surprise

TikTok’s new hobby is to enter one of the most guarded buildings in Hollywood by surprise: Scientology

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The Church of Scientology building in Hollywood has been generating curiosity, controversy and mistrust in equal parts for decades. But in recent days, a group of content creators have found a peculiar way to interact with it: run inhold on as long as they can and leave through the emergency door before the staff escorts them there. The creation of traditional hooligan content, but in this case it allows you to take a morbid look inside buildings that jealously guard their secrets. Like Sonic, but faster. in culture gamera speedrun It consists of completing a video game in the shortest time possible, often exploiting unconventional routes and small system glitches to break records. To apply that logic to real life, there are a few kids who have chosen the Hollywood headquarters of the Church of Scientology as their setting, one of the most photographed and least known buildings in the neighborhood. The result: videos where the participants They burst through the front doorthey run through the hallways as much as the staff allows and end up being escorted to the exit. Nobody has gotten very far. Perverting the rules. The curious thing is that Scientology wants you to enter their buildings. Their headquarters are designed to attract curious visitors, with open tours and helpful staff. Of course: the organization prefers to do it on its own terms, guided, monitored and with the rhythm set by its recruitment protocol. What it does not tolerate is someone entering without warning, at full speed and with a camera pointing towards rooms with the door completely open. The staff at the Hollywood building has been identifying creators who routinely troll them for some time, and when they see someone who could be a problem, the doors close. That, inevitably, has added an element of play and challenge to the matter. How many people are there watching it. The most viral video of this trend accumulates more than 35 million views in one week. In reality, there are two or three main videos that are redistributed non-stop on different platforms, so in reality it is not so much a cultural or viral movement, as a couple of content creators who have found a key that interests millions of people. An unexpected debate. What the challenge has generated is a more substantial discussion about whether these videos function as a criticism of Scientology. Journalist Yashar Ali, known for his critical coverage of the organization for years, said in X that this type of content “fits perfectly with Scientology’s internal indoctrination, which teaches its members that the outside world is a violent place that wants to sabotage the spread of its teachings.” The speedruns They reinforce the idea that outside critics are hostile and disrespectful, which plays into the narrative that members need to protect themselves from the outside. Content magnet. The Scientology building in Hollywood is not an unknown building for critical content creators. TikTok accumulates years of videos about Scientology: testimonies from former members such as Leah Remini or the former manager Mike Rinderanalysis of their practicesrecordings on public roads of his recruitment methodsmany of them on platforms like TikTok itself. This informative content now coexists with the format speedrunalthough the depth and impact of both, evidently, are very different. Header | mikepmiller

That Alibaba creates its own chip for AI agents is no surprise. Let it be neither ARM nor x86, but 5nm RISC-V, yes

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The Chinese giant Alibaba just announced the launch of its new high-end CPU, the XuanTie C950 processor. Developed by and for AI agents, it is a five-nanometer chip with a speed of 3.2 GHz whose surprise is not in any of these figures. The surprise is in its architecture, which is neither x86 nor ARM, but RISC-V. Therefore, it is not only the most powerful RISC-V processor created to date, but also a declaration of intent that can be summarized in two words: technological sovereignty. What is this chip about?. XuanTie CPUs are developed by Damo Academy, Alibaba’s research division. The previous model, the XuanTie C930, was announced on March 10 as the first server grade processor developed by Alibaba. Just two weeks later, the Chinese company has announced a new chip, the XuanTie C950, which is, according to the firm, three times more powerful than its predecessor (the C920 announced in 2024). Alibaba has not revealed which factory produced it, but it is based on the RISC-V architecturethat its process is five nanometers and that its speed amounts to 3.2 GHz. This launch occurs in a very particular context. Just a few days ago, and in response to the rapid adoption of OpenClaw by local companies, Alibaba Wukong announced.its platform for deploying AI agents in enterprise environments. This chip aims to improve the inference. In other words, the XuanTie C950 will serve to improve the computational process carried out by the language models in order to generate the responses that correspond to the requests they receive. In a context of agents working with files, data, and diverse environments, this is important. Processor prototype based on RISC-V architecture | Image: Wikimedia Commons Why RISC-V? Mainly, because unlike x86 and ARM, RISC-V is open and its use does not imply paying for licenses. According to Alibaba, “RISC-V’s open standard nature allows chip designers to customize instruction sets and accelerate specific AI workloads with little or no licensing costs. This is especially important for the development of AI agents.” Let’s think of RISC-V as what Linux is to Windows and Mac. If a company wants to use x86 (Intel and AMD) or ARM (SoftBank) architectures, it must pay a license. Not only that, but x86 and ARM are exposed to possible restrictions by the United States. With RISC-V, this risk disappears, which is why so much China like the European Union have found in it an escape valve towards sovereignty and technological independence. The surprising thing. That a Chinese company has managed to produce a five-nanometer chip is, to say the least, striking. To manufacture these processors it is necessary to use deep ultraviolet lithography (UVP) and, normally, machinery produced by the Dutch ASML. We know that SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp), the largest Chinese semiconductor manufacturer, had been at least since 2023 developing its own five-nanometer lithography, but with unacceptable results. When a chip wafer is manufactured, it is normal for some of its cores to malfunction. If we talk about profitability, the yield per wafer must be 70%that is, seven out of every ten cores produced work. In the year 2025, the yield of SMIC wafers was at 30%. That today, at the beginning of 2026, we see a five-nanometer chip produced, a priori, in China, would be a punch on the table by the Asian country and a strong sprint in the AI ​​race. However, it does not seem feasible. The other option, and perhaps the most plausible, is that it is not manufactured by SMIC, but by TSMC. SMIC has not managed to manufacture five-nanometer chips using the multiple patterning on your ASML UVP machines. The Taiwanese TSMC does have that capacity and, according to Nikkei Asiawill be the one who manufactures it. Be that as it may, it is a great step for the RISC-V architecture, which has gone from being relegated to small devices to reaching the league of the big ones. Featured image | Alibaba In Xataka | There is a city in China that goes head to head with Silicon Valley: welcome to Hangzhou, the home of the ‘Six Little Dragons’

Yuanjie is the unknown Chinese photonics technology company whose shares have risen 780%. The surprise is who is behind it: Huawei

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Yuanjie Semiconductor Technology It probably doesn’t sound familiar to you. And it’s completely normal. Until very recently, this Chinese company barely had visibility outside its domestic market, and even within it it played in the background compared to other giants in the sector. However, something has changed radically in the last year. Your actions They have risen nearly 780%a leap that has not only caught the attention of investors, but has placed its founder, Zhang Xingang, in the billionaires’ club. And there is a detail that adds another layer to the story: Huawei would be behind the company. So you may be wondering what exactly this company does. The key is not so much in Yuanjie itself as in the terrain on which he plays. Yuanjie makes laser chips that are used to transmit data in the form of light inside artificial intelligence-oriented data centers, a field that fits within the broader boom in photonics. It may sound technical, but the idea is quite direct: move more information, faster and with less consumption. As explained by PhotonDeltathis type of technology allows the use of photons to transmit and process information, in addition to integrating several photonic and optoelectronic functions in a single chip, with clear advantages over traditional electronics in high-demand environments. A movement that targets Huawei The other key point appears when you look at who is behind. Forbes presents to Yuanjie as a company backed by Huaweia connection that adds another dimension to their recent growth. From there, details are scarce. It has not been publicly explained how this relationship takes shape or what role each party plays, but there are a series of interesting data that are worth analyzing carefully. Now, if we go down one more level in the documents, the relationship becomes somewhat clearer. Huawei’s presence in Yuanjie would have materialized through Hubble Investment, an investment firm controlled by the Chinese group. As collected by Sina Finance Its entry occurred in September 2020 through a double formula: purchase of existing shares and subscription to a capital increase. With this operation, Hubble controlled 4.36% of Yuanjie, a percentage that later remained at 3.27% after the IPO. If we analyze the jump we can say that it is not only explained by the trend of the sector, but also by recent decisions. Yuanjie announced in February an investment of 1,251 million yuan, about 181 million dollarsto build a new production base in Xixian New Area, in the Chinese province of Shaanxi, where it also has its headquarters. Shortly after, in March, communicated his intention to explore an independent listing in Hong Kong. Two years earlier, in addition, the company had announced an investment of 50 million dollars in the United States to strengthen its international presence. Yuanjie’s journey is also best understood by looking at its founder. Zhang Xingang trained in the United States, where he obtained a doctorate in materials science at the University of Southern California and worked in companies linked to fiber optics. His time at Luminent and, later, at Source Photonics, placed him at the heart of this type of technology before returning to China. There he founded Yuanjie in 2013, with an initial focus more linked to the competitive Chinese telecommunications market, and in 2022 he took it to the STAR market in Shanghai, a platform designed for technology companies. To better understand this case, it is also worth looking at the moment that Huawei is going through. After the sanctions imposed by the United States in 2019the company was forced to reconfigure much of its business, especially in key areas such as semiconductors and software. Far from disappearing, it has gone rebuilding his position relying on its own development, from its Kirin chips to HarmonyOSand has regained weight in its domestic market. This context helps to understand why any movement linked to strategic technologies once again attracts attention to the Chinese company. In this framework, Yuanjie’s relationship with Huawei, as reported by Forbes, fits as one more possible piece within this process of technological reinforcement. There are no public details that allow us to talk about a defined strategy in the field of photonics or the specific role played by each party. But there is an underlying idea that is difficult to ignore: in the midst of a race to expand the infrastructure of artificial intelligence, technologies capable of moving data more quickly and efficiently are gaining weight. Images | Huawei | Yuanjie In Xataka | The looming bottleneck in AI is neither RAM nor gas: it’s that TSMC’s N3 node is absolutely saturated

Apple has broken an all-time sales record with the MacBook Neo in its first week. The surprise is absolutely zero

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Tim Cook himself confirmed it a few days ago in X. And Apple has managed to beat its own record with the help of MacBook Neo In terms of sales, it is the best launch of a Mac for new users in its entire history. The theme is striking to say the least, although it is little surprising considering that it is a significantly cheaper product than the rest of the equipment offered by the brand. Why does it matter? Apple has dominated the premium laptop market for decades, but it has always had a clear ceiling: its entry price. He MacBook Air with M5 part of the 1,199 euros, which leaves out a huge group of Windows PC users, Chromebook or directly without a computer. The launch of the MacBook Neo, at 699 euros (which remains at 599 for students), is Apple’s first serious attempt to conquer that market. And it seems to be working. busy week. On March 11, Apple presented three new computers simultaneously: the MacBook Neo, the MacBook Air with M5 chip and the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max. It was a pretty dense week for the Mac line. A few days later, Tim Cook published in X that this launch had broken the historical record of new Mac buyers, that is, people who purchased an Apple computer for the first time. Although Cook does not break down the figures or specify which model leads the data, the logic points in one direction. The responsible one. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro have a consolidated user base that periodically renews their equipment. The MacBook Neo, on the other hand, has no previous installed base: it is a completely new product, designed from the ground up to attract those who have never bought a Mac. With a price approximately half that of the Air, it is a profile that fits exactly with that of a buyer making the jump from Windows or a Chromebook. And it should be noted that the Mac has been on the market for decades, but there is still a huge volume of PC users who have never had one, and the Neo seems destined to change that. Who would imagine that a Mac would sell more if it were at a more competitive price… Demand exceeds supply. Another indicator of the Neo’s impact is that Apple is not being able to meet demand, according to they count from 9to5Mac. During March 20, all MacBook Neo models in Apple’s online store had a delivery date between April 6 and 13, according to the media, which means between two and three weeks of waiting for a product launched just a week ago. Normally it is something that usually happens when a new iPhone arrives, but on Mac it is something much less common. Those with an Apple Store nearby may have better luck, although the assortment varies greatly depending on location and color. The industry was already on alert. The impact of the Neo has not gone unnoticed outside of Apple. According to AppleInsiderWindows PC manufacturers have been surprised by both the price and the features of the new laptop. It is not a device for everyone, but it does seem to be for many: it has the A18 Pro chip (the same as iPhone 16 Pro) that, for office automation and navigation tasks it gives you plentyand it comes in a good assortment of colors, with a value proposition that was unprecedented on Mac and that seems to convince many users. Cover image | Apple In Xataka | Apple is not only being penalized for being late to the AI ​​boom: it is also penalizing itself for allying itself solely with Google

The United Kingdom has opened the kamikaze drone that exploded at the European base. The surprise is capital: it is not from Iran, it is "made in Russia"

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In Ukraine, the drone remains knocked down have converted in one unexpected source of strategic information: Engineers and analysts often rebuild their interior piece by piece to trace their origin, their electronics, and the supply networks that make them. IF you want, a kind of “military archeology” or “war unboxing” that has become common practice in modern conflicts, where a single microchip or a navigation module can reveal geopolitical connections much broader than a simple attack appears. The same thing just happened, but in Iran. A drone and a new unknown. When a kamikaze drone hit against the British air base of RAF Akrotiri, in Cyprus, seemed like another episode within the increasing escalation of drone attacks in the Middle East. However, analysis of the remains of the device by British intelligence has revealed an unexpected detail: inside there was a Russian military navigation system Kometa-Ba sophisticated component designed to resist electronic interference and improve the precision of attacks. The discovery surprised British researchers because the device had been launched by a Iran-aligned group from Lebanon, making the incident the first tangible evidence of Russian military technology used in an attack within the regional conflict. In Xataka Satellite images have revealed that Iran knocked down four of the US’s eight unique defense systems. If they reach zero a new war begins The track that connects two wars. The Kometa-B system is not just any component. It is about of a module which had already been detected in drones intercepted on the Ukrainian front, where Russia uses it to improve the navigation of its weapons against Western electronic warfare systems. Finding it inside a drone that ended up exploding in a European military base suggests that some of that technology has come out from the Ukrainian theater of war and has reached the military ecosystem surrounding Iran. That technical detail has opened a new line of concern among Western intelligence services: the possibility that Moscow is providing equipment, electronics or technical knowledge that is increasing the effectiveness of Iranian attacks and those of its regional allies. An alliance that is becoming closer. The discovery fits within a strategic relationship which has been deepening since the start of the war in Ukraine. During the early years of the conflict, Iran provided Russia with technology to make drones of Iranian design (especially variants of the Shahed model) that Moscow has used massively against Ukrainian infrastructure. Over time, Russia began to produce their own versions already introduce improvements electronics and navigation. Now the indications are that some of that cooperation could have been invested: Components or systems developed in the Russian military industry would appear in weapons used by militias aligned with Tehran on other fronts. {“videoId”:”x89xg5y”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford – CVN 78″, “tag”:”Ships”, “duration”:”145″} Russian intelligence in the shadows. He discovery of the drone It also coincides with information from Western officials who claim that Moscow has been providing Iran with intelligence information on US military positions in the Middle East, including the location of warships and aircraft. I counted the weekend in an exclusive the Washington Post that such support could explain the increasing precision of some recent attacks against Western military infrastructure and radar systems. Iran has limited space capabilities, with very few of its own satellites, so access to data from Russian observation systems would be a significant advantage for planning more selective attacks. In 3D Games Children under 5 years old in 2026 will never have to work, according to Vinod Khosla. This is what the great era of AI abundance has in store for us Regional conflict with echoes of global war. If you also want, the appearance Russian technology in an attack against a British base suggests that the war in the Middle East could be becoming increasingly intertwined with the strategic confrontation that already exists between Russia and the West since 2022. For Moscow, an escalation that keeps the United States and Europe focused on another front may have strategic advantagesfrom the distraction over Ukraine to the rise in oil prices. Although the Kremlin has avoided getting directly involved in the war, and even Trump maintained in the last hours a first conversation telephone with Putin, the presence of your technology on the battlefield and suspicions about intelligence sharing point to a familiar pattern of indirect conflict: a scenario in which great powers do not fight each other openly, but their weapons, their data and their influence begin to appear in increasingly unexpected places and uncomfortable. Image | National Police of UkraineRAF/MOD In Xataka | The US has begun to take on one last suicidal mission: enter Iran to remove a 441 kg buried “treasure” that gives meaning to the war In Xataka | The war in Iran has confirmed what was sensed in Ukraine: battles are won long before the first missile is launched (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news The United Kingdom has opened the kamikaze drone that exploded at the European base. The surprise is capital: it is not from Iran, it is “made in Russia” was originally published in Xataka by Miguel Jorge .

Spain is preparing a data center specifically designed to have AI for war. The surprise: it is in Soria

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More than two thousand years ago, on the hill of Numanciaits inhabitants preferred to resist to the end rather than surrender to the siege of the legions of Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus. That story of defiance against a superior enemy has remained engraved in Soria’s memory as a symbol of resistance. Now, a few kilometers from that place, in the Valcorba industrial estate, the Ministry of Defense wants to build another kind of fortress: a data center named Numant-IA, where defense will no longer be measured in walls or swords, but in servers, algorithms and artificial intelligence. A unique project. While we live a technological-military schism in the USSpain accelerates in a project that precisely combines both sections. The Government has launched Numant-IA, a data center with a notable investment and totally dedicated to offering computing for AI. Here there are, yes, two notes that stand out. The full name of the project will be the Center for Advanced Defense Technological Capabilities, and its investment is part of the Annual Contracting Plan of the Ministry of Defense (Pacdef) from 2026. It includes 7,868 proposals and 156 framework agreements with a combined value of 10,102 million euros. Soria, new technological capital. The data center announced by the Government last September and that already it was outlined months before, it will have its headquarters in Soria. The project will take advantage of a space provided by the Soria City Council and that covers an area of ​​almost four hectares in the Valcorba industrial estate. Lieutenant General José María Millán, director of CESTIC, already warned then that said center will carry out the “incorporation of artificial intelligence systems for the benefit of the Armed Forces.” Military applications. The initial investment, which was 70 million euros, has been increased to almost 130 million euros according to El Heraldo de Soriaand will be assumed by the Ministry of Defense. Its resources will be used for applications that will process classified data in the area of ​​operations and logistics, and military applications will be an integral part of its mission. This project confirms other movements of the Armed Forces such as the development of Gonzalo, that “ChatGPT” for the army which is precisely designed to support this type of tasks safely. Employment and template. About 20 people will be a permanent part of the staff of this center that will operate 24/7 once it is operational. The construction of the data center, the Department of Defense states, will generate “a significant economic and employment impact on the city.” We know when, but we don’t know what. The Ministry of Defense has indicated that the project has a construction period of 24 months, and therefore they hope that it will theoretically be ready by early 2028. What we do not know is what type of infrastructure it will house or what the real capacity of the data center will be. 67.88 million euros will be dedicated to information systems and servers – unspecified, perhaps because they are not yet defined – while construction will be allocated 58.68 million euros and a third item of 1.65 million euros has no specified purpose. Sovereignty and decentralization. Choosing Soria as the location for this data center responds to the decentralization strategy of the Armed Forces. The defense budgets demonstrate this with a distribution of these funds throughout Spain in different projects that try to avoid the danger of excessive centralization of critical centers. The movement also answers to others that we have been seeing for months and that make it clear that in Spain and Europe they are trying to find solutions that allow us to have the highest possible degree of digital sovereignty. Image | Ministry of Defense In Xataka | Spain’s main problem is not weapons, fighters or drones: it is the number of hands it lacks to use them

five gifts to surprise with on the next Father’s Day

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There are two weeks left until the arrival Father’s Day. If this year you don’t want to get caught out and buy the typical last-minute socks or purse, you have time to do it right and surprise your father in 2026. Below we offer you a selection with some gifts that he will surely love. Pack Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition + wireless charging case and base by 267.38 euros: with seven-inch color screen and various accessories. Razor Philips OneBlade 360 by 39.99 euros: with a guide comb and autonomy of up to 60 minutes. Wine accessories set Fackelmann by 17.99 euros: with cooling sleeve, aerator and corkscrew. Smart TV Haier H32K702FG by 139.99 euros: 32-inch LED and Android TV. Pack of two surveillance cameras Blink Mini by 24.99 euros: with two-way audio and compatible with Alexa. Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition Pack + case and wireless charging base If your father is a book devourer and keeps linking one title to another, perhaps a good gift (especially to save space at home) is to give him an e-book reader. Now, on Amazon, they have reduced the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Editionwhich comes in a pack with a case and wireless charging base for 267.38 euros. He Kindle Colorsoft stands out for its seven inch color screen. Its battery is charged via USB-C and can last up to eight weeks. Although, thanks to this pack, you can also charge it with the wireless charging base that is included. If your father travels a lot or takes the subway or bus every day, this Kindle is very thin and light, making it very comfortable to transport. Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition (32 GB) + case + wireless charging base The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Philips OneBlade 360 ​​razor More and more men have beards and if your father has one, you surely want him to have it in perfect condition. This shaver Philips OneBlade It is a real bestseller and now it has a discount of 20 euros on Amazon and you can buy it for 39.99 euros. This shaver from Philips is effective even on the longest hair and is 360, meaning it can be tilted in all directions. comes with a guide comb so you can choose the appropriate length and with its double-sided blade you can create precise edges. It works with a battery, which is charged via USB and offers a range of up to 60 minutes. Philips OneBlade 360 ​​- Hybrid Razor The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Fackelmann Wine Accessories Set A very useful gift for parents who like to enjoy a good glass of wine at home can be this Fackelmann set. Thanks to this set, you will be able to serve wine in perfect condition and now it only costs 17.99 euros. The set comes with a cooling sleeve for wine and cava bottles, a aerator and a corkscrew. The cover is equipped with a cooling gel that can be repeatedly frozen and is made of elastic nylon, to provide a universal fit. As for the aerator, it optimizes the oxygenation of the wine through the Bernoulli effect, improving its flavor. Fackelmann Wine Accessories Set The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Smart TV Haier H32K702FG If your father likes to watch TV in bed, you might be interested in giving him a small TV for the bedroom. This Haier H32K702 FG It is perfect, not only for its size, but for its price: 139.99 euros. The LED panel of this TV is type 32 inch LED and it offers Full HD resolution and for the price it is not bad. Works under the operating system Android TV and has Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, WiFi and Ethernet port. As far as audio is concerned, its speakers offer 8 W RMS power and are compatible with Dolby Audio. Haier Direct LED Full HD H32K702FG – 32″, Smart-TV, HDR, Dolby Audio, Android 11, Smart-TV, Google Assistant, Bluetooth 5.1, DBX TV, HDMI 2.1 x 3, Frameless The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Pack of two Blink Mini surveillance cameras Finally, if your father is worried about home security and, every time you go on a trip, he says he has to buy a surveillance camera; Now, on Amazon, there is a very interesting offer. This is the pack of two Blink Mini surveillance cameras, which has gone from costing 44.99 euros to 24.99 euros. You can get these indoor surveillance cameras in black or white and are compatible with Alexa. They offer images in HD 1080p resolution and have two-way audioso they are ideal even if you have pets at home and want to calm them while you are not at home. Blink Mini | Compact Smart Security Camera, 2-Pack The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Image | Amazon, Blink, Haier, Fackelmann, Philips and Freepik In Xataka | Best e-books: which one to buy and nine recommended models In Xataka | Five things to keep in mind before buying an e-book

If the US attacks Iran with drones, it will be in for a surprise. Russia shielded its sky with an explosive weapon: Verba

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It we count last week. In the Middle East, crises rarely erupt overnight. First pieces move away from the spotlight, discreet commitments are signed and deployments multiply that seem routine. Only later, when everything falls into place, do you understand that the board had been preparing for something bigger for weeks. Now we know that Washington has not been the only one that has prepared. Agreement sealed in the shadows. counted this morning in an exclusive the financial times that Iran and Russia signed a secret contract of almost 500 million euros for delivery of 500 lVerba portable spears and 2,500 9M336 missiles. It would be Tehran’s most significant move to rebuild air defenses devastated after the 12 day war against Israel. The Iranian request came just days after its integrated network was seriously degraded by Israeli and American attacks, which allowed enemy aircraft to operate with superiority over large areas of the country. The agreement provides deliveries until 2029although the media explained that there are indications of early shipments, and it is complemented with night vision devices and other equipment that points to a phased but urgent reconstruction. What are Verba and why do they matter. The Verba system is a portable guided missile infrared designed to shoot down drones, cruise missiles and low-level aircraft such as helicopters, operated by small mobile teams that can deploy dispersed defenses without depending on fixed radars vulnerable to bombing. These are not heavy strategic systems like lthe S-300 or S-400but rather a flexible tactical layer that complicates helicopter operations and low-level flights. Its adoption is rapid, requires less integration and allows Iran to reinforce critical points at a relatively acceptable cost for Moscow, which can supply them without weakening substantially its own defense against Ukraine. Verba missile carrier A military alliance despite sanctions. Apparently the contract was negotiated between Rosoboronexport and the Iranian Ministry of Defense, with intermediaries already sanctioned by Washington, in a context of growing cooperation that includes Iranian drones employed by Russia in Ukraine and a bilateral treaty signed in 2025. Moscow thus demonstrates that it has no intention of abiding by Western sanctions or the arms embargo reactivated by European powers, while Tehran tries rebuild the relationship following the perception that Russia did not come to their aid during the latest conflict with Israel. The flow of cargo flights and the reception of attack helicopters Mi-28 reinforce the image of a active and sustained military association. The largest deployment since 2003. It we count last week. The agreement emerges in parallel to a massive accumulation of American air and naval power in the Middle East, with dozens of F-35, F-15 and A-10 fighters deployed at bases such as Muwaffaq Salti in Jordan and Prince Sultan in Saudi Arabia, in addition to two aircraft carrier groups led by the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford. In total, about 40,000 troops and a fleet comparable to the one before the 2003 invasion of Iraq support Donald Trump’s threats to impose a nuclear ultimatum on Tehran. Iran, for its part, warns that it would respond by attacking US bases in the region if hit. A reinforcement that changes the risk calculation. The new systems They will not turn Iran into a conventional rival comparable to the United States or Israel, of course, nor will they prevent sustained air campaigns if these are executed with technological superiority. However, they can raise cost and risk of specific operations, especially helicopter raids or low-altitude attacks, and prolong a possible conflict by making initial phases of aerial suppression difficult. In an environment where each shootdown would have a disproportionate political and strategic impact, the mere presence of hundreds of mobile launchers introduces a tactical deterrence variable. A preparation race. What does seem quite clear is that the combination Iranian rearmament and American deployment draws a scenario of maximum tension in which diplomacy and force advance in parallel. Tehran seeks to buy time, rebuild defensive layers and negotiate from a less vulnerable position. Washington tries to pressure with a demonstration of power without recent precedents in the region. What happens in the coming weeks will not only determine whether there is an attack or an agreement, but also whether the Russian-Iranian alliance is consolidated as a military axis capable of openly challenging the sanctions regime and reconfiguring the strategic balance of the Middle East. Image | ТАСС In Xataka | It is so small that it can barely be seen from space, but this secret island is the main problem for the US to attack Iran In Xataka | If the most advanced US nuclear aircraft carrier maintains its speed it will reach its destination on Sunday: a bad omen for Iran

“We didn’t expect this.” A Ukrainian drone has revealed a Russian arsenal in a warehouse, and the surprise has been huge: the missiles are animals

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From the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when tanks were advancing while logistics columns were bogged down and fuel was scarce, the war began to reveal an uncomfortable paradox: the more modern it became in the skies, more “medieval” It was done on the ground. In fact, in that space where drones, satellites and trenches coexist, the return of solutions from the past apparently overcome was an early sign that the conflict was going to be, above all, a test of resistance. The latest Ukrainian discovery has confirmed that the wear and tear is tremendous. The return of the war of attrition. The irony is that the war in Ukraine has been shedding any illusion of modernity to return, as the days go by, to brutal logic of wear, one in which the quantity and capacity to take losses They weigh more than any technological “game changer”, and where the Russian army, pressured by the massive consumption of material and men, is beginning to show obvious signs of logistical exhaustion. On the southern and eastern front, the shortage of armored vehicles and modern systems is no longer hidden with silence, but is manifest in improvised solutions reminiscent of conflicts from another era and centuries, while Moscow insists on maintaining constant pressure on Ukrainian defenses at any cost. Cavalry in the 21st century. This wear and tear became visible at the beginning of 2026 when Ukrainian units detected and neutralized Russian assaults carried out on horseback, a tactic that seemed banished from modern warfare but that reappeared in sectors such as Oleskiivka in response to lack of means conventional. We are talking about small assault groups that advanced mounted, supported by prior reconnaissance, in infiltration attempts that ended up being aborted by drones and fire defensive, leaving such an absurd image (and repeated) as revealing: many horses survived, but the soldiers did not, and the Russian army confirmed that it was willing to resort to any available resources to sustain its offensive. The drone and the impossible arsenal. Now, the scene What finally condensed this drift came several weeks later, when a Ukrainian drone sneaked through the destroyed roof of a hidden warehouse, several kilometers from the line of contact, with the usual expectation of finding ammunition, fuel or military vehicles. What happened gives an idea of ​​these four years of slow war that has worn down both sides. Instead of artillery and technology to advance, the camera showed something that looked like something out of a rural garage: aging civilian cars, motorcycles from another era, and saddled horses, an “arsenal” as unexpected as it is eloquent of the state of the war in many areas. The message. “We didn’t expect to see this. It was really unusual,” said the drone pilot. to the Insider mediumspeaking on condition that he only be identified by his callsign “Cosmos.” “We were hoping to find some armored vehicles,” he added. He video It went viral because it summarized in seconds the real state of Russian logistics, but also because it demonstrated that those animals were not an isolated anecdote, but part of a system that already uses cheap and expendable media to move and attack under the constant threat of drones. Russia and the logic of sacrifice. For the Ukrainian commanders, this discovery is neither trivial nor a simple curiosity, but rather proof of a way of waging war based on accepting massive losses of material and personnel, replacing armored by civilian cars and horses because they are easier to replace. This logic, which prioritizes the attrition of the enemy, even if the cost is enormous, explains why Moscow continues to advance slowly, launching assaults with many times obsolete or improvised in regions such as Donbas, even when the monthly casualty figures, according to NATOreach levels that are difficult to sustain. If you will, the drone that expected to find missiles and found animals ended up portraying, better than any report, a war that moves backwards while consuming everything at hand. Image | 82nd Air Assault Brigade, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine In Xataka | It is evident that Russia can absorb thousands and thousands of casualties. So Ukraine is already designing a much riskier plan In Xataka | An unprecedented experiment is happening in Ukraine: bombs have turned dogs into other animals

There are TikTok influencers reading ‘Wuthering Heights’ and not understanding its vocabulary. It shouldn’t surprise us

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A viral video where a young Spanish woman complains about the difficulty of reading the romantic classic ‘Wuthering Heights’ has sparked a generational debate about reading comprehension. But beyond the controversy, the data show a real problem: reading skills are falling in all generations, with digital natives being the sector of the population most especially affected. The video. It lasts just two minutesbut it has been generating debate for days. A 25-year-old girl complains, with her copy of ‘Wuthering Heights’ in hand, that she finds the language archaic, she needs to consult the dictionary constantly to understand terms like “tin” or “par excellence”, and she estimates that it will take months to finish it. The video has accumulated millions of views and has unleashed a generational war on social networks: how is it possible, say the most veterans, that a university student does not know relatively commonly used words or is not used to consulting a dictionary? The conversation should not be limited to pointing out blame and differences between educational levels. We are facing a generational change that alludes to how written language is processed, and ‘Wuthering Heights’ has become the accidental battlefield on which to explore that transformation. New times. There is a gap between contemporary narrative aimed at young audiences and literary classics. Young Adult (YA) prose, a genre that attracts millions of readers on social networks (a fact: 55% of the readers who roam TikTok are between 18 and 34 years old, and 78% they are women) prioritizes immediacy, agile dialogues and direct descriptions. It is literature designed for rapid consumption, in tune with digital rhythms. Emily Brontë, for her part, wrote for Victorian readers accustomed to long subordinate clauses, detailed descriptions, and a vocabulary that assumed a certain formal education. Distance is both temporal and structural: different narrative architectures for differently trained brains. The data. The TikTok viral could be interpreted as an isolated anecdote, but a recent study by the BBVA Foundation prepared by Spanish researchers with international data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). It reveals a progressive decline in reading and numerical skills since the Millennial generation: those born after 1980 show significantly lower cognitive skills than Baby Boomers and Generation X when they were the same age. According to the study, Generation Z obtains reading comprehension scores up to 20 points below Generation PIAAC standardized testswhich evaluate the ability to understand, interpret and use written information. The gap widens in numerical skills: young people born after 1995 show difficulties in interpreting graphs, calculating percentages or solving basic mathematical problems applied to real situations. The deterioration is systematic, and also affects developed countries with advanced educational systems. Eyes that do not see. The studies of eye tracking from the Nielsen Norman Group document how users read on the Internet following an F pattern: two horizontal sweeps across the top, followed by a quick vertical scan down the left side. Reading becomes selective keyword tracking. This behavior, typical of Internet browsing, is inappropriate for complex texts that require following arguments developed over multiple pages. The architecture of attention changes: we move from deep dive to shallow scan. The fault of social networks. Digital platforms are designed to capture attention through short, dopamine content. The algorithms reward 15-second videos, striking images, and texts that are consumed at a glance. The attention economy does not encourage depth, and reading ‘Wuthering Heights’ requires the opposite: sustained concentration, tolerance for ambiguity, the ability to memorize information while constructing cumulative meaning. They are skills that atrophy without training. If new generations show systematic deficits in these areas, the consequences transcend the debate over whether or not someone can read a Victorian classic. They affect how we process information of all kinds: medical, legal, financial, political… The young woman in the viral video may be a symptom of something more worrying than the inability to read texts with unusual vocabulary. Facilitate access? This controversy opens up a multitude of tremendously fascinating sub-controversies: educate better or facilitate access to complex texts? For example, Penguin Random House launched its collection in the United Kingdom in 2019. Penguin English Library with updated translations of classics, maintaining the original meaning but eliminating obsolete linguistic turns that slow down reading. The also British The School of Life He published versions “translated into modern English” of philosophers such as Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. AND apparentlythese editions sold 40% more than traditional versions among readers under 30 years of age during the year 2020-2021. But there is also the counterargument that simplifying language impoverishes the experience of reading. The classics are not just arguments or themes that can be transported to any packaging. For example, Brontë’s prose, with its labyrinthine subordinate clauses and convoluted vocabulary, builds atmosphere and rhythm. Removing that complexity to “make it easier” to read is like reducing the length of a classical music symphony because today’s listeners prefer three-minute songs. The search should perhaps be to improve reading training, not to adjust the texts to the less prepared reader. In Xataka | The best books to read in 2026: a selection of readings from all genres for a year between pages

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