systems

surpasses all existing defense systems

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In 1961, the Soviet Union Tsar bomb detonated over the Arctic. Its shock wave was so enormous that it broke windows hundreds of kilometers away and circled the planet several times, registering at seismic stations around the world. That essay didn’t have much practical military sense: It was, above all, a psychological demonstration intended to send a very specific message to the West. Since then, much of Russian nuclear strategy has revolved around the same idea: convincing the adversary that there is always a weapon capable of overcoming any defense imaginable. The “ultimate weapon” card. Yes, Russia has just recovered one of the most classic elements of the Cold War: announcing a missile as if it were a tool capable of completely breaking the global strategic balance. Vladimir Putin confirmed that he RS-28 Sarmatknown in NATO like Satan IIwill be operationally deployed at the end of 2026 after a new successful test including video. Moscow does not simply present it as a new intercontinental nuclear missile, but as “the most powerful missile system in the world”, a platform specifically designed to overcome any existing or future anti-missile shield. The message is not accidental. Russia wants to reinstall a very specific idea in the minds of the West: that, even in a scenario of maximum technological defense, it still retains the capacity to guarantee mass nuclear destruction. Sarmat does not seek only to destroy. The most important thing from Russian speech It is not only the power of the missile, but the insistence that it can avoid any attempt at interception. According to Moscow, the Sarmat combines ballistic and suborbital trajectories, a range of more than 35,000 kilometers and penetration systems capable of confusing or saturating anti-missile defenses. Russia also claims it can carry multiple nuclear warheads and potentially maneuverable hypersonic vehicles. like the Avangard. In other words, the goal is not just to unleash more power, but to break the Western defensive logic built for decades around radars, interceptors and anti-ballistic systems. The implicit threat is clear: even if the United States invests billions in missile defense, Moscow wants the feeling that no shield is truly reliable. “Apocalypse” after years of failures. However, behind the bombastic narrative there is a much more rugged reality. The Sarmat program accumulates delays for years and should have entered service already in 2020. Since then has suffered multiple technical issues, including failed tests and the destruction of a silo trial in 2024. The difficulties reflect both technological complexities and the effects of sanctions, economic pressure and Russian industrial attrition following the invasion of Ukraine. This is precisely why the latest essay has such political importance for the Kremlin. Moscow needs to demonstrate that it remains capable of developing new generation strategic weapons despite international isolation and despite enormous strains on its military industry. The disappearance of New START changes the context. The chosen moment is not coincidental either. Sarmat arrives in a scenario where the limits of the New START treaty have disappeared and where both Russia and the United States they think again in expanding and modernizing their nuclear arsenals. Without these restrictions, Moscow can replace old Soviet missiles with more advanced systems without the previous numerical limitations. At the same time, the United States continues to deal with delays and cost overruns in its own ICBM replacement, the Sentinel. The result is a climate that increasingly resembles a new arms racewhere both powers try to demonstrate that they maintain second-strike capacity even in the face of defensive technological advances from the adversary. The real battle is psychological. Beyond its actual specifications, the Sarmat fulfills a very specific strategic function: strengthen deterrence through fear and uncertainty. Russia has been using this type of advertisement for years to convey the idea that has “unstoppable” weapons capable of altering any Western military calculation. The Kremlin understands that perception matters almost as much as actual ability. If he manages to install the idea that his missiles can break through any defense existing, forces the United States and its allies to assume that no defensive system guarantees total security. That is the essence of the Russian message: no matter how much Western anti-missile technology advances, Moscow will still have the ability to respond with devastating force. The logic of the Cold War. If you also want, the reappearance of Sarmat It symbolizes something broader than the deployment of a new missile. It reflects the return of a strategic logic based again in gigantic weaponsexistential threats and public displays of nuclear power. For years, many thought that military competition between great powers would mainly revolve around artificial intelligence, drones or cyberattacks. Russia is remembering that nuclear weapons continue to occupy the center of the board geopolitical. And it does so by recovering a classic but always effective narrative: announcing a missile presented like so powerful and so difficult to intercept that it forces the rest of the world to wonder if there really is any defense capable of stopping it. Image | Russian Media In Xataka | In 2024, a Russian ship sank off Spain under mysterious circumstances. What he was carrying is even more suspicious In Xataka | Russia has built an imposing nuclear submarine with one mission: to launch one of the most extreme weapons ever devised

If the question is how the Egyptian pyramids were made, science has an idea: hydraulic systems

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Ancient Egypt is recognized for being one of the first hydraulic civilizations in history: they had control over irrigation canals, dams and transportation that was essential for erect and maintain a centralized kingdom for more than three thousand years in a fertile strip surrounded by desert. In the Old Kingdom period (c. 2700–2200 BC), the Egyptians built seven enormous pyramids representing approximately 25 million tons of rock cut, transported and fitted in less than 150 years. How they did it remains a mystery. In that period the pharaohs they ordered stone blocks to be moved at a rate equivalent to 50 tons per hour sustained for decades. There are several hypothesesbut none are satisfactory enough to explain that performance, especially at the beginning. The origin of everything is in Saqqara: the Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser It is the oldest of the great pyramids and the first built entirely of carved stone. This is precisely where a multidisciplinary team proposes for the first time that water was the driving force of its construction. The hydraulic hypothesis. What the research team led by Xavier Landreau proposes is a kind of hydraulic elevator formed by three large structures from the Zoser complex. The Gisr el-Mudir functioned as a retention dam, the southern Dry Trench was the settling tank and the twin shafts (connected by a 200 meter underground tunnel) constituted the lifting mechanism: a huge float that would have raised the blocks from inside the pyramid in cycles of filling and emptying. Water from the desert wadis was channeled and filtered before reaching the vertical wells. When filled, the water buoyantly raised a platform on which the blocks rested, allowing them to be deposited on the upper levels without the need for external ramps and with less labor effort. Why is it important. Firstly, because it provides a coherent functional explanation for three structures at Saqqara whose purpose was not entirely clear. The analysis brings together hydrology, archeology and civil engineering to integrate all these elements into a unified and logical system, possibly making the Saqqara complex the oldest hydraulic infrastructure in history. If the hypothesis is confirmed, it would leave behind the hegemonic belief of ramps and a large amount of labor as a universal solution for building pyramids. A hydraulic lifting system implies efficient management of resources, energy and logistics, by significantly reducing labor. Additionally, it involves even more advanced knowledge of hydraulics. The next question is clear: are there more pyramids in Egypt built like this? Context. Saqqara is on a limestone plateau west of the Nile. How the research team mappedto the west of the complex there was a potential watershed of 400 square kilometers linked to the wadi Taflah, an ancient tributary of the Nile already documented on 18th century maps. This point is important because although today it is a desert plateau, studies of sediments from the complex itself show that during the reign of Djoser the area received intense seasonal runoffwith enough kinetic energy to deposit sediments of water origin inside the structures. In short, there was water available and in quantity. Other historical hypotheses. The most consolidated theories about the construction of the pyramids point to ramps with different geometries combined with levers and sleds. For Giza for example, Jean-Pierre Houdin proposed an interior spiral ramp. For Saqqara, studies collected in the paper itself suggest that the Dry Pit was the main limestone quarry, with short ramps on each side as a supply mechanism. As for the twin wells, the dominant interpretation until now was funerary: the royal tomb of Djoser and the abode of his ka. As for the dry grave, it was considered a quarry or had a ritual function. How have they done it. This research team has not excavated anything: it has combined satellite images of Airbus Pléiadeselevation models from the French IGN and the QGIS GIS to reconstruct the paleohydrology of the environment. From here, they generated 3D models of the complex’s internal architecture with quite popular commercial software such as SolidWorks or SketchUp. Regarding the hydraulic mechanism, they developed their own deliberately simple numerical model to estimate the water consumption and carrying capacity of the system. Yes, but. Using existing data has been both its greatest strength and also its greatest virtue, as the team recognizes. That is, although their study integrates basin topography, hydraulics and internal architecture, they have not accessed the wells or dated the sediments directly. On the other hand, from the perspective of the study of Egypt, stating that the wells are not funerary contradicts decades of consolidated interpretation. On the other hand, it raises a structural question: if those who made the first pyramids in Egypt mastered this hydraulic technology, why are the pyramids after Giza increasingly smaller and poorer? In Xataka | China’s first pipeline network is 4,000 years old and something revolutionary: it was built without the need for kings or nobles In Xataka | What we see in Petra is a city “carved in stone”: what it really hides is an amazing water system Cover | Charles J Sharp

Bae Systems Ultima Herne, a huge vehicle for covert operations

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Submarines are the piece that is not seen from the board, but conditions each play. Their ability to operate stealthily and prolonged underwater allows them They protect strategic areas without being detected. Its single possibility forces any adversary to dedicate constant resources to anti -submarine defensesensors and patrols, increasing each movement. That hidden presence, more than spectacular, changes the calculation: who does not have them can fear them, and who has them can force the rival to cover themselves without certainty that they are there. That game is changing with the arrival of autonomous submarines. These platforms, designed to operate without crew, expand the scope of the most delicate missions by eliminating human risks and reduce logistics costs. Its development opens the door to prolonged and silent operations, with the ability to cover more territory and assume too dangerous tasks for manned vessels. In this context, Bae Systems has opted strong with “Herne”a large autonomous submarine vehicle that seeks to reinforce the control of the underwater space and respond to threats that grow under the surface. Bae Systems’s bet for autonomous and long -range submarine operations The British Bae Systems and Canadian Cellula Robotics signed in September an exclusive 10 -year agreement to develop and bring to the market the autonomous submarine Herne. According to Reutersthe British manufacturer hopes to have a product ready for the market at the end of 2026after tests carried out in 2024 in the United Kingdom and Canada. During these tests, the prototype completed a preprogrammed mission of intelligence, surveillance and recognition using Nautomate, the BAE autonomous control system. The company emphasizes that the project has passed “from the board to water” in just 11 months, which reflects the development rate. Herne is an extragranden autonomous submarine vehicle (Xlauv) conceived to offer flexibility and modularity. According to BAEits design allows integrating different useful loads, incorporating additional helmet sections and facilitating maintenance. It can be launched from ports, ships or even submarines, and is built with materials and technologies that reduce its acoustic signature. The platform includes tested navigation systems, safe communications and quick configuration options. And as The Register points outit can reach depths of up to 5,000 meters, travel about 5,000 kilometers and operate up to 45 days in a row, all with a size that fits in a standard 40 feet container. BAE raises Herne as a tool capable of covering a wide range of naval operations. These include intelligence and recognition missions, anti -submarine war and critical infrastructure protection in the seabed. The manufacturer emphasizes that its autonomous operation will allow to maintain persistent presence in areas of interest and collaborate with manned platforms to expand the scope of fleets. This approach is aligned with the strategic role of submarines in deterrence and with the potential of unmanned systems to expand capacities without exposing human crews. The calendar is ambitious: BAE expects Herne to be commercially available in 2026 and has estimated that she could manufacture between 10 and 20 units in 2027. In addition, she works with the aforementioned Cellula Robotics to boost Herne with hydrogen -based energy. During the tests, however, the vehicle has worked with batteries. Herne is not the only ship of her kind. The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense works in Excalibur, eithertro Autonomous submarine similar size for conceptual tests. Meanwhile, Royal Navy has reinforced its anti -submarine abilities with improvements to sound. Herne’s operational deployment will depend on future tests and her integration into this increasingly technological ecosystem. In any case, it seems that we will soon see more vehicles of this type patrolling the depths of the ocean. Images | BAE Systems In Xataka | Everything China hid the world in their parade so that no one will copy their world domination plan

Melilla has been with its collapsed systems for two weeks. Now, Villajoyosa has joined the party

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Villajosa City Council (Alicante) has suffered a very similar luck to that of the Melilla: A cyber attack has completely left ko the computer services of the municipality. In this case, the attackers have not yet attributed authorship, and from the City Council they anticipate that the recovery process will last “several days.” What happened. A cyber attack classified as ransomware The municipal computer systems has left out of the City Council itself. At the moment, the damages caused are being evaluated while trying to restore the service as soon as possible. The City Council claims to be working with the Cybersecurity Operations Center (COCS), under the National Cryptographic Center, to accelerate the process of return to normal. Meanwhile, they warn that the systems will be inactive for “several days.” How is this type of attack. Cyber ​​attacks classified as ransomware They have a very concrete purpose: Ask for a ransom. The way of operating is clear and consistent: The computer is infected Your data is kidnapped An economic rescue is requested to release them Who has the computer on, to turn it off urgently. Local media They confirm that the event began last Wednesday night, warning the City Council to its workers to immediately turn off any administration computer. The next morning, the City Council reported that its public service services were “attending manually, with the limitations that in some cases can entail.” Municipal sources point to more than 300 infected computers. A case that sounds to us. The case of Villajoyosa is important because it is the second that Spain suffers in just two weeks. Melilla has been with her collapsed computer services by a cyber attack attributed to a Russian cybercriminal group. At the beginning of this week, the figure requested by the group that assumed the authorship: 1.8 million euros in exchange for almost 4 tb of information. Among her, “all the inhabitants of the city”, tourists and information committed on public office. No solution to sight. Villajoyosa speaks of “several days” to restore the service, but there is no specific date. Melilla already has fourteen days of computer chaos, refusing to pay for the rescue and with the National Intelligence Center (CNI) working to recover the encrypted data. Studies tell us that paying an attack by ransomware increases the chances of attacking you againso the solution is not so simple. (Almost) at the head. Spain It is one of the most attacked countries in the world by cybercriminalshaving suffered a wave of cyber attacks in recent months. The last, this week, investigating a data filtration related to the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. Giants like Microsoft bet Por European security programs, offered without cost and in order to share intelligence on threats. Measures and proposals that do not seem enough to a growing phenomenon. Image | Denisdoukhan In Xataka | Europe and Spain are suffering a wave of cyber attacks. So Microsoft has decided to take action on the matter

Melilla has been with a total collapse of its computer systems for three days. The cyber attack is there

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Those responsible for the Autonomous City of Melilla indicated last Sunday night that the city’s computer services had been interrupted by technical causes. At the moment the origin of the problem is not known, but a cyber attack is investigated. Although that hypothesis is not confirmed, there is a reality: that Spain is the second most attacked country in the world by cybercriminals. What happened. On Sunday night the City Council of Melilla reported That “due to a technical problem in our computer systems, we inform citizens that, temporarily, it will not be possible to provide services through the OIAC (Information and Citizen Attention Offices).” The cyber attack hypothesis. As they point out In the Melilla lighthousethere is no official confirmation about the origin of the problem, but working on the hypothesis of a cyber attack. In that investigation, the Autonomous City has the support of the National Intelligence Center (CNI), with which maintains a collaboration agreement in cybersecurity. Collapse (almost) total. The fall of computer systems in Melilla has made the usual tasks of the administration cannot be carried out by computer. That has forced them to recover in certain cases Traditional processing methods as the manual firm to process the most urgent files. The Minister of Development, Miguel Marín, explained in statements to the media how “obviously this slows the work.” The municipal website, which allows citizens to be done through the Internet, is also falling. Three organizations are still operational. As they point out In News from Navarraonly three public bodies have been saved from the fall: the municipal housing and land company of Melilla (Emvismesa), the Promise and Immusa Economic Development Society, on which local television depends. There is no date for the recovery of systems. Both Marín and the president of the Autonomous City, Juan José Imbroda, pointed out that the priority is to recover the operation of the services. However, the initial objective of recovering them in two days has not been met, and there is no estimated date for computer systems to work normally again. Denunciation and investigation. Although there is no confirmed cause of the problem, there has been a formal complaint due to the possibility of a possible cyber attack. “The police are alerted,” said Imbroda, “we will try to find out what has really been and where it comes from.” Image | Trevor Huxham In Xataka | Carrefour received five identical cyber attacks and did nothing. Now it has a fine of 3.2 million euros

There are thousands of more efficient systems to create a “white smoking”. The Vatican refuses for a reason: the Holy Spirit

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On October 26, 1958, one of the More Rocambolescas stories Around al smoke that announces The choice of a new Pope. That morning, smoke appeared clearly white leaving the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, and the crowd gathered in the Plaza de San Pedro exploded in jubilation. However, shortly after the smoke became dark, and the faces became disbelief. That confusion stressed the need to improve the clarity of the signal and not leave everything in Holy Spirit hands. A choice between the human and the divine. When the cardinals today enter the Sistine Chapel for Start the conclave, will invoke the Holy Spirit With the song Veni Creator Spiritusan ancestral prayer that summarizes the tension between human reason and spiritual discernment. In Catholic theology, the Holy Spirit It is one of the three people of the Trinity and is considered the true guide of this process. Although the election of the Pope involves politics, strategy and human relations, it also presents itself as a Cooperation with the Divine. Some describe it as a silent presence that guides, does not impose, as a “good educator”, As Benedict XVI saidthat inspires, but does not make decisions for men. Some of it remains in the essence of the final announcement through the white smoke. One thing seems clear: the Church rejects any technification of the moment. The conclave that confused everyone. The unusual scene that we commented at the beginning should choose the successor of Pope Pius XII. That day, during one of the votes, it appeared clearly white smokeHabemus Papam, or so they thought. The people gathered in San Pedro shouted for joy, the bells of the Basilica began to repair and some media came to announce the choice. However, minutes passed, then hours, without the official announcement or the new Pontiff appeared. Finally, the Vatican clarified that he had tried to An error: The white smoke had been the product of incomplete combustion or a poorly calculated mixture, and in reality the consensus necessary to choose potatoes had not yet been reached. The confusion made it clear that some things had to be improved, something that the Vatican corrected in part over time and, since 2005, with the accompaniment of the bell repique to confirm the choice. The language of smoke. It is part of the ritual: every time the Catholic Church chooses a new Pope, millions of people look towards the small chimney from the Sistine Chapel Waiting for the signal: Black smoke if there is no agreement, white smoke if the successor has been chosen. What seems like a simple symbolic gesture is, in reality, a Extremely precise operation and loaded with engineering, chemistry, symbolism and tradition. Burning ballots and the use of smoke as a form of communication They date back to the fifteenth centurywhen a way to transmit the result of the choice without breaking the secret of the conclave. The image of smoke ascending to heaven evokes ancient religious and biblical rites, where smoke was understood as a spiritual bridge between the human and the divine. Preparations and technology. After the Death of Pope Francis At 88, the Vatican confirmed that The conclave It would begin today May 7 with a special mass in San Pedro, followed by secret votes in the Sistine Chapel. There have been installed Two stoves: One to burn ballots and another to generate the visible smoke. These stoves are connected through A metallic ductcarefully assembled and inserted by technicians who work without damaging the Renaissance structure of the chapel. Each tube union is sealed, previous smoke tests are carried out and firefighters are available in alert in case any technical failure occurs. Everything must work without error margin: an escape or an ambiguous signal would turn the liturgical act into a global crisis broadcast live. The 1958 example does not forget. The chemistry of the message. To ensure that the world clearly sees what happens within the conclave, smoke is not exclusive product of ballot combustion. The BBC counted that chemical compounds packaged and electronically activated are used. To generate black smoke, potassium, anthracene and sulfur perchlorate is mixed, and for white, potassium, lactose and pine resin is used. In the past He tried with wet and dry strawbut the results were inconsistent. Since 2005, the Vatican also sounds like those bells of San Pedro to visually and loudly confirm that a new pontiff has been chosen, avoiding confusion such as those that have occurred in the past. Negative to modernize. The truth is that the system could be much easier if the Church would like to take advantage of some of the new technologies. However, despite the advances and suggestions of implementing colored lights, digital alerts or more modern electronic systems, the Vatican insists on Keep the ritual as it is. If you want and from your perspective, for your excellence it is not just about communicating a news, but about preserving a liturgical experience with deep theological burden. As The historian Candida Moss explainedthe smoke not only informs: it incorporates the faithful to the mystery, makes them feel participants of a transcendental moment in the life of the Church. The papal choice is not (alone) an administrative event, but a ceremony full of centuries of faith, solemnity and spiritual continuity. Image | blues_brotherWikimedia In Xataka | Just before locking themselves in the conclave, the cardinals have done one last thing in the Vatican: to give a binge In Xataka | Francisco I has died, so the most strange and fascinating ritual of the Church begins: the funeral of a Pope

It is a sign that security systems have worked

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He Great blackout today He has aroused the alarms in the environments of some of the country’s refineries. The refinery of Repsol in A Coruña and that of Pentronor in Muskiz They have emitted blacks blacks during today’s noon. In both cases, from the refineries it has been called to tranquility. A security measure. As reported by the companies that own refineries, the smoke was due not to a problem but to the proper functioning of the security system of these centrals. “All security measures have been automatically activated, which has caused the output of black smoke through the three torches,” Petronor detailed In a press release. The cause of this incident has been in the blackout that, for hours, has affected the peninsular network, leaving almost the entire country without electricity. In the case of the Biscay Refinery, the blackout has forced at 12:30 to the off of all units. According to The company has detailedthe torches are necessary security measures when it comes to releasing pressure in certain circumstances in this type of facilities. The fact that they have activated is precisely a sign that everything has worked as it should. Constant monitoring. Beyond the proper functioning of this type of industrial complexes, the possible impact on health and the environment is, naturally, in the center of the concern of many. In this regard, the company has stressed There are several parameters They are monitored to ensure that the torches work at all times correctly: flows, temperature and even the appearance of the flame are among these factors. The flame of the torches is due to the fact that, precisely to avoid problems derived from the emission to the atmosphere of certain gases, these have to be burned. The peninsular blackout. The Iberian Peninsula has suffered today one of the most notorious blackheads In recent years In Europe. A blackout which has also affected some areas of southern France. While Spain and Portugal gradually recover the supply, there is little that is known about the origin of the cut, which began at 12:30 noon and from which it began to be left in some past areas 3:00 p.m. In Xataka | Light has gone throughout Spain: what to do in this situation and how to keep you informed Image | Petronor

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