, often in countries where wars ended decades ago. Baltic governments promise that the mines will remain in deposits and will be activated only in case of emergency, with modern systems that allow to assemble them and disassemble them at a distance. However, families such as Jurate Penkovskiene, who already cava bunkers in his garden while listening to the rumble of NATO exercises, fear for security of their children if their forests become prohibited areas. The new European border. Thus, what is at stake is not only a military change, but a landscape transformation and collective psychology in Eastern Europe. Forests, lakes and border villages aim to be part of a defensive system … Read more

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