responded

Russia shielded its logistics routes against drones. Ukraine has responded by attacking something much more vulnerable: asphalt

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In the spring of 1945, the United States launched a campaign called Operation Starvation. Instead of concentrating on destroying Japanese ships one by one, he began laying mines in the straits and sea routes through which they had to pass. The result It was so effective that dozens of convoy routes had to be abandoned and Japanese maritime traffic plummeted, making logistics as valuable a target as the vehicles themselves. From trucks to roads. The logistics war between Russia and Ukraine is entering in a new phase. For months, Ukraine concentrated its efforts in destroying trucksconvoys, fuel depots and other targets that kept the Russian army supplied. Moscow responded by strengthening the protection of its supply routes, deploying anti-aircraft defenses, adapting its movements and building corridors that were increasingly protected against drones. Now kyiv appears to have identified a vulnerability that is more difficult to fix: the infrastructure itself on which those supplies circulate. Instead of only pursuing specific vehicles, Ukrainian drones are beginning to lay mines on the roads that connect Crimea with the occupied territories, transforming essential routes for Russian logistics into spaces where any movement can become a risk. The strategy of the logistical blockade. Ukrainian authorities describe this campaign as an attempt to impose a “logistical blockade” on the Russian military. The goal is not necessarily to completely cut off communications or destroy every vehicle that passes through them. The key is slow down movement of supplies, increase uncertainty and force the enemy to dedicate increasing resources to protection and cleanup tasks. If a convoy must constantly stop to inspect the road, if each journey requires additional escorts, or if a route remains closed for hours after the appearance of a mine, the cumulative effect can be as damaging as the direct destruction of vehicles. Modern warfare depends on both the speed and the volume of supplies, and any reduction in the pace of movement has a direct impact on units deployed on the front. Roads to Crimea under pressure. Information from Russian sources they point because the campaign is focusing especially on the land corridor that connects Russia with Crimea through the occupied territories of southern Ukraine. Roads such as the M-14 between Mariupol, Melitopol and Chongar or the R-280 Novorossiya have suffered partial closures, traffic restrictions and damage caused by mines dropped from drones. In one of the most notable incidentsa Kamaz truck was reportedly destroyed and several vehicles damaged after mines fell on a road near the border between the occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. These episodes also occur after a series of attacks against tankers and convoys that had already forced Russian authorities to modify routes and temporarily limit heavy traffic. Drones that turn asphalt into a trap. The novelty does not lie in the use of mines, a practice that has been present for decades in any conflict, but in the way they are deployed. According to various analystsUkraine is using drones to distribute 3D printed light mines equipped with motion sensors or magnetic systems. These charges do not need to completely destroy a vehicle to be effective. Enough with immobilizing a truck in the middle of a road to create traffic jams, disrupt traffic and create a concentration of targets vulnerable to subsequent air attacks. A single mine can stop a whole column. Several mines spread periodically along a route can paralyze traffic for hours while inspections and clearance operations are carried out. The creation of interdiction zones. The tactic is part of a broader concept that seeks to turn Russian logistics routes into true layered interdiction zones. Drivers traveling these roads must already face ambush FPV dronesautonomous drones assisted by artificial intelligence and attacks directed against the anti-aircraft defenses that protect the logistics corridors. The incorporation of air-dropped mines adds a permanent threat under the wheels of every vehicle. The result is a combination of risks that multiplies the psychological and operational pressure on any movement of supplies, forcing Russia to simultaneously monitor the sky, the roadsides and the asphalt surface itself. The Russian adaptation. The Russian response is already beginning to be seen in some sectors of the front. Ukrainian sources claim to have destroyed Tor-M2 anti-aircraft systems that were being moved to reinforce the protection of these vulnerable routes. At the same time, some analysts believe that Moscow could try extend to roads further from the front the anti-drone network and tunnel structures that it already uses in closer combat zones. However, they remembered in Forbes that protecting hundreds of kilometers of open roads represents a logistical and economic challenge much greater than that of shielding some sections close to the battle lines. Precisely therein lies the logic of the Ukrainian strategy: the more extensive the infrastructure that must be protected, the more difficult it will be to guarantee its security. Crimea as an indirect objective. The pressure on the roads also has a strategic dimension related to Crimea. Ukraine has been attacking anti-aircraft systems, radars, missile launchers and other assets that protect the peninsula for months. If land routes supplying the region become slower and more dangerous, Russia could be forced to rely even more from the Kerch bridgeone of the few high-capacity logistics arteries that continue to directly connect Crimea with Russian territory. This would increase the importance of an infrastructure that has already been a priority objective of kyiv on repeated occasions. Keep a road open to make it useless. In short, the great innovation of this campaign is that it does not necessarily seek to permanently cut a route. Ukraine seems to be pursuing something more subtle: keeping the roads technically open while progressively reducing its usefulness. If each convoy requires more time, if each inspection causes delays and if each stop increases exposure to new attacks, the logistics flow is degraded without the need to destroy the infrastructure. Russia has dedicated enormous efforts to protecting its convoys and supply corridors from drones. The Ukrainian response now consists of moving the … Read more

Japan has just crossed a line that it has not crossed since World War II. China has responded with supersonic missiles

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At the beginning of the 20th century, during the battle of tsushimathe Russian imperial fleet took more than seven months to circle half the planet to confront Japan. The result was so disastrous and fast that several powers suddenly understood an idea: in the Asia-Pacific, controlling the sea could decide the global balance long before a total war began. Supersonic missiles off the US and Japan. It we count last week. The South China Sea is becoming a huge military board where Beijing wants to make it clear that it is willing to answer directly to any attempt to surround its area of ​​influence. While the United States, the Philippines and Japan develop the largest Balikatan maneuvers of recent years, China has now responded by sending H-6 bombers armed with YJ-12 supersonic missilesJ-16 fighters equipped with anti-ship missiles and several naval groups around Luzon and Scarborough Shoal. The message is difficult to ignore: Beijing wants to show that it can deploy air and naval force heavy right in front of a military bloc led by Washington and Tokyo without abandoning the initiative in the region. Already looks like a war rehearsal around Taiwan. The Balikatan maneuvers have changed enormously in recent years. What were once relatively conventional exercises between the United States and the Philippines have morphed into focused simulations in maritime settingsattacks against major adversaries and possible conflicts around Taiwan and the South China Sea. The full participation of Japanese forces and the presence of ships from Australia and Canada reflect the extent to which Washington is trying to build a regional network capable of responding to China in the event of a crisis. Beijing interprets it as a direct threatespecially since several of these maneuvers take place near routes and positions that China considers essential to protect its access to the Pacific. Japan has crossed a symbolic line. A few hours ago one of the movements that most irritated Beijing during the maneuvers took place, and it was not only the American presence, but the increasingly active role of Japan. for the first time since World War IIJapanese forces launched abroad a Type 88 anti-ship missile during military exercises in the Philippines, something that China interprets as a clear sign of Japanese “remilitarization.” Although the missile can be used for defensive purposesBeijing considers that deploying this type of weaponry outside Japanese territory breaks part of pacifist logic that Tokyo maintained for decades after 1945. Furthermore, the context further aggravates the tension: Washington also fired Tomahawk missiles from the Philippines using the Typhon systemcapable of hitting targets hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away, potentially including mainland China itself. For Beijing, the image is disturbing because it reflects how Japan, the Philippines and the United States are beginning to rehearse together a scenario where the Pacific island chains could be transformed into advanced attack platforms and military containment against China. Two armed H-6 bombers fly over Scarborough Reef in an attempt by Beijing to show its superiority to Manila and its allies amid the Balikatan maneuvers and territorial disputes H-6 bombers are no longer simple propaganda. Chinese bomber flights over Scarborough Shoal have become relatively commonbut this time the important detail was the weapons. The H-6 appeared with a greater load of YJ-12 supersonic missiles, specifically designed to attack large ships and naval groups. At the same time, J-16 fighters They escorted the deployment while Chinese ships closely followed the multinational flotilla led by the United States and the Philippines. In other words, Beijing is using these exercises to show something very concrete: in a hypothetical regional conflict, it would try saturate and keep away US naval forces using massive quantities of anti-ship missiles launched from land, aircraft and ships. China is surrounding the Philippines with layers of military pressure. Beyond the bombers, China deployed the combat group of the Liaoning aircraft carrier and various armed surface groups with Type 055 destroyersconsidered some of the most powerful ships in the Chinese Navy. One of these groups carried out live fire exercises east of Luzon, precisely in areas that the United States and the Philippines are studying as possible reinforcement routes in the event of war. The Chinese strategic idea is increasingly evident: convert the Philippine maritime environment into a extremely dangerous area for any US attempt to move troops, supplies or reinforcements towards Taiwan or the South China Sea. Naval warfare is changing because of drones. While showcasing bombers and aircraft carriers, China is also accelerating the adaptation of its navy to a threat that has transformed recent conflicts such as Ukraine or attacks in the Middle East: the drones. In fact, Beijing has just presented a new naval antidrone system capable of intercepting stealth and very low altitude attacks in complex electronic warfare environments. The tests carried out in the Bohai Sea show the extent to which the Chinese Navy assumes that future naval confrontations will not depend only on large ships and missiles, but also on enormous swarms of drones capable of harassing or destroying much more expensive ships. The China Sea is filling with signs. The bomber combination with supersonic missilesnext-generation destroyers, aircraft carriers, artificial bases and anti-drone systems reflects something deeper than simple military exercises. China is preparing an environment where any US intervention around Taiwan or the Philippines would be extremely complexsaturated with aerial, maritime and electronic threats. And the most significant thing is that it is no longer just about propaganda displays: Beijing is testing in the field how to coordinate all those capabilities against real forces from the United States, Japan and their allies in one of the most tense regions on the planet. Image | CCTV In Xataka | The YJ-20 has just entered the scene at the most delicate moment: China has launched its hypersonic missile against the US and Japan In Xataka | China is beating the US with a simple strategy: manufacturing hypersonic missiles at the price of a Tesla

Japan has crossed a red line in the Pacific with the US. China just responded with warships closer than ever

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When in 2013 two Russian strategic bombers They flew over without warning airspace near Japan, forced Tokyo to deploy interception fighters in a matter of minutes in one of the most tense responses in its recent history. The episode, almost forgotten outside military circles, made clear the extent to which there are movements in the Pacific that, even if they last just hours, can change the way countries look at each other for years. A crossing of lines. Japan has taken a step that for decades it carefully avoided: integrating for the first time with combat troops in maneuvers led by the United States in the Indo-Pacific, de facto breaking a political and strategic barrier inherited from the postwar. This movement is not symbolic, because involves deploying soldiers, ships, aircraft and missiles in a real conflict simulation scenario, which brings Tokyo closer to a much more active role within the US military apparatus. The decision, furthermore, occurs in a context of growing concern about Taiwan and for him balance of power in the region, which makes this gesture more than just cooperation: it is a clear sign of strategic alignment. China’s response: closer than ever. Beijing’s reaction has been immediate and measured in kilometers: the deployment of warships on routes much closer to Japanese territory than usual, including transit through waters that it rarely used to access the Pacific. Although China insists that these are routine exercises, the pattern reveals a willingness to press and demonstrate operational capacity in sensitive areas, bringing its military presence closer to points that it previously avoided. Not only that. This movement fits in a trend wider than greater naval aggressiveness around Japan, where each maneuver not only tests capabilities, but also political limits. Everything revolves around an island. The background of this escalation is the Taiwan issuewhich acts as the axis of tension between China and Japan since Tokyo left open the possibility of intervening if a conflict breaks out on the island. Beijing has interpreted these statements as a red lineand has since responded with diplomatic protests, economic pressure and military demonstrations. Every Japanese step in or around the strait is seen as a provocation, and every Chinese move seeks to recalibrate that balance without openly crossing the threshold of direct confrontation. Balikatan: from exercise to message. It is another of the crystal clear readings. The Balikatan maneuvers have ceased to be a simple bilateral exercise to become a multinational display of forceone with more than 17,000 troops and the participation of countries such as Australia, France or Canada. The active incorporation of Japan changes its nature, because it introduces a key actor in the so-called “first island chain”, a geographical and military barrier. designed to contain Chinese expansion in the Pacific. The deployment of anti-ship missiles and live-fire exercises, including the destruction of naval targets, reinforces the idea that rehearsing a scenario of high intensity maritime conflict. The battle for the islands. Also we have talked on several occasions in this chain of territories (which goes from Japan to the Philippines passing through Taiwan) that has become the axis of the US strategy to limit Chinese naval projection. Japan, by integrating more deeply into this system, contributes to the creation of a species of distributed “fortress” that seeks to hinder any Chinese advance towards the open Pacific. For Beijing, however, breaking or surrounding that barrier is a strategic prioritywhich explains the increase in its activity beyond that line and its insistence on operating in waters increasingly distant from its coast. An increasingly fragile balance. The result of all this is a scenario where each movement has a double reading: what some present as routine trainingothers interpret it as a climbing sign. Japan has taken a step that redefines its role in regional security, and China has responded by bringing its naval power closer to a distance it previously avoided, creating an action-reaction dynamic that increases the risk of incidents. Thus, in a global context marked by many other conflicts that could divert American attention, the Indo-Pacific is positioned as the great board where the balance of power of the 21st century is played. Image | CCTV In Xataka | Japan has dozens of “forgotten” islands off the coast of China: it is now preparing for the worst scenario In Xataka | Satellite images leave no doubt: China has concentrated thousands of fishing boats off Japan, and its idea is not to fish

Tesla has revolutionized the industry with a 9,000-ton Giga Press. China has responded with the world’s largest

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Tesla has revolutionized car production. He has done it with the help of his Giga Press, a huge assembler capable of producing huge parts of the chassis to save time and money. In their race to lower costs, numerous brands have ordered their own. And a Chinese manufacturer has the largest in the world. What is a Giga Press? A Giga Press It is a machine capable of producing huge parts of a car chassis in a single process. Until now, those huge pieces have been (and continue to be for most manufacturers) assembled separately, slowly taking shape like a 10,000-piece puzzle. What is achieved with a Giga Press is to reduce the number of those pieces that have to be assembled. That is to say, simplify the puzzle. This is achieved with a huge press into which the material is injected to produce the part and the mold is pressed with great force to obtain the desired final part. Why is it so important? With the Giga Press, Tesla has managed to save time and money in the production of their vehicles. By simplifying the process, you can produce much more in less time and, therefore, amortize the investment more quickly. In fact, one’s own Tesla trusts in new evolutions to be able to reduce hypotheticals but also there are not a few companies that have ordered theirs with a view to achieving these same results. The largest in the world, of course, is in China. 16,000 tons. This is the figure that the Giga Press that Dongfeng has in its facilities in Wuhan (China) manages to apply, as reported in Car News China. This company has been working since last January with a new machine capable of casting parts with a pressure never before seen in the industry. The machine, they explain in the middle, has been designed, developed and produced entirely in China by LK Machinery which also provides these machines to other companies like XPeng. To give us an idea, Tesla’s Giga Press are capable of assembling parts with 9,000 tons of pressure. In this case, Dongfeng will dedicate the pressing to parts of battery casings of their electric cars. They assure that the machine will improve the rigidity of the assembly and the protection of the energy accumulator. Each piece moves forward every 135 seconds. And it’s not the only one. In parallel, Dongfeng will also have another press, this one capable of applying 10,000 tons of pressure. In this case it has a moving part and a stationary mold. The latter is filled with molten steel at a temperature of 720ºC and the moving part is placed on it. From there, pressure is applied until the new piece is shaped. The objective between both presses is to produce up to 600,000 pieces annually to incorporate into your cars. For now, in the first phase, up to 200,000 pieces will be counted and the objective is to gradually scale production until reaching the desired cruising speed. Both machines are the result of a clear commitment to this type of machines in China in recent years. Already in 2021, InsideEVs It stated that local manufacturers were looking for their own and, above all, that Tesla had managed to locate the supply of its suppliers in China so the materials used in the Shanghai machine did not have to be imported from third countries. It has its problems. Although the mass pressing of parts has revolutionized the industry and many manufacturers have sought their own machines, the truth is that this type of production It also has its negative side. And millions of copies are needed to amortize the set and get economic return on a very important investment. This also requires maintaining a design for a long time because any variation in the part forces the production line to stop for too long until the desired original mold is found. That “slave” design of the brand itself is one of the problems that Tesla has encountered, which is that it cannot launch cars on the market with new variations beyond small aesthetic touches. Photo | LK Machinery In Xataka | Tesla was supposed to be a company that sold cars. And the problem is that it is stopping selling them at full speed

The US offered NVIDIA chips to China. China has responded with a “no, thank you”, according to the Financial Times

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China has turned the technological development in state policy. The country is shaking up its economy through robot development (some already working in stores or in disasters), artificial intelligence and, above all, chips. Giants like Huawei and companies like SMIC are developing chips with one goal in mind: eliminate dependence on the United States. However, some of these companies need to access powerful and reliable chips immediately, and NVIDIA had presented itself as the best option. It seems that everything has been a mirage. Full speed ahead. The current technology war between the United States and China means that Western companies cannot do deals with Chinese ones. This includes the sale of advanced chip making machinesbut also that NVIDIA, for example, can’t even sell its advanced chips like the previous generation. A few weeks ago, however, the United States relaxed its policies, which opened the door so that NVIDIA could sell the famous ones again H200 to certain Chinese customers. The US was going to take a 25% tax on each sale and it was a win-win: Chinese customers had access to renowned chips and NVIDIA managed to take part of the Chinese pie (a pie of 50,000 million dollars). At least until local companies develop their alternatives. Last week we already said that NVIDIA had increased production waiting for two million orders. But there is a problem: a sudden stop. With Customs we have encountered. At that time, China had not commented and the person most interested in the operation, Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, commented that if the orders were arriving it is because someone had authorized them. That was taken as a silent confirmation from China, but now there is news. Although the country still has not made an official statement, since Financial Times They point out that NVIDIA was surprised to find that customs had stopped the orders. According to sources consulted by the media, customs officials in China recently summoned logistics companies from Shenzhenone of the neural points of technological innovation of the country, to warn of something: they could not submit shipping requests for the H200 chips. National chips please. That pressure has led the company to pause production. All there is is uncertainty right now due to a chain of events that show that NVIDIA was crazy about selling. After putting pressure on both governments, Huang managed to get the US to give approval for the sale in China, but China did not comment, something that the US company took as an approval. Chinese policy for a few months has been very clear: favor and promote local industry with one goal: ‘Delete America’. China seeks technological sovereignty through giants like the aforementioned Nvidia, but also with others like Moore ThreadsBiren, MetaX or Enflame. black market. However, the fact that orders cannot be placed to buy NVIDIA chips does not mean that NVIDIA chips are being stopped: As already pointed out Reuters a few months ago, that ban and the veto on the sale of sophisticated chips has promoted a black market of American chips, especially the B200 and B300 from NVIDIA, more powerful than the H200 that the US Administration authorized. There is talk of a market of more than 1,000 million dollars, and although NVIDIA had hopes of re-entering the country through official channels, it seems that the Government is going to continue encouraging its technology companies to bet on ‘Made in China’ solutions. Images | Chinese Communist PartyNVIDIA + Photoshop In Xataka | The race for AI has placed China in an unthinkable scenario: forcing the United States to leave its comfort zone

The United States has turned Trinidad and Tobago into the war container it was missing. Venezuela has responded like Russia: an invisible fleet

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The conflict between the United States and Venezuela has entered a phase in which the silent accumulation media outweighs official statements. If you will, the Caribbean once again functions as a strategic belt from which Washington projects pressure without the need to declare an open war. Under the formal argument of the fight against drug trafficking, the White House has been weaving a support network logistics, radars, airstrips, ports and resupply spaces in an arc at a time bigger of “allies”. The Venezuela’s response We already saw it in Russia. The map of countries. That “arc” of allies Washington runs from the Dominican Republic to Trinidad and Tobago, passing through Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Grenada, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The deployment includes destroyers, nuclear submarines, amphibious ships, aircraft carriers, state-of-the-art fighters, drones and thousands of troops, not enough for a land invasion, but enough to control air and maritime space, monitor critical routes and sustain missile attacks if it is decided to escalate. It is a prepositioning strategy classic: being everywhere without publicly assuming that something else is in the works. Trinidad and Tobago, the most sensitive link. Within that architecture, Trinidad and Tobago emerges as the most delicate piece of the board. Its extreme proximity to the Venezuelan coast turns any gesture into a political and military message. The new government has authorized the use of its airports by US military aircraft, has received warships and marine units, has allowed joint exercises and has accepted the installation of an AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR radar capable of detecting aircraft, drones and missiles. Everything is presented as logistical and defensive cooperationbut it fits almost literally with the US National Security Strategy of 2025, which calls for a toughened version of the Monroe Doctrine to reaffirm the preeminence of the United States in the Western Hemisphere and prevent external actors from controlling strategic assets. Trinidad and Tobago insist in that it will not be a platform for offensive attacks except direct aggression, but its role as node of surveillance, resupply and intelligence places it at the center of any scenario of sustained pressure on Caracas. A blockage that is not. The announced threat by Trump of a “total and complete” interdiction of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela fits into that model of gradual pressure. It is not about closing ports with a formal declaration of war, but about taking advantage of naval and air superiority, supported by friendly infrastructure, to intercept, seize or deter the ships that support the main source of income for the Nicolás Maduro regime. The recent seizure of an oil tanker loaded with nearly two million barrels and the warning that further action could follow shows the extent to which Washington is willing to take pressure beyond the symbolic, taking the risk of controlled incidents in international waters. The Venezuelan response. Faced with this siege, Caracas has reacted by raising the profile of its challenge. The order to escort ships that transport oil products and derivatives to Asia is a calculated move: it seeks to demonstrate that the Venezuelan State does not renounce its right to free navigation and that it is willing to involve to his Navy to keep exports open. It is also a response that increases the risk of confrontationbut that sends an internal and external message of resistance. Oil continues to be the financial pillar of the regime, and losing it would be equivalent to accepting total economic asphyxiation. The ghost fleets. Beyond the visible escort, the true backbone of the Venezuelan strategy is the ghost fleeta tactic practically copied from the used by Russia after Western sanctions. Old oil tankers, many with more than twenty or thirty years of service, change name and flagsteal the identities of already dismantled ships, sail under flags of convenience, turn off or manipulate their identification systems and carry out crude oil transfers on the high seas to hide the origin of the cargo. The result is an opaque trade that allows you to sell oil with large discounts to buyers willing to take risks, while the traceability required by sanctions is diluted. It is not a marginal phenomenon: a significant part of the world’s oil tanker fleet already operates in this gray ecosystem, transporting Venezuelan, Russian or Iranian crude. Sanctions that do not suffocate, they deform. The BBC reported that the data show that, although far from the historical levels of the end of the 20th century, Venezuelan exports have recovered notably compared to the collapse of 2019. This indicates that the sanctions have not paralyzed the flow, but rather have displaced it towards more opaque and risky circuits. As in the Russian caseeconomic punishment does not eliminate trade, it makes it more expensive, makes it less transparent and reinforces dependence on informal networks and actors willing to move illegally. The Caribbean as a conflict. With US aircraft carriers patrolling the Caribbean, radars deployed in islands near Venezuela and escorted or invisible tankers sailing to Asiathe conflict is located in a dangerous intermediate zone between economic pressure and military confrontation. The United States bets on the ccontrol of space and logistics regional via of discreet allieswhile Venezuela responds with the same manual that has allowed other sanctioned countries to survive: ghost fleets, aggressive discounts and specific shows of force. The Caribbean, for decades associated with tourism and trade, is thus once again a scene of high geopolitical tension where each radar installed and each oil tanker intercepted brings the risk of a clash that no one admits they want, but for which both sides seem to prepare, a little closer. Image: US Navy In Xataka | The situation between the US and Venezuela only needs one incident to escalate into something more: that incident is already here In Xataka | In full tension with the US, Venezuela has presented its drone simulator: it is equal to a three-euro Steam game

When asked if AI is a bubble about to burst, big technology companies have just responded: hold my cap

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The AI ​​race is about computing power and data centers the size of entire cities. And that doesn’t exactly come cheap. Big Tech is spending indecent amounts of money so as not to be left behind in AI and the fear that everything is a bubble flies over the environment. That doesn’t seem to stop them. Microsoft, Google and Meta have announced that they are increasing their planned spending on AI. what’s happening. Microsoft, Google and Meta have just presented their results for the last quarter and there are two pieces of news. The good thing is that all three have managed to increase their income. The not-so-good news is that they have sent a message to their worried investors: they are going to spend even more money than they planned on data centers and AI infrastructure. More wood. That AI is a bonfire of money we already knew it. Now we know it’s going to get even bigger. Meta had planned that Capex (capital expenditures) for 2025 would be $66 billion. Now they just said that The total will be between 70 and 72,000 million. And not only that, next year it will be even bigger. For its part, Alphabet (Google) had planned a Capex of 75,000 million, but they confirm that They will spend between 91 and 93 billion dollars. Finally, Microsoft has not given the annual data, but in this quarter They have spent 34.9 billion dollars5,000 million more than planned. In 2026 they expect spending to be even higher. Planned CAPEX REVISED CAPEX goal 66 billion 70-72 billion +24% GOOGLE 75 billion 91-93 billion +23% microsoft 30,000 million (quarterly) 34.9 billion (quarterly) +23% Also more income. Don’t panic, or at least not too much. All three have achieved record profits in this period. Meta earned 51.24 billion, Google 102.3 billion and Microsoft 70.1 billion, an increase of 26%, 16% and 13% more than the same period last year. All three assume that the numbers will continue to grow, and that is precisely what Those who warn of a bubble are not so clear. It’s not AI, it’s the cloud. In the case of Microsoft and Alphabet, the main vector of revenue growth is their cloud business, a trend that It started in the previous quarter and has continued to increase. Google Cloud generated 34% more revenue thanks to growth in “core products, AI infrastructure, and generative AI solutions.” In the case of Microsoft, its cloud services brought in 26.8 billion, 33% more than last year. And I published it. Meta is building data centers like there’s no tomorrow, but it doesn’t have a cloud business. Mete has something else: Facebook and Instagram. Its income comes largely from advertising and Zuckerberg assures that the good numbers come precisely because They are applying AI to improve their advertising systems. Not so fast, Zuck. Although Meta is the one that has increased its income the most compared to last year (26%), its shares have fallen 8% after announcing that it would continue to increase spending on AI. It seems that investors have quite a few doubts about their latest decisions, such as spend a million to create your superintelligence team or the plan to spend $600 billion in data centers. Image | Pixabay In Xataka | OpenAI is burning money like there is no tomorrow. The question is how long can he last like this?

The US launched a pulse to China with the tariffs and China has responded not buying soybeans. It is wreaking havoc

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China is hungry. We have seen it recently with fish, sweeping sides of South Americawe also see it with The taste for coffee they are developing And with a product very culturally linked to Asian countries: soy. The problem is that the amount of soybeans that produce is marginal (about 20 million tons) and esteem that need between 120 and 130 tons to meet their demand. Who do they buy it? To Brazil and the United States, but with the tariff pulse of recent months launched from the administration of Donald Trump, China has decided that its response would be to make the emptiness to the American soy. And it is causing the silos of the farms to be burst. Brazil and Africa are delighted. Bassoon. To understand the current situation, you have to look a few years ago. Makes one decadeChina was an undisputed ally of the American soybean market. It is estimated that about 40% of the soy of the United States went to China, but with the arrival of different commercial vetoes, things began to change. In 2024, China bought about 20% of its soy to the US. It supposes more than 27 million tons of soybeans with an approximate value of about 12.8 billion dollars, but Things began to twist With the new commercial war. Due to Tariff crossing Applied by Washington and Beijing to their respective imports, there were doubts about what would happen to that star product and if, with high tariffs, it would remain equally appetizing for Chinese importers. We already have the answer. The photo in 2025. From January to July of this year, it is estimated that China imported 16.5 million tons of American soybeans, a ridiculous figure compared to that of previous years. The worst is comingsince a virtually zero soybean import from the United States for the last quarter in which we are going to enter, contrasting with the more than ten million tons in the same period of the previous year. In fact, if in 2024 20% of China’s agricultural imports from the US were only soybeans, this year it is estimated that the figure will remain in 12% imports for all agricultural products. North Dakota. As they point in New York Timesin a typical year, the United States would send more than half of its soy to China, having states like North Dakota that would sell 70% of its production to the Asian giant. With this change of course in the market, farmers face the risk of blockbuster, filling silos, but without the possibility of giving way to so many tons of product. The consequences are what we already know: brutal prices falls, loss of land value and rural economy, while farmers have to continue paying mortgages. In the 2019 commercial war, the administration offered aid to farmers to support the pressure of a China that did not buy them, but it remains to be seen in the near future while senior US and China officials will They gathered This week in Spain to discuss commercial decisions (With Tiktok’s highlight). As NYT points out in NYT report, farmers expect that of soybeans to be one of the issues to be discussed, since there are examples of farms that will lose up to $ 400,000 only this year, being an inasumable situation in some cases. China looks at Brazil. But of course, China is not stopping buying soybeans for both human consumption and for the consumption of livestock, what happens is that they are buying it to other producers. The US is the second worldwide, but above it has someone who is living a totally opposite situation: Brazil. With the commercial war of 2019, China has already begun to diversify looking at the Brazilian market, but these years has been combining both for mere interest: as noted ReutersUSA sent its soy between September and January, before the Brazilian harvest that starred in the rest of the months. In the middle they point out that China has gained soybeans so as not to have to buy the United States this season. HE esteem that the South American soy will cover 95% of the October China demand. Also to Africa. In parallel, China is exploring new origins for soybeans, especially in Africa. Although we talk about modest volumes, imports from Nigeria either Mozambique They have increased in recent months, being part of China’s strategy to diversify, minimize risks and, in addition, invest directly in areas with agricultural potential and in which they can have greater control. Because this strategy is something that we not only see with soybeans, but also with infrastructure both in Latin America (among it, Railways and ports) as in Africawhere they are investing in projects that allow access to critical minerals and metals. It is something that reinforces its position geopolitics in front of the United States while diversifying their sources for ensure stability and continuous supply. In Xataka | There is so many demand for fish in China that has opted for drastic measures: two “aircraft carrier” as a hatchery

Russia has just launched the greatest order to Europe since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. And Europe has responded with fire

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In recent weeks the war in Ukraine had taken a more worrying channel with a made unprecedented From the Russian invasion in 2022. Lost combat drones were arriving To countries outside the conflicteven impacting the land. However, what happened few hours ago is completely different. Poland (and NATO) have just enter In the contest. Polish interception. Yes, Poland It has knocked down For the first time Russian drones that penetrated their airspace during a massive attack against Ukraine, in what Warsaw He described how an “unprecedented violation.” The operation, carried out in the early morning with fighters and Polish anti -aircraft defense systems and other NATO allies (including F-35 Dutch), supposes the most serious clash between Moscow and the Atlantic Alliance since the beginning of the Russian Invasion on a large scale in February 2022. Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed That armament was used against intruder objects, convened an emergency meeting and claimed to maintain constant contact with NATO general, Mark Rutte. For its part. The president of France Macron has described Incursion as “simply unacceptable.” Critical climbing. The incident occurs in a context of great tension, with Russian military exercises Zapad About to start with Belarus and Washington pressed by European capitals to adopt a firmer position against Moscow. Said war games, five days, They imply to the armed forces of Russia and Belarus and develop very close to the Polish border, which increases the risk of incidents. The military dimension. The Polish Armed Forces confirmed that several military aircraft participated in the operation, with radar systems and air defense activated to the highest level of alert. HE They identified and demolished Some of the intruder drones in regions such as Podlaskie, Mazowieckie and Lublin, where there were even traces of devices, as in the town of Czosnówka. I also knowThey used flights In the Chopin airport in Warsovia and in three other aerodromes, including Rzesów-Jjaka, key for its proximity to Ukraine. The change in Russian strategy. Russia has intensified since summer the use of drones and missiles to saturate Ukrainian defense and exhaust its interceptors. Only last weekend launched more than 800 drones and a dozen missiles in the largest air attack since 2022. This tactic too Multiply the risks For neighboring countries of Ukraine, such as Poland, which until now had suffered the fall of lost projectiles (such as the one that killed two farmers in 2022), but had never directly intercepted Russian devices in flight. Implications The Polish response occurs at a time of political uncertainty In Washington, with President Donald Trump trying to force peace negotiations between kyiv and Moscow, but without success. The lack of immediate reactions of the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department highlights the US caution before an action that can mark a before and after in the involvement of NATO. Plus: Warsaw decided Close completely Its border with Belarus, even more hardening the posture against its eastern neighbors. What changes now. The fact that Poland has used kinetic means to reduce Russian drones inside its airs Exercise active defense. If you want, this redefines your response threshold: from this moment, any unidentified and hostile profile can be treated As immediate threat. In terms of deterrence, the message is sent to Moscow that the “navigation errors”, collateral probes or saturations will no longer have zero cost. In terms aliancistasTest in real conditions the integrated air defense architecture NATO on the eastern flank. Risk and management. The use of Polish fire against Russian objects raises the potential of Friction on three levels: Tactical (more interceptions and greater probability of fragmentation on populated areas), operational (expansion of confrontation rules and greater density of aerial patrols) and strategic (Russian diplomatic or military response, including propaganda and mirror measures in Kalinningrad and Beelorusia). In addition, the coincidence with Zapad exercises increases the danger of Malinterpretation: Training flights, air targets or lures can be confused with real threats. Mitigation requires positive identification protocols, clear red lines and active distrust channels, ideally backed by shared early alerts and previous notifications of exercises. Article 5 and a theory. Although an isolated demolition of drones does not active per se Article 5, does press the debate on the “threshold” of armed aggression. Poland can argue legitimate defense (Art. 51 of the UN Letter) Before repeated incursions that put infrastructure or population at risk. If it was demonstrated that Russian platforms were deliberately directed to transit or attack in NATO territory, the case for consultations of article 4 (and, in significant damage scenarios or victims, for 5) it is reinforced. Moscow, aware of this, can intensify ambiguity: drones with erratic flight plan, lures or minimal loads to maintain that kind of “gray zone”. The allied response, therefore, must be graduated, documented and legally solid. Image | Nato North Atlantic, 7th Army Training Command, In Xataka | The Ukrainian army that is not afraid of Russia. They arrive as outdated machines and become robots for war In Xataka | Something unprecedented in Ukraine is happening: combat drones do not need humans to coordinate and attack

Galicia has advised not to bathe in the most famous hot springs of Ourense. His mayor has responded to the Fraga in Palomares

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Is it worth an image than a thousand words? Manuel Fraga believed so. That is why in 1966, when he served as Minister of Information and Tourism of Franco, he starred in one of the more emblematic moments (and Castizos) of the recent homeland: a swimsuit was put and accompanied by the then US ambassador, Angier Biddle Dukethere was a dip near Palomares. It was only a few weeks that several thermonuclear bombs had fallen in the area after the collision of a B-52 bomber and an American tank plane and (of course) an image of a certain normality had to be transmitted. If Fraga himself bathed without fear of radiation why were people going to do it? Almost 60 years later the mayor of Ourense, Gonzalo Pérez Jácomeit seems to have reached the same conclusion as your compatriot. To clear the doubts about the health of Las Termas do Muiño, one of the most popular claims of the municipality, the councilor decided to cope some bermuda and take a bath before the cameras. Of course, instead of Angier B. Duke to him accompanied his own councilor in charge of the portfolios of tourism, arts and celebrations and thermal management, Noa Rouco Ferreira. Both in a swimsuit, both arranged to the dip. “As if we would return 60 years ago” Click on the image to go to Tweet. “Five, four, three … we are here, in the hot springs of Muiño”, Pérez Jácome starts in a video in which he poses next to Rouco and a huge poster of the Xunta that advises the bathroom in the area. Before following the mayor realizes that without a shirt or shirt he has no way to hold his micro in the flap, so he chooses to hook it on the hairs of the chest. Solved that small logistics, continues, pointing to the poster with the Galician government logo. “It would be very long to explain all this regulation, which is a roll. You will see through our social networks and different informative channels what the situation of the hot springs is. The fact is that this is the recommendation of the Xunta,” insists pointing the poster. “And as if we came back 50 or 60 years agowith that of Palomares, here the councilor and a server, the mayor of Ourense, we are going to take a bath. “ At that point the video is cut to show Jácome and Rouco in the water. “Natural paradise, incomparable in the world. I pay attention to me, pay me attention. You will see, you will see,” proclamation The mayor of Ourensana Democracy (DO) lying in the water with his partner. The piece lasts 68 seconds, enough for the ‘bathroom in Palomares’ of Jácome has become news in the rest of Spain and the video fly in networks, something that is already accustomed. Throughout the last years the Galician has gained impact beyond the local chronicle by The music video with which his party was presented to the elections, a piece in which he versioned the Village People; Your crusade Against the bollards either The teleworking and his hubby by The costumes. Now adds a new reason: a picture with echoes of the Fraga bath in Palomares and The jacuzzi of Jesús Gil. In the background there is something more complex: the status of the Termas do Muiñoa set of swimming pools almost in the bed of the Miño very popular in Galicia. In June the Xunta He warned That the area does not have the statement of thermal water or complies with the characteristics to be declared a “bath area”, which warned: “As long as it is not regularized, from the Xunta the City Council is requested to place a signage that reports the recommendation of the recommendation of Refrain from the bathroom“ For the Consistory things are different. In A statement released after the bathroom of Jácome insists that the “discrepancy” with the Xunta is only of “administrative, non -sanitary” character and insists that the bathroom does not represent any risk. “The hot springs maintain the same usual health, what has changed is the regulations of the Xunta by introducing new administrative requirements, than non -sanitary,” emphasize The ourensana democracy leader, who ensures that the “periodic analytics” that the City Council performs the health of the waters. For now, his media dip He has achieved something: That Media Spain is talking about the hot springs of Muiño, something that does not come to them badly now that the installation has returned after several months closed by the floods of the Miño. Images | Gonzalo Pérez Jácome (X) In Xataka | If the question is how to prevent people from throwing garbage outside the cubes, in Galicia they have had an idea: rummage into it

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