secret

China is building the largest telescope in the world. The question is why he is doing it in secret

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In the select club of first level astronomical observatories, all projects They are advertised to hype and saucer decades in advance. China instead is building a gigantic telescope of 14 and a half meters on the Tibetan plateau without having officially announced it. US suspicions. An article of Wall Street Journal He has raised the hare. A telescope of that size would not only rival the most powerful observatories in the West, but, if it was terminated in time, it would temporarily become the largest terrestrial optical telescope in the world. The question that, according to the Journal, resonates in Harvard’s halls and NASA is not whether they are building it, but why they do it stealthily. The clues that arrive from China. Robert Kirshner, Emerrito Professor of Harvard and leader of the thirty -meter telescope, The American project that Spain now wantsit has been one of the main detectives in this plot. The clues, although discreet, are overwhelming: In January, the state company Nanjing Astronomical Instruments published on social networks that it had gained a tender of 22 million dollars to build the dome of a telescope with a mirror of 14.5 meters In April, some students who visited a scientific institute mentioned in another publication that the researchers had shown them the configuration of the mirrors for a telescope of that same size An outstanding Chinese astronomer declared state media that one of its objectives was to finish “the 14.5 meter telescope” before its retirement Beijing has adopted a low profile. The anomalous thing about this case is that Chinese institutions also do not celebrate their technological sovereignty with the usual triumphalism in this type of project. China, which does not hesitate to celebrate other space milestones, here has opted for a low profile. A clear trace of tenders. Technical documents are scattered, but paint a clear image of an advanced development project. The main test is the tender of its most visible component: the dome. A public announcement of the Chinese Academy of Sciences He was looking for offers for the “Project to Acquisition of the Dome of the Optical/Infrared Telescope of 14.5 m”, with a deadline set for November 2024. On the other hand, a memorandum of China National Astronomical Observatory It justifies the purchase of infrared detectors, describing the project as “a great astronomical telescope to achieve the top of science and technology.” In parallel, published job offers For “the general purpose of the general major caliber in construction in our country.” I even looked for personnel for the system engineering file managementan unequivocal sign that the design phase had given way to the construction. Why not announce it then? Matt Mountain, president of the Aura organization, which manages the Observatorios Hubble and James Webb for NASA, raises two hypotheses. The first is military: A telescope capable of obtaining crisp images of a galaxy to millions of light years can also observe with an unprecedented resolution The spy satellites of other nations in space. The domain of heaven is not only scientific, but also strategic, as We have been seeing in the Earth’s orbit For years. The second hypothesis is a long -term play for technological leadership. Mountain describes it brilliantly: “Astronomy is the entrance drug for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.” Investing in inspiring projects such as a giant telescope is the best way to encourage a whole generation of young people to study Stem races, ensuring that China can overcome the United States in the coming decades. The biggest telescope for a while. To understand the magnitude of this project, you have to put it in context. The Hubble space telescope mirror measures 2.4 meters; The Webb, 6.5 meters. The four largest optical telescopes on Earth are around 10 meters in diameter. If China completes its 14.5 meter telescope soon, it would dwarf all existing observatories until the new generation They will see the light. Precisely these days the thirty -meter telescope (TMT) has been on everyone’s mouth (TMT) that the United States was going to build in Hawaii. After becoming one of the victims of Trump’s science cuts, the Government of Spain has offered 400 million euros To be built on the island of La Palma, in the Canary Islands. Although its final location is yet to be decided. Image | Universidad de Pekín In Xataka | For the first time we have pointed to heaven with a 3,200 megapixel camera. In just 10 hours he has done several years

A secret annex in its missile plant that baffles analysts

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Among the mountains southwest of Pyongyang, a new building has become the last great mystery of North Korea. It appears in a satellite image captured on June 9 by Planet Labs that indicates an annex as striking as disconcerting. There are no windows, only a long and high structure that seems designed for something that is preferred to keep hidden. Missiles? Anti -aircraft systems? The first hypotheses are already on the table, but the answers, as always, are much more difficult to obtain. A complex with decades of history. The Missile Factory Chamjin is not any installation. American spy satellite files already mentioned it in the 60s as a nerve point of the North Korean missile program. It is officially known as Thaesong Plantand hides in a narrow valley, surrounded by peaks and protected by control stalls and anti -aircraft nests. There, between tunnels excavated in the mountain and industrial pavilions, some of the rockets that give muscle to the military force of the country are assembled. The great remodeling of 2023 and 2024. For decades, the western part of the Missile Factory Chamjin remained almost intact, with aged industrial pavilions and deteriorated ceilings. Everything changed in recent years, when the largest of these buildings received a complete renewal, including a new roof that caught the attention of analysts. That movement was just the beginning. In July 2024, the works intensified: Three industrial ships and several minor buildings were demolished to give way to larger structures. It was at that time that the renewed pavilion incorporated the annex that today concentrates all eyes, a piece that breaks the known silhouette of the factory and suggests a new stage in the complex. What hides behind the annex? The new annex does not go unnoticed. With its 65 meters long, 18 wide and about 15 high – measures calculated by researcher John Ford, James Martin Center for Nonproliferion Studies and cited by Defense News-, the structure seems designed for tests with long and heavy objects. The specialist warns that the design does not fit at all with the needs of the largest rockets of North Korean arsenal. One of the most solid theories points to the anti -aircraft systems Pongae 5 or Pongae 6, which Pyongyang has promoted in recent months without still showing in public. The annex, according to this reading, could be destined to test the vertical deployment of the launch pipes of these systems, or even assemble the vehicles that transport them. For now, everything is interpretations. North Korea rarely shows what happens in its military factories and satellite images only offer fragmented clues. But, judging by the architecture and location of the new building, analysts agree that their function is linked, in one way or another, to the heart of the missile program. The shadows of military cooperation. The expansion of the Missile Factory Chamjin does not happen in a vacuum. Since Moscow and Pyongyang reinforced their military tiesNorth Korean factories have experienced accelerated modernization. Analysts like Colin Zwirko, from NK NewsThey point out that the rhythm of construction in key facilities is related to the supply of weapons to Russia for war in Ukraine. Missiles, artillery projectiles and industrial components have left these plants to Moscow, and the money received could be financing improvements such as the new annex. The propaganda narrative and the role of Kim Ju-Ae. In North Korea, visitors to missile factories are not just technical inspections: they are carefully designed messages. In early 2023, Kim Jong-un appeared at the Thaesong plant Accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-Ae, an image that toured state news. Since then, Kim Ju-Ae has become a recurring face of military propaganda. According to Newsis analystsseeks to project the arms program as a shield for the safety of new generations. Images | Kremlin | Planet Labs (Via Defense News) In Xataka | Ukraine has opened Russia’s last drone and does not leave his astonishment: it is the first time that China does something like that

A huge secret factory is tilting the balance in the Ukraine War. Russia is multiplying a relentless army

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The war in Ukraine has entered a stage of tactical saturation where volume, rather than sophistication, has become The decisive weapon. Russia It has increased And much the use of Shahed drone swarms in Russian territory under the Geran denominationmanaging to pierce Ukrainian defenses at an unprecedented rate. How much? A video has revealed what is about to happen. Swarm war. I remembered The Financial Times that, according to official data, between April and June 2025, the percentage of drones that managed to impact their objectives reached 15%tripling the success rate of the previous three months. It We count: On the night of July 9, he marked a record when Russia launched 728 Drones and Shahed, along with Kinzhal and Iskander Balistic missiles, in a clear attempt to saturate and overflow the Ukrainian aerial defenses. This tactic demonstrates that the massive use of cheap platforms can overcome expensive and sophisticated defense systems, exposing a critical point: the imbalance between cost and effectiveness in modern combat. Gera-3 and a lethal machine. The technical improvements introduced by Moscow in their drones have raised their effectiveness notably. Among them stands out The Geran-3a vturbocharged arizing capable of reaching speeds of up to 800 km/h in chopped, which makes it almost invulnerable to the traditional anti -aircraft weapons mounted in trucks, such as heavy machine guns. In addition, current shahed can fly to greater altitudeavoiding the optimal impact areas of terrestrial defenses. This change, rather than reflecting Ukrainian weakening, shows the Russian capacity to quickly adapt its attack doctrine and exploit the weaknesses of the adversary. The Night wavespersistent and combined with more sophisticated missiles, they seek to wear not only the technical defenses of Ukraine, but also the moral of their population and force political concessions through exhaustion. A horror factory. And this is where Russia’s last announcement appears. Moscow He has revealed to the world which describes as its greatest and more Secret drone plant: Alabuga’s industrial complex, in the Tartaristan region, where Geran suicide drones are assembled. The plant, located in the Yelabuga Industrial Park and officially launched in 2023, appears In a video of the Russian military channel Zvezda, who does not spare to show adolescents operating work stations and manipulating technological pieces in assembly lines. According to Timur ShagivalievExecutive Director of the Special Economic Zone of Alabuga, the installation has multiplied by nine its planned production, reaching a monthly rate of 5,200 units Between attack drones and lure models, which converts it, he says, “the largest plant of its kind in the world.” The scene, no doubt, is disturbing: teenagers building weapons designed to kill a great distance, while the Kremlin presumes a relentless manufacturing capacity. Geran-2, cheaper. If the third version is the most advanced, its predecessor, the direct version of the Shahed-136 Iranian, is the drone Factory Key. We talked about a 3.5 -meter device with a 50 kg eye, a cruise speed of 300 km/Hy a range of 1,800 km. Its estimated cost of between $ 35,000 and $ 49,000 makes it an affordable massive destruction tool, ideal to saturate enemy defensive systems. Compared to western interceptors such as Patriot missile (valued at several million dollars per unit) The Geran-2 embodies an asymmetric disruption: cheap, resistant, easy to manufacture in mass and with a devastating psychological effect. New strategic threshold. To the Russian drone industry, with that Alabuga factory At the head, news has been added that has put Ukraine alert. Russia prepares to achieve unprecedented attack capacity: the simultaneous launch of 2,000 drones against kyivaccording to the German general Christian FreudingHead of the Working Group for Ukraine of the Ministry of Defense of Germany. This figure, which completely redefines the scale of the unmanned war 2 million FPV and 30,000 long -range drones or lure, According to reports of Ukrainian external intelligence (Szru). Overwhelmed defense. Ukraine, meanwhile, has responded to all this machinara with a combination of classic techniques In interceptor drones. In fact, Zelenski recently announced a according to Eric Schmidtformer executive director of Google and current leader of Swift Beat, for the co -production of hundreds of thousands of drones, including interceptors. According to the Ukrainian president, these devices are already Broving dozens of Shaheds In each attack and begin to demonstrate good results, with hundreds of confirmed eliminations in just one week. In any case, to be effective against the new flight profile of Russian drones, these interceptors must reach speeds of at least 200 km/hy altitudes of up to 6 km, capacities that allow to counteract saturation attacks that easily overflow the Ukrainian mobile units armed with technology from the mid -twentieth century. Adaptation without truce. The scenario is part of a dynamic of continuous evolution Between offensive and defensive: A cycle of innovation and counter-innovation that accelerates exponentially. Andrew Turner, former Air Marshal of the Royal Air Force and current director of Saibre Capital, summed up in the Times This dynamic as a “persistent staircase and countermeasures that in Ukraine is renewed every 14 days.” Thus, the conflict has become an accelerated laboratory of unmanned air war, where the decisive factor is no longer the number of fighters or tanks, but the ability to produce and adapt swarms of autonomous machines at a faster pace that the enemy can respond. A single color. In short, the drone war In Ukraine it has reached a new level of complexity. On the one hand, Russia has managed to integrate successfully volume, speed and saturation to create a constant threat that escapes traditional air defense schemes. On the other, Ukraine, with foreign aid, begins to build a defensive layer equally decentralized and reactive based on interceptor drones. In this confrontation of swarms, the balance does not lean simply by the number of weapons, but by the speed with which each side Learn, adapt and scale Your production. The aerial battlefield has become an industrial and algorithmic competition, where software, distributed manufacturing and AI are replacing cannons and missiles as decisive tools of … Read more

Russia is expanding up to five secret nuclear bases

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At the end of May some satellite images discovered which were Russia’s intentions on the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Now, in the midst of nuclear tensions in the wake of the war in Ukraine, new images from space have revealed an alarming pattern of expansion and renewal in five Russian nuclear bases that until now operated largely outside the international scrutiny. Secret, or almost. I told it in an extensive INSIDER REPORT Through the images captured by the American company Planet Labs and analyzed by experts in strategic armament. The photographs show a series of new structures, reinforced roads, buried bunkers and multiple security perimeters that point to a systematic and stealthy investment in Russian nuclear infrastructure. Although part of these improvements could be considered ordinary maintenance, the scale, the rhythm and nature of the constructions reveal something deeper: a reaffirmation of Russian nuclear power as deterrence toolinfluence and survival before the decline of their conventional forces. Asipovichy base Asipovichy: The new nuclear enclave. The berous base of Asipovichywho has gained notoriety since Putin and Lukashenko They announced What Belarusia could house Russian nuclear weapons, now presents triple fence, camouflaged inputs, covered ramps for eye discharge and a hidden bunker between trees. Although there are still no indications of active presence of eyelets, the infrastructure is ready to receive them from major deposits, such as Briansk’s. A large platform and a new road suggest that rail transport It would be the chosen logistics medium, in coherence with Russian standard procedures. In addition, a Second complex In the same city shows mobile pitchers from Iskander missilescapable of carrying nuclear heads, housed in recently enlarged hangars, which reinforces the idea of a fully functional tactical node. Gadzhiyevo base Gadzhiyevo: Intercontinental missile hiding place. To the north, in the naval base of Gadzhiyevonear the Arctic, the images show an intense activity in the mountainous complex where nuclear weapons are stored For strategic submarines. Previous photographs had already captured the raid of eyelets next to specialized cranes, and the new constructions seem to be hangars or workshops for missiles not yet armed. A few kilometers, the Russian nuclear ballistic submarines of the northern fleet They expect cargoes In specially equipped springs, remembering that from this enclave attacks capable of devastating entire cities in minutes can be launched. Kaliningrad base Kaliningrad: The undercover arsenal. In the Russian enclave of Kaliningradbetween Poland and Lithuania, a deposit with multiple levels of fence has aroused for years the Analysts’ suspicions as potential tactical nuclear weapons center. The last Images confirm reforms in buried bunkers and the appearance of new structures, such as a small building identical to another in Asipovichywhose function is still not clarified. A few kilometers, a nuclear maintenance unit Inherited from the Soviet era, it gives even more weight to the hypothesis of an active storage of nuclear weapons, reinforcing the latent threat in one of the most sensitive areas of the NATO eastern flank. Kamchatka base Kamchatka: Latent threat to Alaska. On the other side of Eurasia, the remote Kamchatka Peninsulain front of Alaska, hosts facilities for the deployment of the Poseidon nuclear torpedoa weapon propelled for atomic energy capable of traveling thousands of kilometers under the sea before detonating. Although it is not clear if it is operational, the Recent constructions In this base (among them Two new buildings possibly used as ojas stores) indicate a sustained advance in their preparation. The architectural similarity with other nuclear bases and the presence of triple fences in some structures reinforce the idea that atomic weapons or their launch systems are also housed here. Novaya Zemlya: Risen test base. Finally, in the Arctic Archipelago of Novaya Zemlyahistorical Nuclear Test Center of the Soviet Union and scenario of the detonation of The TSAR pumpthe images capture a remarkable Base expansion Severny support. New buildings and tunnels excavated in the mountain, along with old sealed accesses, suggest a revitalization of the complex as Experimentation Center Subcritic or as a platform ready for an eventual resumption of nuclear tests. Although Moscow and Washington maintain a similar policy of keeping these places operational without rehearsing high -performance weapons, the intensification of work in Novaya Zemlya fems fears about the possible return of active essays. The rebirth of a career. The simultaneous modernization of These five basessome completely new (distributed between the Baltic, the Arctic, the heart of Belarus and the Pacific Coast), illustrates how Moscow is reconstructing its strategic position under the pressure of A prolonged war In Ukraine and deterioration of its power conventional. With an estimated active arsenal in 4,300 eyeletsthe major in the world, Russia is more and more relied on in its nuclear heritage as a shield and sword before NATO and the United States. While and how We have countedWashington continues with its own program of renewal of the nuclear tripod, and China increases discreetly his Atomic capacitythus configuring a global scenario where nuclear balance becomes the axis of deterrence, threat and strategic survival. Image | Google Earth, Planet Labs In Xataka | The largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine. But Russia has taken it, and space has revealed its intentions In Xataka | We already know a hole that Russia has left in Ukraine: the Chernobil shield is still open and there is no money to close it

The secret is in the plastic

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With a simple adChina unleashed an unprecedented form of commercial war, one in which there were no tariffs or tariffs, but by manipulating a strategic resource that the West never knew how to diversify in time. In a few weeks, the scarcity threat of these Rare Earth Materials and Icans has caused paralysis alerts in sectors that move the economies of the world. The entire planet desperately seeks what Beijing dominates with iron fist. And everything starts with plastic. The strategic origins. As we said, the partial suspension of rare earth exports by China has put on alert to governments around the world, but for the Beijing leadership These raw materials have been a priority issue during Almost half a century. Unlike other powers that began to assess their use in a later way, China’s interest in rare earth elements dates back to the late 1970s, when the country tried to overcome the structural deficiencies inherited from the inherited Maoist industrial model. Under the leadership of Deng Xiaopingwhich happened to Mao Zedong In 1978, China became aware of the strategic value of these elements not only for their industrial utility, but also for its Military and Technological Potential. While Mao prioritized the amount of iron and steel, without paying too much attention to its quality, Deng promoted a more technical and focused modernization. His executing arm was Fang Yia trusted technocrat who assumed as a viceprimer minister and head of the State Commission of Science and Technology, from where reorganized the strategy National towards a more sophisticated exploitation of mineral resources. A decisive advantage. The turning point occurred in the Baotou cityin interior Mongolia, where the greater site Iron mineral from China, key to war production under Mao. Fang and his team of scientists took A critical decision: Also take advantage of the important rare earth concentrations contained in the site. There abounded light elements such as hill, useful for manufacturing ductile iron and glass, and the Lantano, essential in oil refining. In addition, there were medium reservations Samarioused in heat -resistant magnets necessary for supersonic aircraft and missiles engines. By 1978, while relations with the United States improved, Fang already publicly articulated The cross value of rare earths in industries that went from ceramics and steel to electronics and defense. That same year he brought Chinese engineers to Visit factories by Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas in the United States, a trip that would mark the convergence of industrial ambition and technological learning. A chemical revolution. And here comes one of the keys to this domain. The real advance came when Chinese engineers managed to develop a Separation technique Much cheaper chemistry than used in the United States or the USSR. While the West depended on complex facilities in stainless steel and expensive nitric acid, China opted for Use plastic materials and hydrochloric acid, much cheaper. The use of plastic is not trivial. This innovation, together with lax environmental standards, allowed China to flood the market with Rare earth at low costcausing the progressive closure of refineries in the West. In fact, the process of deindustrialization outside of China consolidated the Asian monopoly. At the same time, Chinese geologists discovered that the country housed approximately the Half of global reserves Known of rare earths, including exceptional deposits of heavy rare earths in the country’s center-south, keys for magnet technologies in electric vehicles, medical equipment and other critical applications. An consummated domain. I remembered The New York Times That, in the 90s and 2000s, Chinese engineers perfected the refining of heavy rare earths, raising China to an almost total domain position in this segment. The famous phrase De Deng Xiaoping in 1992 (“Middle East has oil, China has rare earths”) synthesizes the strategic vision that had already materialized. This policy was not random: Deng and Fang formed the next generation of leaders to continue with this approach. One of them was Wen Jiabaogeologist specialized in rare earths, formed during the turbulent years of the Cultural Revolution. Wen, who amounted to VicePrimer Minister in 1998 and Prime Minister in 2003, declared during a visit to Europe in 2010 that almost nothing related to rare earth occurred Without his speech direct. This continuity in the political elite guaranteed that the exploitation, refined and control of the global rare earth market became central pillars of the Economic and Geopolitics Strategy from China. The economic offensive. Thus we arrive at the current moment. He counted The Financial Times That, until now, Chinese economic sanctions had been notoriously inaccurate, based on diffuse boycots or administrative blockages that rarely reached their political objectives. Neither South Korea withdrew his antimile shield after commercial reprisals, nor Australia changed his foreign policy when China stopped buying his wine. Even sanctions against US defense companies were more a symbolic gesture than A coercive tool real. But the new measures on rare earths mark A turning point: They are specific, measurable and directly affect key industrial sectors. The threat is no longer abstract; translates into factories on the edge of closureblocked supply chains and western governments forced to reconsider their commercial positions. Everything is calibrated. The effectiveness of this offensive lies in the improvement of the Chinese normative arsenal. Beijing has developed a legal framework that not only restricts exports, but requires foreign companies to avoid the use of Chinese minerals in products for industry American defense. This extraterritorial clause has been designed with intelligence: instead of direct confrontation, it seeks to generate pressure between third countries, pushing them to act as diplomatic intermediaries that urged Washington to soften their commercial policies. The simultaneous fall of exports to Japan, South Korea and India shows that China is willing to Accept economic costs limited to reinforce their strategic position and dilute the direct confrontation narrative. West is late. Thus, the most revealing is not The maneuver China itself, but the Lack of preparation of the West. From the first cut of exports to Japan in 2011, governments and industries knew that … Read more

If their spies spoke Basque as a secret code

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The espionage stories They are fascinating. Video games like Spanish ‘Commandos‘They have one of their best characters in the spy and the sagas of’Impossible mission‘ either ‘007‘are sustained (At least in the first deliveries) in that work of espionage and Double agents. Something fundamental is the encryption of conversations, but … why devise a complex system so that the enemy does not discover what you speak if they exist languages ​​that do not speak so many people? In Spain there is one that is homeless: The Basque. And, precisely, one of the legends of the spies Spaniards is the use of Basque so that enemies do not discover the plans. But as usually happens, there is as much reality as a myth in this story. Felipe II’s networks. Let’s start at the beginning and one of the clearest uses of Basque in a espionage network. In the second half of the 16th century, things in Spain were uneasy. The reason was that Henry III of Navarra, king of Navarra since 1572, had religious ideas contrary to the Spanish monarch Felipe II. While Felipe was a staunch Catholic, Enrique became Protestantism. The problem is that in 1589 Enrique III of France and ‘Our’ Enrique III inherited the French throne as Henry IV. Felipe did not make a hint of grace because he did not want a Protestant to occupy the throne of a great neighboring country and, as a defender of Catholicism and Spanish hegemony, supported the Catholic League and proposed to his daughter Isabelgranddaughter of Enrique II of France, as queen of the Gallic country. He did not set the proposal and that caused a rivalry that made the Pyrenean situation complex. Lady of Urtubia. Enrique, in the end, returned to the path of Catholicism in 1593, so things have already calmed down and was recognized in full as king of France. Now, although Enrique IV’s conversion calmed the situation, the tension did not disappear at all, and our spy comes into play: Aimée de Urtubia. This woman belonging to the nobility shipment Between 1597 and 1598, at least 19 letters to the mayor of Fuenterrabía and Captain General of Guipúzcoa. In them there was relevant information about military and political events in France and Navarra during the Religion wars and allowed the Catholics of Felipe II to record the situation in France. The peculiarity is that the letters were written in Basque, which assured that they would only be “decipherd” if they fell into someone who controlled the language. And it was his native language, detail that is not less. In whatever, their letters were referred to the Secretary General for the North, which speaks well of the importance that the information of the ‘Lady of Urtubia’ had in the strategy of the administration of Felipe II. In 1598 the Paz de Vervins with which Felipe stopped intervening in French affairs. Although the agreement had not been reached, Felipe would not have interfered with more because he died that year. Second World War. There is proof of Aimée’s letters, but … the legend of the Basque among the Spanish spies comes from there? Well, not quite. Time to make a leap to Second World War. Spies are key to operations such as day d or even for war stratagems that confuse the enemy. The Enigma machine It was the great Nazi tool to encrypt messages and Basque … too? Myth. The United States, of course, considered the use of little known languages ​​to make secret communications. Instead of creating language, Americans used Native American languages ​​such as Navajo or CREE to generate safe messages. It would be rare for a German to speak Navajo, go. And, to expand networks in Europe, they also thought of the ‘Basque Code Talkers‘. This was basically reused Euskera to produce indecipherable messages for the enemy. To the Not being an Indo -European languageor the enemy had a dictionary, or would not find out anything. In fact, some publications of years ago affirm that Basque was used as a code in the battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. The problem is that it is … false. And reality. A subsequent investigation carried out by historians Pedro J. Oiarzabal and Guillermo Taberilla, demonstrated that Americans may consider the use of Basque as ‘Code Talk’, but it was not carried out. Investigating American and British military archives, they did not find that they support the use of Basque in that context. American captain Frank Carranza, grandson of Basque emigrants, would have been one of the architects of the legend, supported by the historical fact of the relationship between the secret services of the Basque Government In exile and the OSS American. Now, something that could feed the myth is that there were Basque spies involved in the conflict. José Laradogoitia Menchaca, or “Bromine”, He was a Basque pastor who worked as a double agent during the war. For whom? First for the Nazis, but then he went to the allied side, transmitting false information to the Nazis. And the investigation of Oiarzabal and Tabernilla, regardless of denying the myth, He left a pearl: Vicelehendakari of the Basque Government in exile worked as a spy for the British. In the end, Basque soldiers may speak in Basque between them and I find it funny to think that some Nazi intercepted that communication and gave mental somersaults trying to decipher the ‘code’. Image | Screen of ‘Call of Duty ww2’ In Xataka | The US landed on an empty island during World War II. In nine days it had more than 300 casualties

The secret formula of Coca-Cola is in a safe of a town in Valencia. The same one that claims its authorship

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The history is written by the victors (Or that’s what we think). Perhaps the phrase would have to be changed to the story being written who has the best story and, in the commercial world, which knows how to sell its product better. And if there is a universal product that is the same image of globalization and proper name of one of the most powerful corporations in the worldthat’s the Coca-Cola. The story that John Stith Pemberton He is the father of the Coca-Cola and who, after some failed attempts, in 1886 found the formula of the drink Based on coca leaf, kola nut and carbonated water. It is not that it would bring him good luck, since shortly after he died in absolute poverty, taking a secret more powerful than that of his drink itself. The secret of whether he invented it or whether Coca-Cola is a plagiarism of a Spanish drink that was presented in the United States in 1985. Do not say Coca-Cola: Say Kola Coca In its origins, Coca-Cola was not a soda: it was a tonic. In fact, a “miraculous tonic” who cured headaches, relieved exhaustion and calmed his nerves, like Pemberton himself promoted. It was everything, also a “delicious, refreshing, cheerful, stimulating and vigorizing” drink. With cocaineIt wasn’t for less. It was not a success and its creator never saw the real potential of the drink. It was after selling his product to businessman Asa G. Gamdler when the brand exploded and The Coca-Cola Company became the giant that is today. But there are those who think that this position in history does not belong to Gandler or, above all, Pemberton: it belongs to the Valencian people of Malferit’s. In 1880, Bautista Apartici, Ricardo Sanz and Enrique Ortiz founded the Liquor Factory of Aielo. They began to create products and to present them at fairs in Europe. APARICI was the ‘commercial’ of the company and the person in charge of showing its products by the different countries, being the coca kola one of them. Kola nuts Your ingredients? Coca leaf, Kola nut and water. Very similar to those of the subsequent Coca-Cola. In 1885, Appear took the Kola Coca to a fair in Philadelphia, where he presented it and distributed some samples to local commercials. At present, that would be done with a product already patented so that no one can raise your idea, but it was not the practice more than a century ago. A year later, Pemberton presented in Atlanta its coca leaf formula, kola and water nut. Carbonated, where appropriate. Chance or plagiarism? Ayelo distillers itself leaves the question on its website. “In 1885, the Kola-Coca travels to the United States and, just a year later, the pharmacist John Steve Pemberton launched in the United States the famous Coca-Cola Answering the question is complicated, especially when we talk about an era in which the information was not transmitted with the same speed as now and it should be assumed that the connection between Pemberton and some of the commercials that received the cola coca sample. From Ayelo distilleries, they are clear. Juan Micó is the last owner of Ayelo distilleries and, as we read in ABC Newsconsiders that Coca-Cola was invented in Aielo. “At that time it was easy to copy a drink. The patents were only recorded if the product was successful,” he says, stating that when they patented the Kola Coca formula in Spain in 1903, the Coca-Cola already had a way won to become an icon. And Coca-Cola appeared Decades after patenting the drink, it was Coca-Cola who was interested in the one prepared in Aielo. The multinational wanted to enter Spain with a factory in the 40s, but could not do it directly due to the laws of registered trademarks because there was already a registered tail. That of Aielo. As we read in SpiegelCoca-Cola executives visited Malferit in 1953 and closed an agreement to acquire the rights of the name to Joaquín Juan Sanchis, who was the owner of the factory at that time. And, that same year, Coca-Cola began the conquest of the territory from its bottling company in Barcelona. There are no official records of the agreement, but there is talk of a sum between 30,000 and 50,000 pesetas to exploit the brand in Spain. A lot of money for the time, as Micó said, but a misery if compared to how things would have been, instead of money, they had accepted shares or a small percentage of sales. “We would be millionaires,” says Juan. And at that time of the firm it was when Distillerías Ayelo stopped preparing his ‘syrup’. At least the alcohol without alcohol, since that market belonged to Coca-Cola. The one they continued preparing was Kola coca nut With alcoholic content. 21st, specifically, and in Your description A “will” be or not be the origin of the Coca-Cola? “ Today, Micó’s family directs the business, and does so for a romantic issue, so as not to let that curious story die that will survive forever. The Valencian municipality is clear that Coca-Cola was invented there and, as we read in The countryIn 2018, Mayor José Luis Pinter commented that they had sent a letter to the multinational to use the link between Malferit and Coca-Cola’s year to take advantage of it. “Our goal is to see this project willingly, so that the people are known. We do not pursue anything else,” said the mayor of the town. Therefore, economic rights were not requested, but to take advantage of that link to underpin the story about the relationship between the municipality and the Coca-Cola. From the company they responded, but surely not the way in which the neighbors would have liked. They just said that the brand has transcended so much that “It is property of everyone” and that it is a pride that there are similar stories in different parts of the world. I do not know if … Read more

China has an “island” that does not stop growing. His name is Chengdu and his secret is what he does not have: big salaries

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It would be said that there are two very different “Chinese” in terms of aspirations. On the one hand, we have that imposing image of the nation whose cities accumulate the greatest multimillionaires numberthe country that attracts talent With salariesand that is even putting in check to the Almighty Silicon Valley wallet. And then there is the other China, whose labor crisis He is impacting on Many young peopleand the stagnation of domestic consumption is making a dent in the economy. For that “second” China, there is a space that is becoming a refuge. His name is Chengdu, and not to grow. Welfare refuge. I told it in an extensive report The New York Times. In the midst of a Chinese economy marked by the stagnation of domestic consumption, labor uncertainty and a growing political repression, Chengducity of the southwest of the country with more than 2,300 years of history, it is emerging as a symbol of a new youth aspiration: living better, Even if he wins less. The payroll is not so important. Far from productive frenzy and the increase in housing that characterize megacities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen or Guangzhou, Chengdu has seen its population grow 30% in just five years, reaching the 21.5 million inhabitantsand its real estate market has become the most dynamic in the country, with a price increase 16.8% Since 2021. The secret? A relaxed lifestyle, its flourishing artistic scene, its emblematic pandas And, above anything else, its low cost of life, a recipe that makes it a magnet for young people tired of the urban “grind” and eager to reconnect with a more bearable existence, without completely renouncing opportunities. Disenchantment with the classic model. The Times explained That the decision to move to Chengdu is not only geographical: it is existential. The report counts cases of young people Like Emma Ma, That Beijing changed for an affordable apartment, a study of video clips and domestic help for $ 400 per month, or Treasure Wu, which left Shanghai after a “gray and oppressive experience”, cases that exemplify that generational turn. Under this prism, the idea that long working hours and high salaries justify a life sacrificed in congested cities begins to lose strength in front of a narrative where everyday well -being It matters more. Chengdu, formerly considered a lazy or uninformed city, now embodies an answer to the other China that, despite its Technological modernizationfails to offer guaranteed social ascent that lived previous generations, at least NO TO A PART. Reinvent yourself from the cultural. There is more, of course. He remembered the medium that despite offering fewer opportunities for professional promotion or competitive salaries, Chengdu has managed to capitalize on Your quality of life and its cultural legacy. As? From its huge LGTBQ+ community and its hip-hop scene to its bustling circuit of tea houses and Hot Pot restaurants, the enclave is perceived as a Oasis of expression and stability In times of uncertainty. To this is added its growing relevance in sectors such as Digital entertainmentaudiovisual production and e-sports, with successes Like Ne Zha 2 or video game studies that have promoted the local economy. Historically linked to national defense for its Strategic locationChengdu could now benefit from the turn that Xi Jinping wants to print to the Chinese economic model: a commitment to key industries Like semiconductors wave national production Advanced, far from foreign dependence. Thermometer of a national transition. If you want also, more than an urban anecdote, Chengdu’s boom serves as the thermometer of the internal tensions that policy to the second economy of the planet. On the one hand, it reflects a country that seeking balance between technological modernity and quality of life. On the other, it exposes the dissonance between An economic model Centered on export, which no longer yields as before, and the individual aspirations of millions that want much more than survive: They want to live well. As They pointed to the Times Several real estate analysts of the nation, Chengdu has something as simple to understand as difficult to achieve at the present time: it offers housing prices according to salaries, a luxury unthinkable in other large cities (Not only from China, of course), but that perfectly explains why so many seem willing to assume less lucrative jobs in exchange for time, space and community. End to the cult of sacrifice. Perhaps it is the last of the legs that should be analyzed. The Covid pandemia finished consolidating that transition. While Shanghai suffered endless confinementsChengdu It offered stability. What was previously judged as routine provincial It began to be seen as virtue. In Spain we also lived when we talked about Exodus and “Back to town”. But there it has remained. Today, what Chengdu represents goes beyond his pandas or his historical heritage: symbolizes a form of Quiet resistance and pragmatic against systemic exhaustion of a nation that is redefining its own values. In the words of analyst Huang Xue to the Times: “In times of uncertainty, people want to enjoy life when they can.” Thus, in that silent desire, the city aims to become, not only in China’s happiest city, but also in its most clairvoyant mirror. Image | Kristoffer Trolle In Xataka | The list of cities with more billionaires: China gives the definitive sorpasso and Asia Copa El Top 30 In Xataka | China is democrating its factories to produce cheaper. But not in India or Vietnam: in China

How to accelerate Chrome downloads by activating the secret parallel download option

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Let’s tell you How to accelerate Chrome downloads activating the hidden option of parallel discharges. By default, Chrome makes a connection with the download server of the discharge to lower the file, but this option makes several connections, each lowering a part of the file, and then unites them once they are downloaded. In most cases, having several connections with the same server this can make The whole set is notably fasterespecially in the event that they are large files. To activate it you will need to access the Chrome flags and look for this option. Activate Chrome’s parallel downloads The first thing you have to do is open a new tab and write chrome: // flags In the address bar. When you do Enter and you will enter a special page. Within the Flags page, which are Chrome hidden and experimental options, Look for the option of PARALLEL Downloading. For that you can use the search engine you have above all. To the right of PARALLEL DOWNLADING And your description you have a picture. Click on him and Choose the option Enabled To activate it. Once you do, Chrome will tell you that you have to restart it to activate the function. Do it and that’s it. In Xataka Basics | Change Chrome for a European alternative: I follow and what you should take into account

This hacker began to collaborate with the secret service after being arrested. What nobody knew is that he kept stealing big

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In the summer of 2003, a routine investigation for a series of robberies in Manhattan led to unexpected finding. An undercover agent of the New York Police Department followed a young man who behaved suspiciously and observed him for several minutes in the lobby of an ATM. I was extracting money with one card after another, All of them falsifiedtaking advantage of the day change to overcome the daily limits of withdrawal. That scene was just the tip of the iceberg of a much more complex criminal network, as detailed years later The New York Times. That young man was called Albert Gonzalez, although on the Internet he preferred to hide After alias as “Soupnazi”. What he did was known in the criminal forums as “CASHING OUT“: Use cloned cards to get cash before banks could react. His detention opened the door to an unprecedented operation. The agents discovered that he stored millions of card numbers on their computer and that, in addition to executing fraud, it had detailed knowledge about cybercrime techniques. Gonzalez was not any criminal The role of this individual in the community of cyber criminals was highlighted: he exercised as a moderator in Shadowcrew, a forum that centralized the exchange of stolen banking data, tools for falsifying cards and advice to exploit vulnerabilities in the financial system. When it was arrested, As NPR points out, He chose to collaborate with the authoritieswhich allowed him to dodge an immediate conviction and become an informant of the Electronic Crimes Unit of the Secret Service. For months, he collaborated in an undercover operation within Shadowcrew and facilitated an international maneuver that culminated in October 2004 with 28 arrested in several countries. The operation, Baptized as Firewallbecame a reference for cybercrime investigations. But the story did not end there. While working for the Government, Gonzalez parallelly built a much more ambitious criminal network. Using various techniques, it accessed internal systems of large American clothing and distribution chains such as TJX (owner of TJ Maxx and Marshalls), Offemax (stationery and office material) or DSW (footwear). Justice data indicate that he and his collaborators stole more than 40 million numbers of credit and debit cards. These intrusions included the installation of “sniffer” programs capable of capturing in real time the data of the cards used in point of sale. The numbers were subsequently encoded on virgin cards and used to remove cash in ATMs. Arrested in the middle of the Firewall operation The final jump came with the use of the SQL injection technique, which allowed to remotely access databases from web forms. With her, Gonzalez and her team They managed to infiltrate Companies servers such as Heartland Payment Systems, one of the main payments processors in the United States. The attack committed the data of millions of transactionsaffecting more than 250 financial entities, and went down in history as the greatest robbery of cards recorded until then. This was detailed by the United States Department of Justice in an official statement issued in 2009. Chains such as 7-Eleven (convenience stores) and Hannaford Brothers (supermarkets) were also affected. Albert González While collaborating with the day authorities, at night he continued to send stolen databases through contacts in Eastern Europe. He used ghost companies, opaque transfer systems and mules to bleach millions. He even sold committed information to hackers who were being investigated, thus feeding new lines of accusation. Finally, after a series of key arrests and the tracking of an email account linked to their old alias, the agents closed the fence. He was arrested in 2008 at a Hotel in Miami. Shortly after, he led researchers to a bidon buried at their parents’ house With more than one million dollars in cash. American justice condemned in 2010 to 20 years and one day in prison for crimes of conspiracy, computer fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. It also imposed two fines of $ 25,000 each, which total a total of $ 50,000, and three years of freedom guarded. The ruling grouped the causes presented in Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. Albert Gonzalez, who, According to Podcast Malicious Life and The New York Timeshad come to hack NASA being a teenager and had caught the attention of the FBI, ended up becoming one of the greatest traitors of the hacker ecosystem and a key figure to understand the evolution of cybercrime in the era of electronic commerce. On September 19, 2023, he ceased to be in custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, As stated in the records of the American prison system with the number 25702-050. Since then, his trail has become discreet, as if he tried to definitely move away from his past. Images | Screen capture | Secret service (1, 2) In Xataka | Some users are using OPENAI O3 and O4-Mini to find out the location of photos: it is a nightmare for privacy

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