mines

A superyacht has just crossed Hormuz before the astonished gaze of the US and Iran. Its flag has confirmed that mines are not for everyone

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In 2019, during one of the highest recent tensions in the Persian Gulf, several marine insurers they raised their premiums so much that some shipowners chose to keep their ships anchored for weeks rather than crossing certain routes considered too dangerous. In parallel, other ships continued sailing with relative normality thanks to apparently minor details such as their registration or the documentation they carried, making it clear that, even in times of greatest uncertainty, not all ships play with the same rules. A strategic step converted into a global funnel. we have been counting. The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil normally circulates, has become one of the most tense points of the planet after the outbreak of the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, with traffic plummeting from more than 130 ships daily to just a few dozen and hundreds of ships trapped waiting for safe conditions. The situation has skyrocketed energy prices and generated a domino effect in global trade, while Tehran demands permits to cross and Washington threatens to intercept certain movements. In this scenario, crossing this bottleneck has become an operation fraught with military, legal and economic risks. Or maybe not so much. A superyacht that defies the blockade. Because in the midst of that collapse, he Northa luxury superyacht valued at just over $500 million and linked to the Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashovachieved what very few have achieved in recent weeks: crossing Hormuz from Dubai to Oman without incident. With more than 140 meters in length, several decks, a swimming pool, heliports and even a convertible hangar, its journey not only contrasts with the general paralysis of maritime traffic, but also makes it a striking anomaly in an environment where even large oil companies prefer not to take risks. Your journey, monitored in real timefollowed routes that other ships have used with some type of coordination in the area, although without official confirmation about permits. Alexey Mordashov The invisible key. Possibly the most revealing element of this episode is not in the luxury of the ship, but in how did he get through without being detained or attacked, in a context where any ship can become a target. Everything indicates that he achieved it with a combination of factors: not heading to Iranian ports (which would place it outside the direct focus of the US blockade), sailing through corridors tolerated by Iran and, above all, operating under a diffuse legal structure where the formal property does not entirely coincide with the real one. In other words, in an environment where each movement is interpreted as a political signal, the flag, the chosen route and the legal ambiguity act as a kind of tacit safe conduct that allows one to move between red lines without completely crossing them. Geopolitics, sanctions and alliances in the background. Of course, the journey of North cannot be understood without the political background that surrounds it, marked by the close relationship between Russia and Iran and by the fact that Vladimir Putin maintains a strategic support to Tehran in full escalation with the West. Mordashov, one of the men richest in Russia and sanctioned for the United States and the European Union since the invasion of Ukraine, you have already seen other seized assetswhich has led many oligarchs to move their assets to safer jurisdictions. In this context, the passage of the yacht through Hormuz also becomes a sign of the extent to which certain networks of power and alliances can influence what, in theory, should be a total blockade. A symptom of how conflicts work. Beyond the anecdote, the episode reflects a dynamic increasingly common in contemporary conflicts: while great powers impose restrictions and threats, they always there are gray spaces where specific actors manage to move thanks to combinations of diplomacy, crossed interests and legal loopholes. The fact that a luxury superyacht can cross one of the most dangerous points on the planet in the middle of a crisis, while hundreds of ships remain immobilized and frightened by mines and drones in the surrounding area, illustrates how power is not only measured in military capacity, but also in ability to browse (literally and figuratively) between rules that are not always applied uniformly. Image | POT, Wolfgang Fricke In Xataka | The US resurrected the “right of prey” to capture a ship from China: the problem is that China has taken note In Xataka | Ukraine taught how to use drones. Iran has gone one step further: turning them into a crusher for US radars and bases

one where there are mines, bodyguards, an alliance with Iran… and no sign of the US

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In the late 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq War, the American frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts hit a mine in the Persian Gulf and nearly sank, forcing its crew to fight for hours to keep it afloat in one of the United States Navy’s most memorable emergency operations. The episode left a clear lesson that still applies today: in certain areas, an invisible threat can paralyze entire routes and change the balance of power without the need for a single shot. The European plan. He had exclusive the wall street journal that Europe has begun to design its own strategy to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most critical points in global energy trade, after weeks of war and blockade. The idea is not to intervene during the conflict, but prepare a subsequent operation that allows maritime traffic to be reactivated with safety guarantees. To this end, a broad coalition of countries willing to provide naval means and coordination is being put together, with the aim of restoring confidence to shipping companies and insurers. There is no doubt, the approach reflects a clear priority: stabilize the flow of trade without getting caught in a direct military escalation. Mission without Washington. The most striking element of the plan is the intention to exclude the United States of the operation, something unusual in this type of international deployments. The European proposal seeks to rely only on non-belligerent countries, which means leaving out the actors directly involved in the war and reducing the perception of confrontation. This decision is not only technical, but deeply politicalsince it responds to recent tensions between Washington and several European capitals. At the same time, generates internal doubts on whether a mission without American backing will have sufficient weight or deterrent capacity. Mines, escorts and a delicate balance with Iran. The core of the plan goes through three clear phases: first, unblock the exit of the trapped ships and then clear any possible mines deployed in the area. Finally, establish a military escort system that guarantees safe passage. In this scheme, Europe plays with a specific advantage, its capacity in demining operationswhere it has more resources than the United States. However, it all depends on a key factor: Iran’s acceptance, since any operation will require coordination with the coastal countries to avoid incidents. This turns the mission into a diplomatic balancing act as important as the military deployment. Skepticism. Although specific truces and temporary openings of the strait have been announced, the consensus among experts is that the situation far from stable. The presence of possible mines, episodes of shooting at ships and political uncertainty keep traffic paralyzed and insurance costs skyrocket. Hundreds of ships they are still blockedand companies in the sector are not willing to return without solid guarantees. In this context, European prudence responds to a complex reality: Opening the strait is not only a political decision, but a long and risky technical operation. Europe wants to act, but in its own way. The plan also reflects a desire for autonomy strategic, with France and the United Kingdom at the forefront, leading an initiative that seeks to demonstrate their own capacity in maritime security. The participation of countries like Germany or Italy It points to a larger scale operation, although conditioned by legal frameworks and parliamentary decisions. Still, they persist internal differences about the role the United States should play and about the right time to intervene. In other words, Europe thus tries to project unity while managing its own divisions. The background: uneasy alliance. In practice, the mission design involves a rather obvious paradox, because to guarantee the security of the strait, Europe will need to coordinate, directly or indirectly, with Iranthe same actor who has contributed to blocking it. In other words, the approach reveals to what extent the priority is to avoid a new escalation and rebuild a minimum of operational confidence in the area. At the same time, of course, it suggests a change in “nuclear” focus regarding Washingtonbetting on a more negotiated and less coercive route. A global balance. If you like, what is at stake is not only the expected reopening of the maritime route sooner or later, but rear stability of an artery through which an essential part of the world’s energy circulates. From that perspective, the way in which Europe manages this crisis will mark its role on the international stage, as well as its relationship with the United States and with regional powers. In an environment of tense alliances and divergent decisions, the european plan For Hormuz, it is emerging as a very risky bet that combines military capacity, diplomacy and political calculation in a balance already in itself. extremely fragile. Image | US NAVY In Xataka | From printing drones to looking at lasers, 300 reports have revealed that Iran’s battle manual has one name: Ukraine In Xataka | While everyone was looking at the Middle East, North Korea has had time to do what Iran has not been able to: go nuclear.

is turning old mines into lakes

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The energy transition has a hidden side that often remains in the background: it is not only saying goodbye to fossil fuels but also thinking about what to do with these degraded lands after years of extractive activity. The mines. Leaving these exploited lands to their fate is a waste in every sense. Germany knows this and has promoted the largest landscape intervention in Europe: the Lusatian Lake District. You can see it better in the photo that illustrates this article: the before and after: what began as a network of huge open-pit coal mines is being transformed into a complex system of more than 20 interconnected artificial lakes, a true vacation paradise for sailing or taking a bike ride. In fact, You can now book a getaway over there. The project. Between Berlin and Dresden, Germany is transforming one of the most degraded landscapes in Europe into the largest system of artificial lakes on the continent: Lausitzer Seenland. This is a conversion project of old open pit lignite mines in a network of 23 lakes that occupy 13,600 hectaresten of them connected by navigable canals forming a continuous area of ​​7,000 hectares. The state-owned company LMBV Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft) oversees the technical execution, which includes the creation of tourism infrastructure, such as beaches, ports, cycling and camping areas, along with state-of-the-art facilities. The process is long and need a lot of money: Going from a mine to a long-term safe lake costs between 200 and 600 million euros and in Lusatia alone it has already cost 7 billion euros. Why is it important. This project represents the largest environmental restoration effort of post-mining landscapes in Europe and constitutes a relevant case study for the rehabilitation of degraded areas. As collect this analysis from the German Federal Environment Agency, 19 of these lakes have already achieved good/high ecological potential. That is, recovery is possible. Beyond ecological recovery, the lakes also fulfill water management functions: during 2018, more than 62 million cubic meters were released from the lakes to raise low levels of the Spree and Schwarze Elster rivers during drought, such as collect the local media Niederlausitz Aktuell. The project also has significant socioeconomic implications: the government has destined 40,000 million euros to promote this transition from mining in the eastern coal regions towards other vectors such as sustainable tourism. Context. At the time of the German Democratic Republic were extracted more than 2,000 million tons of lignite from depths greater than 60 meters, leaving enormous craters in the landscape. Lusatia was the country’s gasoline: in 1989, lignite production there reached 195.1 million tons. In total, open pit mining of lignite has devastated 179,490 hectares in Germany. German reunification in 1990 marked a before and after. The fall in energy demand and that the Federal Environment Agency will classify it Since lignite is the most polluting fossil fuel, it brought about a progressive dismantling of its mining. During the 1990s the LMBV was tasked with restoring 19 open pit mining areas in Lusatia. As explains Dr. Uwe Steinhuber of LMBV, it will take at least two generations to complete it. How they do it. The rehabilitation of Lusatia is supported by geotechnical stabilization and active hydrological control, such as collects LMBV in this report. To transform mining craters into safe lakes, it applies deep vibration compaction techniques that prevent liquefaction of sandy soil, while accelerating filling through controlled diversion of flows from the Spree River. The process is monitored by the Copernicus satellite, which detects ground movements. Water chemistry is the other great technical challenge in that the oxidation of pyrite causes extreme acidification such as documents the Canadian Journal of Soil Science. To neutralize it, they use treatment plants and ships, which allows them to reach the quality standards of the Federal Environment Agency. Yes, but. We have already seen that the calendar is long and the budget astronomical, but LMBV warns that still remains: at the moment they have invested 7,000 million euros, but the total cost of the project (which includes other regions) amounts to 13,800 million. The entire process will end in this decade, but it will be necessary to apply surveillance in the coming generations, both for contaminants and the geological stability of the area. Despite all efforts, rehabilitation is far from ideal: of the 36 lakes assessed by the Federal Environment Agency (which includes other lakes outside the tourist district), 12 they got “moderate” classification due to mercury or endocrine disrupting compounds such as tributyltin and one presented “poor” status due to excess nutrients. There is scientific evidence which support that mining soils present severe physical, chemical and biological limitations that make complete ecological restoration difficult. In Xataka | Germany has had a crazy idea to solve one of the problems of renewables: covering a lake with solar panels In Xataka | A mining company believes that under the soil of La Mancha there is a “Gold” of rare earths. And at the moment they won’t let him take it out Cover | Tourismusverband Lausitzer Seenland (Steffen Rasche)

Iran is planting sea mines in Hormuz. And what threatens to blow up is not ships: it is the world economy

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On the maps it looks like just a gap of water between deserts, but it passes through that narrow corridor every day. a gigantic portion of the energy that moves the planet. So narrow that in some sections the ships navigate in maritime lanes of just a few kilometers, constantly monitored by radars, drones and military fleets. For decades, any tension at that point in the Persian Gulf has been capable of shake up prices of oil in a matter of minutes. Imagine if will plant mines. A war also at sea. As bombings and missiles focus attention on the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, a parallel battle has begun to unfold in the Persian Gulf. From the start of the warUS intelligence services They detected signs that Tehran could try to disrupt maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz by deploying naval mines and small fast boats. The threat is serious enough to have triggered public warnings of Washington and preventive military operations against Iranian ships suspected of participating in these maneuvers. In this context, the control of this narrow maritime corridor has become one of the strategic points more delicate of the conflict, because any disturbance there has immediate repercussions on the global energy supply. The strait, the global energy artery. There is no doubt, the tension is explained by the central role that Hormuz plays in the global energy system. Approximately a fifth of the oil consumed by the planet circulates through this strait of just a few dozen kilometers, in addition to a similar proportion of the international trade in liquefied natural gas. Every day they go through it in normal conditions about twenty million of barrels of crude oil from the producing countries of the Gulf heading to Asia, Europe and America. Powers like China, India, Japan or South Korea depend largely of this step to secure its energy supply, which turns any threat in these waters into an immediate global problem. It is no coincidence that even rumors or minor incidents in the area provoke immediate reactions in the oil markets. The new war. In that scenario it has begun a new phase of the conflict: that of oil tankers navigating between the risk of mines capable of shaking the planet’s economies. American intelligence reports indicate that Iran has begun deploying dozens of these explosives in the strait and keeps intact most of its fleet of small boats capable of planting hundreds more in a short time. The Revolutionary Guard controls much of the area next to the Iranian navy and has a combination of speedboats, minelayer boats, drones and coastal missile batteries that can turn the sea passage into a navigation trap. The goal would not necessarily be to sink large numbers of ships, that too, but to create enough uncertainty enough to paralyze global energy traffic, raise transportation costs and trigger a shock in international markets. In other words, a well-placed mine in these waters can have an economic impact that goes much further of the ship that hits it. First shocks. Faced with this threat, Washington has chosen for acting before mine deployment reaches a larger scale. The US military has confirmed (with videos included) a few hours ago the destruction of at least sixteen Iranian vessels involved in mining operations near the strait, in what US officials describe as pre-emptive strikes based on intelligence about Tehran’s operational plans. These actions seek to prevent Iran from turning the strait into a practically closed area to navigation before the deployment of explosives multiplies. At the same time, the White House has warned that any attempt to block the flow of oil will provoke a much more forceful military response than the operations carried out so far. Trapped oil and markets in panic. The economic consequences are already beginning to become visible. Since the start of the war, oil transit from the Gulf has seriously upsetwith millions of barrels per day that cannot leave the region normally. Countries like Iraq or Kuwait depend almost exclusively of this route to export its crude, which amplifies the potential impact of any interruption. Energy companies have started diverting ships or to look for alternative routeswhile Saudi Arabia tries to compensate for part of the problem by increasing the use of its oil pipeline to the Red Sea. In parallel, the International Energy Agency studies a massive liberation of strategic reserves to contain the impact of the energy crisis. A few kilometers to shake the world. The fragility of the situation is also explained by the geography of the enclave itself. At its narrowest point it barely has 34 kilometers wide and the navigation lanes through which the ships circulate barely exceed three kilometers in each direction. This narrowness makes the place extremely vulnerable to mines, drone attacks or coastal missiles. It is not the first time this has happened, in fact, since how do we countduring the so-called “tanker war” in the eighties, Iran already used mines in these same waters to pressure its adversaries during the conflict with Iraq. History, therefore, suggests that these types of tactics can be surprisingly effective in destabilizing global trade. A planetary blow. The extreme sensitivity of the energy markets to any news coming from Hormuz was fully demonstrated very recently, when a wrong message on social media suggested that the US Navy had successfully escorted a tanker through the strait. The simple rumor caused an immediate collapse of crude oil prices and a shake-up in financial markets before authorities clarified that no such operation had occurred. The episode illustrates the extent to which the world watches every movement in these waters with nervousness. In a global energy system so dependent on a few strategic corridors, the mine threat in the Strait of Hormuz has opened a new dimension of war: one in which fate of the world economy it may depend on a maritime corridor just a few kilometers wide. Image | nara, Picryl, naraNZ … Read more

We don’t know what to do with the old coal mines. Switzerland’s idea is to turn them into a giant “battery”

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In the bowels of the Bierzo region of León, where coal was the absolute king for decades, the silence of the abandoned and flooded galleries is about to be broken. But this time there will be no pickaxes, no minecarts, no black ore. The new gold of the mining basin is water, and those in charge of extracting its potential come from the Alps. The Swiss energy company Alpiq has set its eyes on this ruined industrial legacy to transform it into a colossal natural “battery” that promises to be the energy engine of the future in Spain. A million-dollar purchase in El Bierzo. The news that has shaken the local and international energy panorama is the acquisition of the “CDR Navaleo” macroproject by the Swiss multinational Alpiq, as detailed in their press release. However, as local media describethis pumped hydroelectric energy storage project had initially been developed by Erbiergía, a company promoted and controlled by the well-known mining businessman Manuel Lamelas Viloria. Despite the sale, the Bercian promoter will maintain a stake in the company to continue collaborating and supporting its development on the ground. The project figures are colossal. Although two years ago the project has already obtained a powerful grant Of 35.5 million euros from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition (Miteco), the total investment necessary to build this megastructure is much greater. Now, as advanced in ElDiario.esthe estimated budget exceeds 300 million euros, but other sources raise the investment figure above 400 million, placing it in a range of between 420 and 450 million euros. And why Spain? To understand the magnitude of Navaleo, you have to look at the sky. Spain has very ambitious goals of penetration of renewable energies, such as solar and wind, but these sources are intermittent: it is not always sunny or the wind blows when we turn on the switch at home. Therefore, the electrical system urgently needs “storage and flexibility to guarantee the stability of the network,” explained by the Swiss company. That is where this plant comes in, which will contribute 535 megawatts (MW) of flexible capacity to the Spanish grid, according to local media. To get an idea of ​​its size, the current third vice president, Sara Aagesen, noted during a visit to the area that “all residential buildings in the province of León could be supplied with the annual production of this CDR from Navaleo”, as they have collected in The Economist. The impact transcends Spanish borders. To understand the phenomenon, the importance of infrastructure must be configured. The European Commission has included Navaleo on its list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI)highlighting its strategic value for the energy security of the entire continent, which also opens the door to better financing through the European Investment Bank. For the Swiss company, which has been operating in the Spanish market for 25 years, this is a major milestone: This is its first large-scale hydroelectric project outside of Switzerland. The engineering behind the “battery”. The technical mechanism is as fascinating as it is colossal. The facility will operate through a closed-circuit pumped hydroelectric energy storage system. In practice, it consists of taking advantage of groundwater from old mining operations, as explained in the local media. The system will pump water from the Tremor River area to a higher elevation, where it will be stored in a pond. When the country needs electricity, that water will be released through a large pipe so that it passes through a turbine and generates energy. This closed-loop design will provide the electrical grid with at least eight hours of uninterrupted energy storage, literally acting as an immense rechargeable water battery. But an abandoned mine? Used old coal mine poses obvious doubts about toxicity. Currently, abandoned mines are flooded and their waters contain minerals and contaminants. Far from being a problem, this is one of the greatest added values ​​of the project. The plant is called “CDR” precisely because it is a Reversible Treatment Plant. “Through our asset we are going to offer flexibility and storage, but we are also going to offer an environmental benefit. We are going to drain the contaminated water from the mines and purify it,” explains Amédée Murisier, director of Alpiq in statements to The Economist. In this way, an environmental liability and degraded land is transformed into a clean energy asset. Furthermore, viability is assured: the company already has a water concession granted for a period of 75 years, which guarantees long-term operational continuity. Forecasts and deadlines. The macroproject will extend through the Bercian municipalities of Torre del Bierzo, Castropodame, Congosto and Molinaseca, areas hard hit by the closure of mining. As for the deadlines, there are certain nuances. While the Viloria Group I hoped to start construction this year, the new Swiss owners apply their well-known precision and caution. Amédée Murisier warns that there is still a year and a half of work ahead to refine the geological studies and detailed engineering before making the final investment decision. What is certain, and what all actors agree on, is that the plant will enter commercial operation in the early 2030s. Where before Leonese miners went down into the bowels of the earth to extract coal with their pickaxes, in a few years thousands of liters of purified water will flow, pushed by Swiss technology. The Navaleo project is not only a work of pharaonic engineering; It is the perfect metaphor for the energy transition. A textbook circular economy that demonstrates how the old industrial ghosts of Bierzo can be reconverted, given a facelift and end up being the master key to ensuring the green and electric future of Spain. Image | freepik Xataka | Far from Grazalema and the reservoirs, Andalusia has another serious problem: completely collapsed mining ponds

Finance Mines Today, its production is ensured tomorrow

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Recently The news jumped that Europe did not want to buy Chinese solar panels if they had been developing through forced labor. The problem is not only manufacturing, but the Asian giant controls the entire supply chain from its extraction to its refinement, taking almost two decades of advantages. And now it goes one step further: now you want to ensure future gold production. A new opening. Zijin Mining Group, one of the world’s largest gold and copper miners, has begun to open its funds to professional investors in Hong Kong. According to Financial Timeshas launched the first background of streaming China Minero, a financial modality that consists in finance mines in exchange for rights over its future production. With this model, traditionally dominated by Canadian companies such as Wheaton Priceus Metals, Zijin intends to ensure ingots without directing each mine. But the play does not end there. As He has reported South China Morning Post (SCMP), Its asset management subsidiary, Gold Mountain Asset Management, has gone from operating exclusively with internal resources of the group to capture external capital, offering exposure to strategic metals such as gold and copper. A strategic movement. The decision is not fortuitous. On the one hand, the offer is increasingly limited. Both Lisa Liu, director of Gold Mountain, and Bank of America analysts cited by Financial Times They have agreed that the gold mines in the world are depleting their high quality reserves, while investment in new explorations has been insufficient during the last decade. On the other hand, the demand for gold does not stop growing. In times of geopolitical uncertainty and commercial tensions, central investors and banks take refuge in tangible assets. This has driven gold to mark historical maximums. According to SCMPsome experts have estimated that the price could reach $ 4,000 per ounce this year. The center of the world. The digital transformation of the Asian country is not accidental. In an increasingly bound world towards data centers, electrical networks and artificial intelligence infrastructure, China wants to be where you should be. Has already shown it by configuring as The first “electrostate”and now seeks to ensure access to basic materials that feed that infrastructure: gold, copper and also lithium. Gold always shines. As They have detailed In SCMP, Zijin’s funds have reported a performance of 18% only in the first four months of 2025, and Copper investments They are also outlined as strategic to the growing demand promoted by artificial intelligence. Zijin even plans to reorganize his international assets under a new entity, Zijin Gold Internationaloverlooking a future stock market. In addition, Gold Mountain directly finances mining projects through private credit, accepting in return the gold produced, a way of ensuring supply without the need to operate the deposits. Has also signed agreements of streaming With mines in Ivory Coast, Gansu (China) and hopes to close new operations in Africa and South America, According to Financial Times. A broader ambition. Beyond the numbers, what Zijin is building has a geopolitical dimension. In an increasingly fragmented world, where critical resources define technological and energy sovereignty, controlling the flow of gold, copper and lithium is both an economic and strategic play. While the West continues to discuss decarbonization or industrial relocation, China is buying the subsoil. Gold by gold. Mine per mine. Contract contract. The future of energy, technology and security may not be alone in algorithms, but in the metals that make them possible. And China is making sure they go through their hands first. Image | Pexels and Pixabay Xataka | In full obsession with rare earths, a fairly common metal has jeopardized the green transition: Copper foul

West believed that mines and conventional artillery were the past. Ukraine has shown that they were wrong

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They have been Several occasions in which the conflict after the Russian invasion in Ukraine seemed Go back to the pastat an era where technology did not dominate the battlefield, but the human through it. The effect of what has happened to east of Europe begins to have its echoes on several nations of the old continent. Conventional artillery and mines, for decades considered obsolete, have seen A resurgence That nobody seemed to glimpse, and now everyone wants to rearm. A return to the past. As we said, the conflict in Ukraine has radically reconfigured Western understanding about The modern warrevealing the validity of weapons that for a long time were forgotten as vestiges of the past. Antipersonnel minesheavy artillery and non -guided ammunition have reappeared as key elements In a type of war that NATO and European armies had stopped planning: the large -scale land war. For years, Western powers imagined the conflicts of the 21st century as technological, rapid and surgical clashes, starring reduced units and high precision weapons systems. It happens that the Ukrainian realitywith their stagnant fronts and prolonged fighting For territorial control, those assumptions have denied sharply. The Treaty of Ottawa and Las Mines. In fact, one of the most visible effects of this doctrinal turn has been the decision of several European countries to abandon the Ottawa treaty of 1997, the same that prohibited the use, production and sale of antipersonnel mines. Who is it? Finland was the last In reverting his adhesion, adding to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, who had already announced their departure. These nations, all neighbors of Russia or in their area of ​​geopolitical influence, are actively preparing for undermine its bordersin an attempt to contain a possible Moscow military offensive. The reasons are clearly clear: the Use of mines in Ukraine It has demonstrated its effectiveness not only to stop advances, but to channel enemy troops to areas where they can be faced with greater guarantees of success. It is a territorial defense tactic that resurfaces in a conventional war context, precisely when it was believed to be overcome. Artillery and unburgated ammunition, the resurgence. While the guided missile systems provided by NATO face problems in the face of the Russian capacities of Electronic interferencetraditional artillery, with simple and cheap projectiles, has charged New prominence. These ammunition, not depending on electronic signals, are immune to blockages or technological sabotages. In addition, combined with modern surveillance tools (such as drones that identify real -time objectives), they have become extraordinarily lethal. Ukraine, in fact, has taken advantage of this synergy, adapting old technologies to the new battlefield. The result has been a war that advances very little in terms of territory, but that consumes huge amounts of projectiles and requires a sustained production that Europe was not prepared to assume. Europe and industrial career. On the other sidewalk, the paradigm shift has exposed the fragility of war production capacities in Europe, although that is not quite news when the old continent has already talked about rearming. A report by the Royal United Services Institute criticized European governments for Trust blindly in which the private sector would solve the manufacturing needs of ammunition without having offered them incentives or favorable regulations. This omission has had serious consequences: according to General Christopher CavoliSupreme Comandante Allied with NATO in Europe, Russia is on the way to accumulate projectile reserves three times higher to those of the United States and Europe together. He imbalance is alarmingespecially considering that the Ukrainian conflict does not show short -term resolution signs and that the current levels of ammunition consumption are unsustainable without an industrial restructuring. Russia’s mirror. In this regard and According to CavoliRussia currently produces 250,000 artillery projectiles per month, which leads it to build that arsenal three times greater than the United States and Europe. Not just that. Cavoli’s testimony underlines a crucial point: while Russia is perceived in the West bogged down In a wear war, its defense machinery He has managed to adaptgrow and, in some aspects, strengthen in full conflict. Moscow has been recovering its arsenals on all fronts (from ammunition to armored vehicles and troops), which strongly contrasts with the logistics and production difficulties faced by their adversaries. The estimate of Cavoli points to an annual manufacture of 1,500 tanks by Russia, in front of the 135 produced by the United States. In the last year, Russian troops would have lost Approximately 3,000 tanks9,000 armored vehicles, 13,000 artillery systems and more than 400 air defense systems, but would be completely replaced, keeping their land projection capacity intact. Planning errors. Experts like Paul van Hooft, from the Think Tank Rand Europe, They explained to Insider that this lag is a direct consequence of three decades of strategic planning focused on asymmetric wars. Since the September 11 attacks, NATO designed its military operations thinking of insurgencies, terrorism and irregular forces, where neither heavy artillery nor mines seemed to have practical utility. That vision led, according to the analyst, to the dismantling of traditional arsenals and the abandonment of terrestrial war doctrines, especially in Western Europe. However, the current conflict demands precisely opposite: territorial defense, sustained occupation of broad areas and classical deterrence capacity. The balance between the future and the past. Mark Cancan, from Center for Strategic and International Studies, stressed that prolonged wars, once stabilized the front lines, make weapons such as artillery and mines not only useful, but dominant. While drones, artificial intelligence and other innovations continue to perform An important roledo not replace the volume of fire or logistics resistance that allow sustaining an offensive or defending a position for months. In this regard, Cancan warns against excess confidence in futuristic war visions, many of them promoted by startups technological ones that compete to attract funds from the new defense budgets. Faced with this, the evidence seems to show that, at least for now, the war remains a matter of volume, physical resources and conventional abilities well managed. Ironically, if … Read more

There are young Spaniards earning $ 10,000 a month in the Australian coal mines. But everything that shines is not gold

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“I’m going to show you how $ 5,000 every two weeks in Australia.” This is how a young Spanish named ‘Tonylopezz13’ opens a Video on Tiktok which was published a few days ago and that went viral. The premise is attractive, especially when we have the 13,81.33 euros of minimum salary in Spainbut it turns out that ‘Tony’ is not such an isolated case. There are more young Spaniards, but also from other countries that move to Australia with a goal: work in a mine. Of course, it has a small print. The Australian dream. Foreign immigrants in Australia represent a low percentage compared to other nationalities, but since 2015, when visa ‘was created’Working Holiday‘, fate became something more attractive. Australia has a high cost of life, but also one of the Base salaries higher in the world ($ 24.10 per hour, depending on the sector, becoming much higher in technological, health or mining jobs) and this visa allows a young man between 18 and 30 years to spend 12 months in the country. There are another series of visas, such as students who allow you to work certain hours per week or those who are issued to qualified workers who are hired by an Australian company. Since then, it is estimated that some 5,000 young Spaniards access the Australian labor market, many in this way and, as we see on social networks, some to work in Mines. Coal. Australia is one of the most muscle countries in the production and export of coal. Mainly, their mines are located in the state of Queensland, where there are giant mines such as BHP Mitsubishi Alliance or the mine of Carmichaelone of the largest in the world with a production of 60 million tons per year. In recent years, the Australian mining industry has faced criticism due to underground water pollution, the possible contamination of the coral barrier and, in general, due to the environmental impact that these mines have, but the activity remains one of the most important, at the economic and foreign trade level, of Australia. FIFO. And you also pay well. In a mine there are many types of positions and we can say that, depending on the role, the salary It moves between 70,000 and 150,000 Australian dollars a year. If it is a qualified position, that range is limited to between $ 90,000 and $ 150,000. These works for which a lower qualification is required usually follow a model called Fly-in Fly-out Or FIFO, which is nothing more than an attractive name for conditions that involve working about two weeks in a row with 12 -hour day day and then go home to rest … to wait for you to call you again. Temporary or casual, go. Influencers miners. The works that are usually done consist of cleaning of rooms and rooms, in the dining room or in the kitchen of the mining installation. It works, but you also earn a lot of money and it is something that young people from all over the world are making known in networks such as the aforementioned Tiktok, but also on Instagram or on YouTube Shorts. There are many publications under hashtags like #Miningalia either #FIFOAUSTRALIA in which they show their day to day and where money for only a few days of work almost always has a leading role. And they are true Influencersnot so much because of the virality of one two concrete videos, but because of the effect they have on people who want these conditions. Sienna Mallon. It is an example. This young Australian gained popularity, precisely, for giving visibility to her day to day as an employee of a mine. He studied agronomy and has played several roles in coal and gold mines, speaking in his networks about the challenges and benefits of the FIFO model and accumulating in the process about 450,000 followers among Tiktok and Instagram. Effect called. There are hundreds of comments in Mallon’s videos in which you ask how it can be applied to these jobs, something that we can also see easily in ‘Tony’, with Spanish people, but also Latin American asking for information on how to access these jobs. “When I met these videos on Tiktok, I told myself that I had to take the opportunity,” says a 25 -year -old in Lemond. All paid. And those salaries are really attractive. The first thing is that they are so high for both qualified personnel and without training because the mines are They locate in remote places. That is, they have to offer an incentive for people to want to go to those places very, far away from the cities and where you will have to make life during the working hours. But it is also attractive because there are practically no expenses. In the videos of these influencers you can see how they have private rooms with everything you need, free food, entertainment rooms, gym and, obviously, field to walk around, so you can save everything possible or invest in trips to meet the country during the rest week. Asterisk. But before you start looking at how much a ticket to Australia costs, there are other details to know. “The pay is good, but the day is exhausting,” says another young man in Lemonda, and it is something that goes in the line of people like ‘Tony’ who do not hesitate to affirm that they do not want to sell “the motorcycle to anyone: life during those 14 days is shit” focusing on ‘Tony’, on the video of 5,000 dollars every two weeks clarifies that the salary is high because it is a temporary worker. That is, you work two weeks for ten hours a day for 4,898 Australian dollars – about 3,000 euros – and then … it’s over. If you like you, they may call you again, but they may not do it. In another video sample How he was sleeping more than a week … Read more

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