sea

In Galicia, shellfish harvesters are capturing clams and then returning them to the sea. There is a reason and it is in Canada

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The normal thing when shellfish harvesters collect clams is that this product then ends up in the fish markets and goes from these to the fishmongers, supermarkets and finally to the tables. That’s normal. Over the last few weeks in the brotherhoods of Vilanova and Rianxo, in the Rías Baixas, things have been something different: The bivalves arrived at the market, but from there they returned to the sea, a frustrating round trip for professionals that reveals a lot about the market. To understand it you have to cross the Atlantic. What has happened? The news spread a few days ago the newspaper Vigo Lighthouse. Over the last few weeks, some brotherhoods in the Arousa estuary have been forced to withdraw lots of clams from the auctions to return the catches to the sea. It happened on at least one occasion in Rianxo and two others in Vilanova, where the professionals also decided to give up two days of work. In reality, there is little mystery about it: the merchandise was quoted at prices so low that it did not even cover the minimum cost. In order not to undersell it, the shellfish collectors choose to withdraw the lots from the auctions and return the bivalves to the estuary. Was it quoted that low? It seems so. Óscar Fernández, president of the group of shellfish harvesters of Vilanova, remember that at the end of 2024 the group decided to update its prices to prevent its professionals from continuing to lose purchasing power. To be more precise, what was agreed is that the minimum rate for japonica clams would rise by two euros/kilo, going from seven to nine, and the fine clam would remain at 30 euros/kilo, ten more than before. Any quote that fell below that minimum would be discarded. Or in other words, the seafood would be removed from the market to be returned to the sea, which is exactly what they have done in Arousa. “The decision was made a year ago, but until now there had been no need to remove lots of clams from the fish market,” Fernández told Lighthouse. Among the discarded merchandise there was so much japonica clam as fine. Not only that. Faced with the prospect that the rates would not exceed the minimum, in Vilanova they chose to give up two days of work. Better that than underselling. Can it go further? That seafood moves in ‘discrete’ figures at this time of year is nothing exceptional. Summer is behind us and there are still several weeks until Christmas, so the sector is accustomed to November not being exactly a buoyant month. This fall, however, is out of the ordinary. The Galician Fishing platform sample that the average price (market) in Arousa so far this year is €15.05/kilo. They are 50 cents less than the average for 2024 and are far from the 16.38 that were reached in 2023. The figures (yes) must be handled with caution. To begin with, because they show annual averages, so those of the last two years include December. If we look at the monthly data, in October the kilo was quoted at €13.1, its lowest level since March. In November the average has risen again to 17.54. Another key is that the indicators include slimy clams, bicudasfine, blonde and Japanese. However, professionals in the area do not hide their misgivings. “When Noia opened we noticed a big drop in prices. This week they rose a little, but they are still below those of 2024,” comments Fernandez. And what are the causes? More important than prices are the factors that influence them. And the sector clearly points out two: the effect of Noia opening and the arrival of foreign products. “Seafood is coming in from other places,” says Miguel Ángel Iglesias, Rianxo’s senior boss, who warns that the problem is not so much the pressure it exerts on the native merchandise but rather certain questionable practices. “There are people who sell it as if it were from here.” Hence, a greater effort by the Xunta is missing to avoid fraud and mislabelling. “There is a consumer who is willing to pay a little more for our product and we have to prevent them from taking clams from other sources because the labeling is ambiguous,” Iglesias claims in statements to Lighthouse. Just like other branches In the primary sector, shellfish harvesters demand that the authorities demand the same standards for imported products as local products, with the same “sanitary guarantees” and transparent traceability. In the union, of course, not everyone seems to be having the same bad time: in Vilaxoán they have also noticed a drop in the price of, for example, the japonica clam, but in Cambados they have seen a rise in prices in recent days. Is it something new? Not quite. Before the production crisis suffered by the shellfish banks of Galicia, part of the industry has chosen to look for gender abroadin countries like Canada, Italy, Portugal or Morocco. I explained it a few months ago The Voice of Galicia in a comprehensive analysis in which he recalls that, although the competition from the Dutch, Portuguese or Irish bivalve comes from afar, it seems to have intensified since 2023, when (on the eve of Christmas and after strong erasures) the Galician shellfish harvesters found themselves with a challenging scenario: an increase in clam and cockle mortality. Where does the merchandise come from? Now professionals work in a market that has been forced to look for alternatives to cover the demand for seafood, which, in practice, means that the local genus must compete with bivalves from Bulgaria, Ireland, Sweden, Morocco, Portugal, Holland or Canada. “It comes from many places,” recognized in summer to The Voice Trini Lois, a good connoisseur of the Arousa fish markets. “Galicia is the only place where shellfish harvesting did not rebound. In Portugal it was at a low point, but they once again have high production and are selling.” Regarding … Read more

Ukraine has a weapon against Russia that we had only seen in James Bond. Her name is Sea Baby and when she finishes her work she blows herself up.

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At the end of September Ukraine sent a message: It was already the largest drone laboratory on the planet, but with its latest 12-meter “monster” it wanted to do the same under the sea. This is how the family of Toloka underwater dronesa technological leap that redefined naval warfare in the Black Sea. That effort now has its continuation in a drone that until recently we had only seen in James Bond movies and the like. Technological evolution. Ukraine has taken its “Sea Baby” naval drones from being disposable explosive boats to becoming attack and multiple mission platforms capable of operating at more than 1,500 kilometers, transporting up to 2,000 kilos and mount heavy telecontrolled weaponry (multiple rocket launchers, stabilized turrets, secondary drone launch) while incorporating self-destruct systems to avoid capture and AI-assisted functions to reduce identification errors. This step not only adds firepower and range, but turns a low-cost means into a sustained system that can penetrate, hit, return and remain available (or self-destruct), something that repositions the naval drone from immediate consumption to renewable operating capital. The Black Sea. Successive waves of drones have forced Russia to withdraw most of its fleet from Sevastopol to Novorossiyska change in posture that does not respond to a specific defeat but to that persistent risk that makes it unfeasible to sustain an advanced presence without assuming continuous losses. The “Sea Baby” have been attributed by the SBU to eleven attacks against shipsas well as repeated blows against the Crimean bridge and other logistics facilities, producing a chain effect: Moscow has had to redirect its military transport to land and more distant ports, making each kilometer of support more expensive and reducing its ability to condition Ukrainian trade routes to Europe. Doctrinal change. What once required steel fleets, shipyards and squadrons can now be inflicted with platforms cheap, reproducible and guided at a distance, which modifies the unspoken rule that the maritime domain belongs to the one who owns tonnage: here control emanates from who can inflict repeated damage at a lower cost than that imposed on the defender. The Ukrainian case surpasses precedents such as the coastal missiles of the Lebanon in 2006 because it not only denies a coastline, but forces a structural reconfiguration of an entire squadron and its main base, demonstrating that an entire naval theater can be altered without having a conventional navy. Industry and allies. kyiv claims to produce around 4,000 naval drones and needing only half for his own defense, opening the door to sell the surplus to partner countries while NATO observes and adjusts doctrine after verifying that these systems have changed the cost/effect relationship at sea. Public financing via United24 and coordination with political and military command make the program an example of how a country at war can generate dual technology with external projection, replicating what happened with aerial UAVs: first combat effectiveness, then international adoption and doctrinal adjustment by third parties. Consequences and cycles. There is no doubt, offensive success is strong now defensive investment: floating barriers, sensors, redundant electronic warfare and point defense layers in ports and terminals to prevent innovation that has worked externally from reversing its own infrastructure. Russia tries to copy these platforms and use them againwhat chains a cycle of innovation in the face of interference that pushes both sides to adapt communications, navigation and mission architecture to overcome the electronic blockade. The result: a loop of accelerated evolution in which the advantage is no longer in possessing an isolated weapon, but in the ability to continually improve it before the opponent degrades its effect. Strategic conclusion. The Ukrainian naval drones have shown that sea power can be eroded without a conventional fleet through cheap mass, strategic reach and sustained pressure on valuable nodes, altering the adversary’s posture and reallocating its resources on the defensive. The displacement of the Russian fleet, the logistical impact and the international adoption as a reference point to a change of era: the sea ceases to be a domain secured by the capital spent on steel and becomes a space where the advantage belongs to whoever controls the marginal cost of the next impactnot the size of the hulls it anchors. Image | Security Service of Ukraine In Xataka | Ukraine cannot believe what it found inside Russia’s ballistic missiles: déjà vu In Xataka | After Cubans and North Koreans fighting alongside Russian troops, new guests have appeared in Ukraine: Chinese

Houses built on the sea are part of the US identity. Until climate change began to engulf them

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Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, has a problem. The Atlantic is devouring their houses. Literally. For years, the chalets raised on stilts and built on the coast were one of its most emblematic sights, but their privileged position has become a trap as the sea level rises and hurricanes occur like those that hit the area a few days ago. The result: eight houses demolished in record time. What has happened? That hurricanes Humberto and Imelda have left an unusual impression on the Outer Banksthe chain of islands that covers much of the coast of North Carolina, on the Atlantic coast of the United States, where the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Recently the virulence of the waves devastated eight houses of the area, causing them to collapse in a matter of a few days. On Tuesday, September 30, the storm struck five homes in less than an hour in Buxton (Cape Hatteras), the sixth collapsed that same night amid waves of several meters, the seventh suffered a similar fate on the first day of October and the eighth did not last much longer. The buildings were unoccupied. Why is it important? Beyond how shocking it is to see homes swept away by waves, what happened on the North Carolina coast is interesting for several reasons. To begin with, because these are not typical houses. As can be seen in the videos and photos released by C.B.S., AP, BBC either NBC The buildings were houses similar to stilt housessupported on exposed wooden piles. Hence they are a unmistakable piece of the landscape from areas like Rodanthe. Are they the first to fall? No. And that is the second reason why what happened in recent days in the Outer Banks is much more than a curiosity or a misfortune attributable to two virulent hurricanes. A quick search in the newspaper archive arrives to find similar news: two houses on wooden stilts collapsed in September 2024 in Rodanthe, another in November in the same community, another demolished in 2023 precisely because of the threat of the Atlantic waves… the list goes on and on until there are more than a dozen cases. USA Today calculate that since mid-2020, at least twenty houses have been lost throughout the Outer Banks. Very similar data handles Washington Postthat assures that during the last five years 17 buildings have collapsed in Rodanthe and Buxton alone, a list that could soon be expanded, since there are other houses that are also in a precarious situation. “It’s becoming commonplace,” he resigns Rob Young, director of a program focused on coastal studies at Western Carolina University. “It’s not a problem here. There are homes on the verge of collapse in many places.” Why do they fall? In the case of the houses that collapsed in recent days, the final trigger was the Hurricanes Humberto and Imeldabut in reality the problem is broader. Their position, the sandy nature of the terrain but above all the intensification of storms and the rise in sea level caused by climate change is leaving them in a complicated situation. The reason: coastal erosion, a phenomenon that is already is felt in Rodanthe and Buxton. How does it affect them? As I remembered last year in X the architect Pedro Torrijos, the Cape Hatteras It is already such a narrow strip of land that it is difficult not to build near the coast, but in the last 40 years erosion has acted in such a way that today there are houses that have remained practically above the sea. And so it’s a problem. Piles that were once surrounded by dunes are now sometimes covered by the ocean, affecting their foundations. In 2024 the state Department of Environmental Quality published a report which concludes that of almost 8,800 structures built facing the sea in North Carolina, 750 They are in a delicate situation due to erosion. What do the US authorities say? They are aware of the problem, they are controlling the houses that give in and explore solutions“These are typical elevated coastal-style homes, situated on stilts, with a concrete driveway, parking, and septic system. Many private properties adjacent to Rodanthe, which previously contained patio land, dunes, and dry sand, are regularly partially or completely covered with seawater,” the National Park Service acknowledges. “During severe weather events, private homes facing the sea and in vulnerable areas are hit by strong winds and large waves, which has caused homes to collapse in recent years,” recognize the agency, which has counted 21 collapsed houses since 2020 in Seashore. And what is the way out? Good question, difficult answer. There are those who have chosen raise your houses or even move them away to leave them safe from the waves (for now), but it is not a cheap solution and time is against them. Another option is for the authorities to take care of them, although it has its weaknesses: two years ago the Park Service acquired two houses in Rodanthe to demolish them and thus open an area of ​​public access to the beach. They cost him $700,000. Images | Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Flickr) and National Park Service In Xataka | Milton once again puts a big problem on the table: houses on the beach are losing their value due to climate change

Someone has analyzed 136 million buildings threatened by rising sea levels. And there are reasons to worry

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One of the biggest threats we have as a society is undoubtedly rising sea levels. A process that is slow, but that can end up changing the mental maps that we now have from world geography to finish coastal areas of some regions completely flooded. Something that a study wanted to shed light on analyzed building by building flood risk in the Global South. And the result is alarming. The study. Published in npj Urban Sustainabilityis the first to analyze the impact on this scale in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. “The rise in sea level is a slow but unstoppable consequence of the global warming that is already impacting coastal populations and will continue for centuries,” explains Natalya Gomez, co-author of the study. The numbers. The study analyzes the exposure of buildings to different levels of local sea level rise (LSLR), regardless of a specific time scale. This allows the findings to remain relevant as climate projections are updated. In this case the data is quite compelling. First of all, with just 0.5 meters of sea level rise, 3 million buildings would be submerged under the sea. Something that is inevitable right now, even if the most ambitious emissions cuts on the table are applied. If we talk about a five-meter rise in sea level, a scenario that could occur in several hundred years if emissions do not stop, the exposure would skyrocket to 45 million buildings. And in the most extreme case, with a 20-meter rise in the LSLR, the figure would reach 136 million buildings. How it was done. To achieve this level of detail, the scientific team combined several cutting-edge technologies. They used the database Google Open Buildings V2which identifies the location and outline of billions of buildings by analyzing satellite images. This data was cross-referenced with FABDEM, a digital global elevation model that, thanks to machine learning, removes the height of trees and buildings themselves to obtain the true elevation of the “bare ground.” This is crucial to not underestimate the risk of flooding. Finally, they adjusted the calculations using a global tidal model to reflect the water level during high tide, thus providing a more realistic estimate of the danger. Uneven impact. The risk is not the same in all regions, since the study reveals that in the early stages of sea level rise, Africa is the continent with the highest number of buildings affected. However, as the LSLR intensifies, Southeast Asia quickly comes to dominate the flood figures. A key finding is the non-linear nature of the threat. Building loss is relatively high below two meters LSLR, but accelerates dramatically between 2 and 4 meters. Professor Jeff Cardile, co-author of the study, points out that “we were surprised by the large number of buildings at risk from relatively modest long-term sea level rise.” This means that we are not facing a problem that is gradually worsening, but rather one that could reach tipping points with devastating consequences. Many of these buildings are located in low-altitude, high-density areas, affecting entire neighborhoods and critical infrastructure such as ports, refineries, and cultural heritage enclaves. Planning. Beyond the global warning, the study seeks to be a useful tool. Researchers have created an interactive map available through Google Earth which allows policy makers and urban planners to visualize which regions face the greatest exposure. And on this map you will be able to see, building by building, the risk of ending up below sea level as a consequence of climate change. A global problem. Although this study has focused on the effects that will occur in Africa or Asia, the reality is that it is a problem that affects us all. As the study points out, all of us depend on food, goods and fuel that pass through ports and coastal infrastructure that are exposed to this rise in sea level. Thus, disruption of this infrastructure can cause disruption with serious economic consequences globally. That is why this tool can guide climate adaptation strategies, such as the construction of protective infrastructure, the adjustment of land use planning or, in some cases, the planned relocation of communities. As Maya Willard-Stepan, lead author of the study, concludes: “We cannot escape at least a moderate amount of sea level rise. The sooner coastal communities start planning, the more likely they are to continue to thrive.” Images | Chris Gallagher Marc Pell In Xataka | In the midst of climate change, cities only have one question to answer: become a sponge or a mousetrap

Drastically reduce the consumption of data centers is crucial for AI. And China has had an idea: to submerge them in the sea

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China is About to submerge a data center In the sea, near Shanghai, as a solution to a problem that we will gradually begin to see more: Great energy consumption of the AI. The installation, which will come into operation in mid -October, is one of the first commercial projects of this type in the world and points to a new way of cooling servers without depending on traditional cooling systems that devour electricity. The background problem. Data centers are the backbone of the Internet and AI, but They generate huge amounts of heat. Keeping them refrigerated by air conditioning or evaporation of water consumes a brutal amount of energy, and with the rise of artificial intelligence, the demand of these facilities has shot. China seeks to reduce the carbon footprint of this critical infrastructure, and its commitment It goes through sinking it underwater. How it works. The yellow capsule that They have built Near Shanghai houses servers that remain cold thanks to the ocean currents, without the need for active cooling systems. According to Yang Ye, vice president of Highlander, the maritime company that develops the project with state companies, “underwater operations have inherent advantages” and can save approximately 90% of the energy for refrigeration. The installation will extract almost all its electricity from nearby marine wind farms, with more than 95% renewable energy. The technical challenges. Putting servers under the sea is not easy. They must be protected from the corrosion of salt water, for which they use a special coating with glass scales on the steel capsule. Also They have installed An elevator that connects the main structure with a section that remains on the water, allowing the access of maintenance equipment. Another challenge is to build the Internet connection between the Submarine and Tierra Firme Center, a more complex process than with conventional facilities. Universities researchers in Florida and Japan They have warned In addition to these centers could be vulnerable to attacks by sound waves driven by water. Environmental doubts. Although the project promises to reduce emissions, questions remain about its ecological impact. The heat emitted by servers could alter the surrounding marine ecosystem, attracting some species and driving others. Andrew Want, marine ecologist from Hull University, Point out That “these are unknown aspects at this time, sufficient research is not yet being carried out.” Highlander says that an independent 2020 evaluation on its test project in Zhuhai indicated that the water remained well below the acceptable temperature thresholds, but Shaolei Ren, an expert from the University of California in Riverside, warns That climbing these centers will also climb the heat emitted. There are few precedents. Microsoft tested this technology off the coast of Scotland in 2018, recovering the capsule in 2020 after declaring that The project had been completed successfully. However, he never marketed it. The Chinese project advances with the support of government subsidies: Highlander received 40 million yuan for A similar project in the province of Hainan in 2022, which is still operational. The installation of Shanghai will serve clients such as China Telecom and a state computing company of AI. What comes now. Experts agree that these underwater centers will probably not replace the traditional ones, but will complement the existing infrastructure in specific niches. According to Rencurrent projects seek to demonstrate “technological viability”, but much remains to be resolved before a massive deployment. What is clear is that, if these types of projects face all technological challenges and manage to greatly reduce the energy consumed of the data centers, it will be a great point in favor for the company that manages to provide its solution in the AI ​​race. Cover image | AFP In Xataka | China was the great pollut the planet: now it is emerging as the first “electrostate” in history

The first cable that connects it to the peninsula is already in the sea

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Giulio Verne, a cable vessel from the company Prysmian, crossed the Strait on September 15 to dock in Ceuta. In his winery he brought more than copper and steel: the first underwater cable that connects to the autonomous city with the peninsular electrical system. With this, Ceuta leaves decades of energy isolation behind. And Spain, when looking in that mirror, is reflected the challenges that still Drag in your own networks. Weaving networks. According to the Red Eléctrica press release from Spainon August 26, the line began from the Line of La Concepción, in Cádiz. The cable toured 58 kilometers under the sea until reaching the Ceutí coast, with maneuvers almost 900 meters deep and special measures to protect the biodiversity of the Strait. The boat chosen for this operation, Giulio Verne, is one of the few of the world prepared for this type of missions: it can load up to 7,000 tons of cable and place it more than 1,600 meters underwater. Leaving behind the “energy island.” Until now, Ceuta’s electrical demand was covered with diesel and gas turbines. The result were high costs for the system, dependence on fossil fuels and polluting emissions in an especially sensitive enclave such as narrow. Thanks to the interconnection, Ceuta will stop depending completely on fossil fuels. As we point out in Xatakaup to 87% of the electrical demand can be covered with clean energy. That will be a respite for the environment – about 300,000 tons of co₂ will be avoided – and also for the system invoice, with a saving of about 30 million euros per year. From Ree summarize it with a clear image: This “umbilical cord” will give Ceuta a supply as stable and safe as that of the Peninsula, but also cheaper and sustainable. The challenge is even greater. Yes, Ceuta has ceased to be an “energy island”, but Spain continues to be in more than one sense. The Iberian Peninsula maintains an interconnection level With France of just 2.8%far from 15% marked by the European Union by 2030. In addition, they are still waiting for reach concrete plans To create electric interconnection runners, while they continue to suffer an electric “bottleneck. However, the problem is also internal. Within Spain, at noon there is cheap renewable spare in rural Spain, but at the afternoon, electricity is fallen in urban areas. According to the employer Aelēc83.4% of distribution knots are already saturated, which blocks the connection of new industrial or digital consumption and forces to waste up to 30% of clean energy at some points. Rather than directly relieve these knots – Ceuta’s link responds to another logic – the project demonstrates that Spain has the technical capacity to undertake large interconnections, just what you need to reinforce its internal network and stop losing clean energy along the way. More networks. In Ceuta, the road map is clear and will benefit the electrical system. The second submarine circuit will tend along autumn. On land, the new virgin substation of Africa (132 kV) should be ready in September, and in October the new Algeciras transformation park will be put into service, connected to the existing 220 kV substation. With the Soterrado terrestrial sections almost finished, the official forecast is that all the infrastructure is running before the end of this year. You have to get muscle. The Ceuta cable shows that Spain has technical muscle to undertake complex and sustainable projects, with underground, directed drilling and compact substations. But it also launches a warning: it is not enough to celebrate a new link. The energy transition requires more internal network, more distribution capacity in demand poles, more storage and more international interconnections. Other countries have already advanced. The United Kingdom and Denmark Viking Link premiered in 2023a 765 kilometers cable that crosses the North Sea to import or export electricity according to the wind. Spain, which beats cheap renewable generation records at noon, needs something similar not to run out at night. The Strait already has its “umbilical cord.” The question is whether Spain will know how to weave the network that connects it, really, with itself and with Europe. Image | Freepik and Ree Xataka | Emptied Spain has been filled with solar mills and panels, but waste energy for a simple reason: there are no cables

What North Korea is a global threat by land, sea and air

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It happened a few hours ago. Kim Jong Un revealed A plan to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile of solid fuelthus showing the advances of your arms program just before traveling to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping and Putin in the framework of the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Because North Korea has gone from being a possible threat To confirm as a challenge to international order. The new axis and an impulse. The weekend, The Washington Post dissected the latest advances by Pyongyang. Since 2021, when Kim Jong a presented a five -year plan to develop nuclear capabilities of great powers, North Korea has made unexpected advances thanks to a favorable international context and the direct support of Russia. We have gone counting. The war in Ukraine opened a Cooperation channel Strategic: Pyongyang He provided artillery and troops to a moscow eager for ammunition, I have already received Technological transfermilitary assistance and economic support. This turn reduces North Korean dependence of the United States as an interlocutor and reinforces Kim’s ability to challenge the West with a more diverse and modern arsenal. Progress in eyelets and deterrence. One of the recent milestones has been the presentation of the HWASAN-31a miniaturized tactical eye that reflects progress in the adaptation of nuclear weapons to missiles. Although it has not yet been tested in detonation or atmospheric reentry, its mere existence suggests that Pyongyang advances towards a more flexible and difficult arsenal to neutralize. At the same time, Kim maintains the ambition of completing the development of a bomb high -power hydrogensupported by continued production of highly enriched uranium, which reinforces the threat of an increasingly varied repertoire of weapons. Missiles, satellites and saturation. In the last four years North Korea has tried Intercontinental Balistic missiles with reach to American continental territory, in addition to tactical missiles for Japan and South Korea. After several failed attempts, he managed to put a Military Recognition Satellitea long -distance strategic objective. The current challenge lies in the development of multiple reentry vehicles (MIRV), which would allow a single missile transport several heads nuclear towards different targets, complicating the American antimile defense. An essay in 2024, although failed in its propulsion phase, confirms the seriousness of the project and anticipates more evidence in the immediate future. Nuclear and hypersonic submarines. It We also count. The regime has shown the structure of what it states will be its first submarine of nuclear propulsiona technology reserved for a small world club. Although experts believe that it is far from operability, the Russian experience in this field could accelerate the deadlines, as already happened with India in the 1980s. At the same time, Pyongyang has tried hypersonic missiles and a new generation planning vehicle, The Hwasong-16bwith an alleged flight of 930 miles at speeds superior to Mach 12. Although doubts persist about the veracity of this data, the continuous effort suggests that North Korea wants to enter the most advanced technological career of contemporary weapons. Drones and the lesson of Ukraine. The use of drones has become A plan pillar North Korean. Pyongyang has deployed recognition models and is producing armed devices capable of launching GPS guided bombs. His direct learning of war in Ukraine, together With Russian cooperation In manufacturing of geran drones (Derivatives of the Iranians Shahed), has allowed a qualitative leap. Russian instructors They train to North Korean pilots, consolidating a new dimension of the Technological Alliance. The slowness of Seoul to develop an equivalent strategy reinforces The tactical advantage of Kim in the Korean Peninsula. Satellite image that shows the Operational Base of SinPung Dong missiles in North Korea on August 12 The magnitude of the program. Had a few hours ago The CNN that the discovery of the secret missile base of Sinpung-Donglocated just 27 kilometers from the border with China, confirms the existence of strategic facilities that Pyongyang has never declared and that are part of a hidden network of between 15 and 20 complexes of storage and deployment of ballistic missiles. The report The Center for Strategic and International Studies warns that from there they could deploy to nine intercontinental nuclear capacity missiles with their respective mobile pitchers, configuring a direct threat not only for East Asia, but also for much of the United States continental territory. Location and base size. Raised in a mountainous valley and crossed by a stream, the base occupies an area of 22 square kilometerswhich makes it more extensive than, for example, the JFK International Airport in New York. The first evidence of its construction date back to 2004, and satellite images point out that it has been fully operational since 2014. Since then, it has remained in good condition, with continuous extensions that reflect the modernization of North Korean Arsenal. The site also gives a Geopolitical advantage: By being so close to the Chinese territory, any military operation against the base entails the risk of triggering an incident with Beijing, a strategic calculation that reinforces the deterrent value of the complex. So that. Although it is not known with certainty what type of missiles are stored in Sinpung-Dong, analysts consider it likely to be The Hwasong-15 or Hwasong-18both intercontinental and with nuclear capacity. The complex would also be equipped with Mobile transport units And launch, capable of leaving the enclosure in crisis situations, meeting with nuclear eyelets and executing shots from previously prepared scattered positions. This operation scheme increases the survival of arsenal and the difficulty of neutralizing it with a preventive attack. Camouflaged infrastructure. There are more, since The study details The existence of control stalls, warehouses, command buildings and small homes inside the complex, some of them camouflaged under thick trees and thickets, invisible in most satellite images except in winter. In other words, this degree of concealment seems to reveal a dispersion and deception strategy that seeks to guarantee the operational continuity of the program. The base fits what experts call The “missile … Read more

Almería has been the great “plastic sea” of Europe for years. Now he wants to be another sea: that of solar panels

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During the First Andalusian Congress on Agriculture, Energy and Water held at the University of Almería, a path that begins to materialize today was already glimpsed. In that meeting, Professor Ángel Carreño He stressed that the use of photovoltaic plates In greenhouses, intensive agriculture could revolutionize. “With just 1% shadow with solar panels on the roof, the energy needs of a greenhouse could be covered,” he said. Seven years later, this forecast is specified in a pioneering project that aims to make a qualitative leap to the Almeria agricultural model: Dynamic Aquasave. From the plastic sea to the energy sea. The scenario of this innovation cannot be more unique. NASA confirms that the “plastic sea” Almeria is one of the few human constructions visible from space. According to the BBCunder its 32,000 hectares of white plastic, about four million tons of foods are produced every year to export them to Europe, generating about 5.1 billion dollars annually, which represents 40% of the GDP of the province. It is in this context where Dynamic Aquasave arises, with the promise that the plastic sea can be transformed into an energy sea, capable of producing not only food, but also electricity. How will it be? The University of Almería, together with Barre greenhouses, the Technalia Technology Center, the Uual-Anecoop Foundation and with CDTI financing, leads this project. The contract was signed in November 2024 and was ratified in February 2025 In the official act of the Department of Engineering of the UAL. The system consists of installing transparent or semi -transparent solar panels on the greenhouse cover, which are automatically oriented thanks to an algorithm. These panels fulfill a double function: they act as a dynamic shade to control excessive radiation and, at the same time, generate electricity. As He explained Professor Diego Luis Valera to Diario de Almería, “integrates, in the same system, photovoltaic generation and dynamic shadow governed by algorithms, something that does not exist in the market with the parameters required by a greenhouse adapted to the southeast of Spain.” The planned benefits are clear: up to 30% water savings, less needy need, a more stable microclimate, energy for self -consumption or sale and better working conditions within greenhouses. Forecasts The Dynamic Aquasave prototype will be installed at the Uual-Anecoop Foundation, where a greenhouse will also be enabled to compare yields. The experimentation phase is scheduled for the fall of 2025 and will last at least two agricultural campaigns. The project also has the collaboration of the University of Córdoba, which develops specific software and hardware for the control of the orientable panels. The combination of agricultural engineering, artificial intelligence and renewable energy makes it a unique proposal in the international scene. The digital layer. Dynamic Aquasave is not just solar energy. According to has detailed Valera to Diario de Almería, also seeks to provide the field of an artificial intelligence layer. With sensors and automatic learning algorithms, the system can predict dates and kilos of harvest before cutting, adjusting irrigation and nutrient supply in real time, and reducing the water and carbon footprint. In addition, the equipment works in passive microclimate systems: low -cost solutions that allow regulating temperature and humidity without spending energy, favoring biological pest control and reducing inputs. The project also supports international research and transfer networks, which seek that these innovations do not stay in laboratories, but arrive as soon as possible to real farms. Although the problems are not going to go. The European garden also drags criticism. Technology can relieve some challenges, but not solve them all. No algorithm can, by itself, reverse the overexploitation of aquifers or the social problems of the Almeria field. On the one hand, academic investigations cited by the British environment They remember that growth has been sustained thanks to the overexploitation of underground aquifers, some in deficit for more than two decades, and that 30,000 tons of plastic waste are generated every year. On the other hand, The newspaper El Salto The other face denounces: migrant workers living in precarious settlements, with low salaries and marathon days. Although Dynamic Aquasave represents a technological leap, but the Almeria model also needs to face its social and environmental side. A challenge beyond energy. Although We have already explained in Xataka As solar panels can be an improvement for crops, the challenge, however, goes beyond engineering. The key will be that the plastic sea not only becomes a sea of ​​solar panels, but an agricultural space that combines innovation with social justice and environmental sustainability. Only then, Almería may go from being a green miracle to become a world agriculture model of the future. Image | Kallerna and Unspash Xataka | How much electricity produces each country from the map with renewable energy, exposed in a graphic

The largest Russian nuclear cruise has returned to the sea after 28 years. What is not clear is how modern its technology

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Russia has returned to the sea to its largest nuclear cruise For the first time since 1997. The Admiral Nakhimov began the trials on August 18, 2025 at the White Sea, the first concrete sign for a program that has been prolonged for decades. According to Tassthe two nuclear reactors were reactivated in early 2025 and the ship moves again by their own means. However, the return of this 28,000 tons ship It raises the background question: To what extent has modernization fulfilled what is announced by Moscow? Its recent history is marked by a sequence of breeding deadlines. Although modernization was raised more than two decades ago, The War Zone pointsthe works did not really begin until 2014. Since then, the dates were postponed: 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023 … The exit to the sea is a tangible advance, but also the end of a stage full of dilated promises that must now translate into real capabilities. What has really modernized and what follows in the air The return occurs in a context where information about the ship does not abound and, as we see, there are many questions. At the moment, says the aforementioned medium, it can be said that the ship has received at least A new radar systemas well as a new main Caño AK-192m. Modernization aspired to place it as the ship with the most vertical pitchers in the world: 174 cells in total, of them 78 for attack missiles (Kalibr, Oniks, Zircon) and 96 for S-300FM air defense. Today, the only unequivocal is the new main cannon; The rest must demonstrate in evidence and, eventually, in official images and documents. His return to service is not only technical, also symbolic. Everything indicates that he will assume the role of flagship of the northern fleet when Complete trials And be accepted by the Navy, in relief of the Pyotr Velikiy, also a nuclear propulsion cruise. The difference? It began to be built in the Soviet era and was thrown in 1996, but has received minor modernizations. In parallel, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov Keep on the wire. In statements collected by Reutersthe president of the State Naval Construction Corporation came to affirm that it is most likely to sell or tear it, which would further raise the weight of the cruise on the Russian surface. The admiral Nakhimov still has a lot to prove. That it has navigate again does not imply that modernization is complete or fully operational. The real state of sensors, combat systems, data links and integration with other naval units remains unconfirmed. Beyond the official story, what happens in the sea will say if this return to the activity is a change of cycle or a maneuver without real impact. Images | RSS_40 In Xataka | Ukraine has entered a phase so deranged with the drones that his drones are knocking themselves to themselves

Pirates have turned the Red Sea into hell for ships around the world. With an exception: the Chinese

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The Red Sea right now is the main commercial route around the world and millions European industries depend on it to be able to receive products from the Asian continent. But in recent months, it has become one of the most dangerous seas on the planet, taking months blocked by the attack of pirates. With an exception. Chinese ships can go through these waters and nothing happens to them. They are even protected. The Red Sea as a forbidden area. Since the Hutí Militia de Yemen, with the support of Iran, will start an assault campaign at the end of 2023 In retaliation for the situation in Gaza, this area has become a dangerous area. Sunk charges, attacked crews and a climate of total insecurity that forced giants such as Master or Hapag-Lloyd to deviate through the horn of Africa. Something that implies Add to the navigation plan between 14 and 18 days. Something that also represents a higher cost. China’s ships have ‘white letter’. Something that has been observed since April, and that has reported the maritime intelligence firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence, is that Nothing happens to Chinese ships. In this way, they have seen how fourte The insurmountable rorowhich sailed from China and crossed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea for Europe, did not have to give a detour. The most interesting thing is the content they had inside: Chinese brands electric vehicles such as Byd or Mg. This is a pattern that clearly shows that there is an agreement behind. A tactical pact that is worth gold. Neither Beijing, nor Tehran, nor the hutis leaders have issued an official statement, but the evidence and geopolitical context draw a mutual interest agreement. The hutis, which They declare to attack ships with Israeli linksAmericans or British, seem to have received a clear instruction: ships that come from China have the free passage. The key to this immunity lies in China’s powerful influence on Iranthe main economic and military support of the hutis. China is the biggest Iranian oil buyer, a commercial relationship that is a lifeguard for the Persian economy. In exchange for this support, Beijing exercises a ability to persuasion in the region that no other power can match. Analysts like Daniel Nash, from the consultant Veson Nautical, Point out that “China has found a way of dealing with the huti rebels backed by Iran, and they have been told that their ships will not be attacked.” This “salvoconduct” not only applies to Chinese flag ships, but also to those of other nationalities chartered by Chinese manufacturers to transport their vehicles. Meanwhile, other Chinese ships that do not wear cars continue to opt for the African route to avoid risks. The secret weapon against European tariffs. For Chinese manufacturers, this shortcut is much more than simple logistics savings; It is a strategic weapon to be able to conquer the European market. Right now, the European Union, in an attempt to protect its own industry, has imposed tariffs of up to 35% To Chinese electric vehicles, claiming that they benefit from unfair state subsidies. Although now They study withdraw them. However, the savings of the Red Sea route helps to compensate for the impact of tariffs, causing the final price to consumers to remain very attractive. The competitors have felt the consequences. Brands like Tesla, Volvo, Suzuki or even suppliers like Michelin They have suffered strikes in their European factories As a result of deliveries in deliveries because ships have to give a greater rodeo. In this way, brands settled in Europe have to pay consequences, while China can overcome them without problems. Floating cities for the conquest of Europe. Far from being a temporary solution, China is betting strongly on this route. Chinese shipyards work in full performance To deliver to Byd and SAIC new ships to wear their vehicles. And it is that these ships such as the “Byd Explorer No.1” or the “Anji Ansheng” of Saic are authentic floating cities with capacity for more than 7,000 vehicles, designed to optimize mass transport through sea. Chinese cars begin to be an important alternative. In the case of Spain, Sales of Chinese electric cars They don’t stop growing with the Saic group at the head and next to Grupo Chery with their Omoda and Byd, which has also opted for hybrid cars. This way, China is flooding European with its cars as It is being seen in enrollments. And partly it is for this type of strategies. In Xataka | There are those who believe that being rich is a sufficient requirement to have a Ferrari. The most important thing is something else: Ferrari fell well

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