United

Until now, Mexican children under 14 years of age did not have to pass an interview to enter the United States. That’s over

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Mexico is preparing for an image that is difficult to see in recent years. With the changes in immigration policy and of access to the United States As a backdrop, the Trump administration has decided that both Mexicans under 14 and those over 79 will no longer be exempt to pass an interview with a consular officer to obtain their “non-immigrant” visas. In practice, this will affect children and the elderly who want to travel to the neighboring country to spend their holidays, for studies, business or for medical reasons. What has happened? That the US State Department has changed slightly the guidelines that Mexicans who want to apply for a nonimmigrant visawhich is used for tourism or business trips. And it has done so in an aspect that has generated some expectation in the country. From now on (from a few months ago actually) and as a general rule, Mexicans under 14 years of age and those over 79 must undergo a consular interview in person to obtain the document, just like the rest of the population. So far both (children and elderly) They used to be exempt. What does the US say exactly? The guideline collected in the official website of the US Embassy and Consulates in Mexico is quite clear: “All applicants for non-immigrant visas to the US, including those under 14 years of age and those over 79, will generally be required to appear for an in-person interview with a consular officer.” There are some exceptions, although for specific cases and as long as those involved meet “certain requirements”, such as presenting the petition in their country and not having been rejected before. For example, applicants for diplomatic visas or those who want to renew their B-1, B-2, B1/B2 permits or Border Crossing Card or Folio are exempt from the obligation. Of course, your passes cannot be expired for more than 12 months. This is also new, as remember The Country. Before they could take advantage of Dropbox process (visa interview waiver program) for 48 months following the expiration date of the document. Screenshot of the official website of the US Embassy and Consulates in Mexico. Why is it important? For several reasons. The first, as has been responsible for highlighting part of the Mexican press, is that in practice the change will mean that children and octogenarians will have to meet in person with a consular officer if they want to obtain their visa. In the case of minors under 14 years of age, it is no longer useful for their parents to come alone with all the documentation. The second reason is that the concept of “nonimmigrant visas” is broad. The list published by the US Department of State shows that its vast range includes those people who want to cross the Mexican border for business, tourism, to receive medical treatment, as athletes, to study or work as seasonal agricultural workers, among other cases. What do you recommend doing? The range is so wide that there are those who advises plan the procedures well in advance, especially at the busiest consulates, and starting from the base that the applicant will most likely have to pass the interview. The US administration itself remember That, if necessary, the consulate can request this procedure even from those who are exempt. Is it something exceptional? No. The US has tightened the access conditions for citizens of other countries (not just Mexico) and has become stricter with the requirements required of applicants for family-based immigrant visas. At the end of 2025 even transcended a proposal from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that proposes that foreign travelers who want to cross the border in the United States must reveal up to five years of their network history. In the case of consular interviews for Mexican visa applicants, the change in criteria has come up against another handicap: a confusion in the dates. As remember The ImpartialIn July 2025, a guide was published that advanced the changes and stated that these would come into force as of September 2. According to a later update, the change was activated later: in October. Images | Global Residence Index (Unsplash) and Francesca Albert (Unsplash) In Xataka | More and more Americans want to live outside the US but they have a problem: Europe is closing its doors

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates import millions of tons of sand every year despite living on immense deserts

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The story is striking in itself: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two countries closely associated with the desert, import tons and tons of sand every year. So striking, in fact, that the first intuition is that it is false. But, as soon as you get closer to it, you discover that not only is it true, but it is more interesting than it seems. Because yes, these countries import a lot of sand. In 2023, only the United Arab Emirates bought more than six million tons. And it is surprising, of course, because these are two countries located on enormous deserts. The explanation, however, is simple: the sand they have is not suitable for certain things. At a technical level, what is known as “eolian sand” (that which the wind accumulates in dunes) is very fine, very uniform and very rounded. That makes it a poor sand for making glass, concrete or other industrial products. It is not that it cannot be used, but it requires adjusting the mixtures, controlling the granulometry and impurities (fines), and carefully balancing the manufacturing processes. That is to say, the process ends up becoming so expensive that it is cheaper to import sand that is more suitable for standardized processes. And this, ultimately, should not surprise us. Sand is, today, the second most exploited resource in the world (only after water). The United Nations Environment Program estimates that every year 50,000 million tons of sand and gravel are used. What’s more, the lack of sand is so obvious that there are criminal networks that traffic with her internationally. However, we are not talking about just any sand. There are, as is evident, many types of sand. For what is not interesting today we can distinguish natural sand (HS 250590) and siliceous/quartz sand (HS 250510). The Gulf countries import, above all, the second. Emirates, to give an example, is spent half a million a year in the first and 87 million in the second. That is to say, although they are countries ‘rich’ in sand, they do not have the sand they need. A sand, moreover, with very specific specifications (granulometry, purity, humidity, fines, contaminants, consistency of supply) and that are basic for glass, foundry, filtration or the chemical industry. However, they also import natural sand. And this is interesting because, as they point out in the UNthis only makes clear the significance of the problem of governance and externalities. Despite having usable sand, in many cases it is preferred to buy from other countries (such as Oman) to avoid the negative externalities of draining sand from their coasts and deserts. Something that can alter livelihoods (fishing, agriculture due to salinization, coastal tourism) and increase vulnerability to storms. In the summer of 2019, the couple who became famous was arrested in Sardinia for hiding 40 kilos of sand in his trunk. That was the anecdote, the problem was another: that beyond mass tourism, the tensions on the sand are increasingly greater. It is something that has only grown and is normal. The world is not here to do without one of its most valuable resources. Image | Lars Portjanow In Xataka | We are running out of sand. And there are already traffickers who negotiate with it in India or Morocco

Taiwan colonizing the United States with TSMC as the spearhead

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TSMC is the big name in the global semiconductor industry. We all have companies like NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Intel or AMD in mind, but It is TSMC that produces most of the chips of these companies. The Taiwanese company produces around 60% of the world’s chips, but when we talk about the most advanced chips, that dominance is practically total. It is a technological candy that has decided to expand and, after the plant in the United States, continues to buy land to expand its footprint. And it is a move that further unbalances the balance in terms of chips. Necessary expansion. TSMC’s base of operations is in Taiwan, but a few years ago, the company saw clearly that they had to expand their operations framework. It is something that responds to a double need. On the one hand, the more footprint they have in other countries, the more the technology industry will continue to depend on their technique. On the other hand, the main factor: the threat of china. China and Taiwan are going through a period of growing tension. We have seen maneuvers by China that I’m sure they’ve made the Taiwanese nervous.. Also Taiwan operations for show that they could defend themselves and countries like Japan and, above all, the United States They are very aware of the situation. 87% of TSMC’s more than 80,000 employees operate in Taiwan and any open conflict between the countries would mean a stoppage in the company’s operations. Little joke with this: if its chips move the world, let TSMC stop producing would cause an economic collapse. Arizona. There is a third factor that is encouraging this international expansion. Although Europe, the United States and China seeks national sovereignty in semiconductor matterthe reality is that companies need the cutting-edge chips that only TSMC can reliably mass produce. And, while financing semiconductor plants, countries have decided to invest millions to attract TSMC to their territories. The plant that will open in Germany either that of Japan They are two examples, but the one that is already operating is the American one. Although Trump, with his protectionist policies and ‘America First’, does not like it being a foreign company that cuts the cod, TSMC already has a huge plant located in Arizona from which it produces key components of the iPhone 16. This facility is the company’s most ambitious project far from Taiwan, and what started as a $12 billion investment in 2020 has become a colossal $160 billion-plus operation. They started to produce 4 nanometer chips at the beginning of 2025 and the idea is refine machinery to reach 2nm in 2029. New lands. Within the ‘Made in the USA’ strategy of the large American technology companies, TSMC Arizona is vital. And considering the economic opportunity that the AI ​​era has opened up, with the astronomical need for chips to create products like NVIDIA’s solutions for data centers, TSMC wants to grab as much of the pie as possible. As we read in The Wall Street Journala series of factors such as Taiwanese investment and a relaxation in US tariffs on Taiwan would allow TSMC to expand further. According to the media, last week the technology company purchased 900 acres – about 360 hectares – of land adjacent to its current property in Arizona. The total has been almost 200 million dollars and the intention is to expand the facilities to reach a dozen. TSMC + NVIDIA Made in the USA (more expensive). With this move, TSMC would discourage the competition from trying to invest to stand up to them because, as we say, they are the ones who dominate the production of advanced chips and who have the capacity to supply their enormous customer base. Apple is one of those that already buys chips from Arizonabut NVIDIA has confirmed that its B30 GPUs will be the first made in the United States. Now, there is a toll. HE esteem TSMC Arizona prices on advanced nodes are between 5% and 30%. There are several factors. In Taiwan they have the policy of “everything at one hour”, so any material the factory needs is very close, creating an extremely efficient chain. That does not happen in the American factory, where suppliers are far away and you have to resort to air transportation, which increases the price. There is also the fact that the wages They are higher in the US than in Taiwan. Headache. Despite these conditions, and being a foreign company controlling the show on home soil, TSMC has so dominated the process that the companies it’s worth it because they know that the chips they get will be the best for their products. Furthermore, from a political perspective, these additional costs may even be reasonable if they ensure that a conflict in Taiwan would not completely paralyze its economy. For TSMC, expansion is a great move. At the political level, countries that embrace their factories also have a reason to attract investment and Big Tech and the CEO of NVIDIA himself is clear that swith those who will lead the industry for decades. However, it is still an industry dependent on a single entity. Without leaving the United States, the country got his hands on Intel in the middle of last year in an almost unprecedented move to turn the company into the great american foundry. With TSMC expanding its network at home, they are going to have it complicated despite having the best technology available. Images | NVIDIA, TSMC, Intel In Xataka | The world’s technology industry practically depends on a single road: the one that leads to the Spruce Prine mine

The United States knows that Venezuela’s subsoil is full of rare earths. The big problem is that he doesn’t know where

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The announcement that American companies could access to Venezuela’s vast oil has reignited a much broader ambition of Donald Trump’s administration. Because the Latin American nation has something that Washington desperately seeks, something that China he has plenty. He crux It’s how and how much. Beyond crude oil. Yes, the “b” side of the North American “landing” in Venezuela also seeks to explore the mineral potential of the country as part of “the national security of the United States.” The experts they point out that, in addition to crude oil, there would be unverified reserves of critical minerals and possible large quantities of rare earths, key inputs for defense and technology. However, the lack of reliable data, doubts about economic viability and operational risks in areas with the presence of armed groups and mining illegality turn the objective into an enterprise. much more complex that the oil reopening itself, with significant environmental impacts associates to energy-intensive mining. The supply chain and the bottleneck. Even if the extraction obstacles were overcome, the decisive challenge appears in processing. The refining of rare earths is concentrated in more than 90% in Chinaa domain constructed for decades through subsidies, industrial expansion and lax environmental regulations. This position has made rare earths a sensitive point of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, with export controls that have highlighted the fragility of American supply chains. The consensus among analysts is that this industrial and geopolitical advantage cannot be reversed quickly, so new deposits without their own refining capacity would contribute little to short-term strategic resilience. Why it is important. It we have counted other times. The classification of “critical minerals” covers a broad set of raw materials essential for the economy and security, from aluminum and copper to a specific group of 17 elements known as rare earths, essential for high-performance magnets, advanced electronics and military systems. Although these elements are not scarce in the Earth’s crust, their extraction and refining are technically demanding and expensive. In the United States there are efforts to develop domestic capabilities, but start-up times are often measured in years or decades, which explains the temptation to look for external solutions that, in practice, rarely offer immediate results. Geological potential and structural limits. It happens that, unlike other countries with confirmed reserves, Venezuela does not appear in international lists as a relevant producer of rare earths, an explained absence for decades of opacity institutional during the governments by Hugo Chavez and Nicolás Maduro. Still, the country is believed to host deposits of coltan and bauxitesources of metals considered critical such as tantalum, niobium, aluminum and gallium. Projects like the Orinoco Mining Arc They sought to capitalize on that potential, but have been marked by illicit mining, lack of investment, a shortage of qualified labor, and a volatile regulatory environment that discourages international operators. A strategic mirage in the medium term. If you like, the final evaluation of the experts is clear: although the Venezuelan subsoil may hide valuable resources, its contribution to the security of supply of the United States it would be marginal on the near horizon. Without solid geological data, without security guarantees and without processing capacity independent of the Chinese circuit, Venezuela’s mineral interest seems more an extension of the geopolitical pulse than a practical solution, at least in the short term. In that context, the American bet faces a paradox: the country offers a lot on paper, but little that can be translated into real advantages over the next decade. Image | Mauricio CampelloRawPixel In Xataka | The US did not need to shoot to enter Caracas. All it took was an invisible weapon and unexpected “help” from Russia In Xataka | While the whole world looks at oil, Venezuela’s true treasure is hidden in the basements of London: its gold

force the United States out of its comfort zone

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If today we were asked which country is leading the race for artificial intelligence, the most immediate answer would probably still be the United States. And it wouldn’t be an occurrence. For decades, the country has set the pace for technological innovation and a good part of the digital tools that we use daily come from their large companies. However, that leadership is no longer as incontestable as it once was. The board begins to move and there is an actor who is closing distances at a speed that is difficult to ignore. That actor is China. The question is no longer whether China competes, but how it got here. How a country identified for years as the world’s factory, associated with mass production and cheap labor, has become a benchmark for innovation and technological vanguard. In a new video from Xataka’s YouTube channelour colleague Francisco Franconi analyzes this process in detail and puts figures, context and nuances to a phenomenon that we are seeing develop almost in real time and that can alter the balance of power in the global technology sector. China is no longer just the world’s factory: it is building its own path in AI “China should be years behind the United States in the development of AIs. It is a fact, since between 85 and 95% of the global market of chips used in this sector belong to Nvidia,” explains Franconi. The data is key, but it does not explain everything. The race for artificial intelligence is not only played in the field of semiconductors. There are other structural factors that are equally determining, and one of them is energy. The video delves into the enormous energy gap that separates both countries and why this aspect is crucial to understanding Chinese progress. As Franconi points out, energy “is necessary to build chip factories, supercomputers and processing centers. Without it there is no industrial growth.” To contextualize this statement, the analysis uses data from the International Energy Agency that helps to measure the real scope of this advantage and its direct impact on industrial and technological development. Another of the axes of the video is resilience. Specifically, China’s ability to adapt and continue moving forward despite the sanctions and restrictions imposed by the different US administrations. Franconi focuses on the repeated limitations that affect NVIDIA, but also examines the case of Huawei and the role that startups such as deepseek in this new scenario. Talent appears as another of the fundamental pillars of this career. “A relevant fact is that China has a greater number of graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but the most shocking fact is that 50% of the world’s AI researchers are of Chinese origin“says Franconi. A figure that helps understand why the Asian country is gaining weight so quickly in development and research in artificial intelligence. The video also covers the current ecosystem of language models competing in the market and offers a clear snapshot of the position that China and the United States occupy in this technological race. An analysis that leads to our colleague’s conclusions about where this global pulse is heading and what implications it may have in the medium and long term. You can see now the full video on the Xataka YouTube channel. And, of course, we invite you to leave your comments both there and on this article. Images | Xataka In Xataka | Huawei is coming back. And not everyone is prepared for what is coming

After Venezuela, the United States is already saying loud and clear what its next objective is: Greenland

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The world looks at Venezuela, but a good part of Europe, NATO allies and more specifically Denmark have one eye (or both) on another geographical point: Greenland. The capture of Nicolás Maduro opens a very wide range of questions about the future of Venezuela, but it has also fueled the unknowns that for months They surround Greenland, geographically located in North America, although at a political level it depends on Denmark. That Donald Trump wants Greenland to come under Washington’s rule is not new, but his words take on a new meaning after what happened on Saturday. Especially because the Republican leader himself has remembered in the last hours that he does not give up on the island: “we need itdefinitely”. Beyond Venezuela. That Venezuela is the protagonist of the start of 2026, no one doubts it. The operation launched by the US on Saturday and which culminated in the capture of Maduro opens a wide range of unknowns about the future of the South American nation. Especially after Trump himself has slipped that he is determined to keep the country under his tutelage “until there is a reliable transition”, a process for which doesn’t seem to trust in María Corina Machado. What happened in Venezuela has, however, shaken some chords that go far beyond America. The main one is probably related to Greenland. Trump wants the US to control the island, crucial for its geostrategic value and mining resources. That’s nothing new. He has said it on many occasionsbefore even being sworn into office. Saturday’s campaign, however, gives a new veneer to that claim, especially because there are those who already warn that the US has shown that it is willing to ignore international law. Click on the image to go to the tweet. “SOON”. The above would be enough to rock the diplomatic waters around Greenland, but Trump himself (and his entourage) have taken it upon themselves in the last few hours to make it clear that they are not giving up on Greenland. The first message in that direction was sent on Saturday by podcaster ultraconservative Katie Miller, who posted a tweet in which it showed a map of Greenland colored with the US flag and a message as simple as it was resounding: “SOON”, ‘soon’. The tweet, which has more than 28 million views, caused a stir because Miller is not a simple influencer from the republican and MAGA sphere. During the Republican’s first term she played a relevant role in the Department of Homeland Security and today she remains the wife of Stephen Milleran influential figure within Trump’s White House team. Hence, Denmark has given special relevance to his tweet. Just a few hours after Miller published it, the Danish ambassador to the US, Jesper Moller Sorensen, he took it upon himself to respond by the same means (X) to make it clear that Washington and Copenhagen are allies and Greenland is already integrated into NATO. “We expect full respect for the territorial integrity of Denmark.” “We need it”. Miller hasn’t been the only MAGA voice to speak out about Greenland. In case there were still doubts about the White House’s position, Trump himself has also done so. On Sunday, in an interview with TheAtlantic, The Republican made it clear that his aspirations for Greenland remain as strong as a year ago, if not stronger. In fact, far from softening the tone after the multiple frictions With Denmark, Trump has been gradually raising the tone. During the interview The Republican insisted that he will not give up the island and recalled that right now it is “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.” “We need Greenland, without a doubt. We need it for defense,” he emphasizedblunt. Just words? That is the unknown that remains after what happened on Saturday in Venezuela, a powerful military deployment that resulted in the capture of Maduro and that some experts and countries They see it as questionable from a legal point of view, if not directly contrary to international legislation. In the case of Greenland, the US has not only limited itself to sending messages. TO end of december Trump appointed the governor of the state of Louisiana as the US special envoy for Greenland, a decision that caused discomfort in the Danish Executive. The chosen one, Jeff Landry, is not just the governor of Louisiana. He is also a MAGA ally who, having recently assumed his position as special envoy, proclaimed in X that their goal is for “Greenland to be part of the United States.” Click on the image to go to the tweet. “Enough of the insinuations”. Trump and his entourage are not the only ones who have raised their voices to talk about Greenland. On this side of the Atlantic it has also done so (and with increasing forcefulness) Denmark itself through his Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen: “I have to say this to the US: there is no point in talking about the need for the US to take over Greenland. I strongly urge you to stop threats against a close ally.” His voice joins that of Ambassador Moller Sorensen, who remembered in X that Greenland is already part of NATO, so it is integrated into the same defensive alliance as the US. More resounding It has even been the Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens Frederik Nielsen: “That’s enough. Enough pressure. Enough insinuations. Enough fantasies of annexation.” A recent survey has revealed that 85% of Greenlanders They do not want their island to integrate into the United States. The new Monroe Doctrine? As remember Financial TimesTrump himself has slipped that the Venezuela operation goes beyond that nation and is framed in a broader concept of “hemispheric defense” that reinforces Washington’s role in the American continent. Against this backdrop, Greenland finds itself in a complex position: it is geographically located in North America, but administratively and politically linked to Denmark. The picture is also completed with its important geostrategic role and mining wealth, which opens a … Read more

In the United States you can buy a gun in a supermarket, but a Roscón de Reyes with a surprise inside is illegal

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In the Western collective imagination there is a preconceived idea: that in the United States you can buy anything. And of course, that image from the series and movies of a character buying a gun in a grocery store without much problem (later we will see that in practice this reality has a lot of fine print) and the hodgepodge of different slogans such as “The country of opportunities” or “the land of the free” do not help to think otherwise. However, if you are in the United States these days and the homesickness hits you so hard that you want a roscón de Reyes, you are going to be in for a surprise: although you can buy this popular sweet in some stores, it has lost a good part of the magic of the true ritual of eating a roscón: that someone randomly (more or less, we do not judge your expertise when moving figurines with the knife that splits) touches the figurine. Because although in the United States you can find the “King Cake”, most stores don’t take the risk and put the figurine aside, so that you can put it inside. They do it to comply with the law and avoid fines since, scrupulously speaking, the roscón de Reyes as it is known in Spain is illegal. There are roscones and roscones. First of all, the traditional roscón de Reyes that is consumed in Spain is neither the only one that exists nor is it only consumed here: France and Portugal also have their respective galette des rois with puff pastry or Gâteau des Roiswith almond cream and a figure. In Portugal there is the Bolo Rei with candied fruits and dried fruits. This European celebration was exported to America, adapting with other flavors and customs of each region. Thus, there are the Roscas de Reyes from Mexico, Colombia and Guatemala and there are also in the United States in the form of King Cakea popular candy in Louisiana for the Mardi Gras and also in Quebec, which has its own shades and glazes. In the case of the King Cake, the figurine in question was a baby that was once baked inside. In the past they were made of porcelain (“Frozen Charlotte”), but then they became plastic and generally, to stand outsideleaving the consumer the responsibility of hiding it inside before serving it, so there are those who who is disappointed. But it is better for a consumer to be disappointed than to face a fine or lawsuits. What the law says. The regulations that apply in this case are the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Law (Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or FD&C Act) in force since 1938. The section that interests us for this matter is in section 402where it details that “confectionery that is partially or completely embedded with any non-nutritive object is adulterated, unless the FDA has issued a regulation that recognizes that the non-nutritive object has practical functional value to the confectionery product and would not render it harmful or dangerous to health.” The most famous example is Kinder eggs. And spoiler: neither the bean nor the roscón figurine is considered to have any practical functional value. Worse than fines are lawsuits. The fine in question for disobeying the law and integrating the figurine into the roscón is moderately low (to give us an idea, that of smuggled Kinder eggs it’s 2,500 dollars), that is why over the years there have been bakeries that have dared to challenge the law, arguing that culturally, whoever buys a Three Kings roscón, you already know that there are objects inside. However, possible cases of suffocation or injuries such as breaking a tooth that lead to lawsuits can be much more expensive. So there are those who deliver the roscón alone, others who place a large warning label and the figure in a separate bag and in plain sightin places like in the center of the cake or sitting on it. This is the most common practice in industrial bakeries or supermarket chains such as Walmart. It is easier to buy a gun than a roscón with a figurine inside. Returning to the purchase of weapons from the intro, sales in physical stores are centralized in gun stores and large stores with a sports and outdoor section. In the case of Walmartthey have stopped marketing pistols and military rifles to focus on hunting rifles and shotguns and in any case, the process is the same: with a separate counter, specialized personnel, you must be 21 years old and you have to fill out the federal form 4473 accompanied by your identification and they will accompany you to the door to make sure that you do not take it out of the box there. In Xataka | There is an eternal struggle between supporters of the roscón with cream and without cream. This is what science says about it In Xataka | The pastry chef’s wet dream (and the customer’s nightmare) has come true: a roscón filled with cream… without cream Cover | Photo of Nejc Soklič in Unsplash and DAP

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

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

A dog was lost in 2021 in the United States. Five years later it has appeared 3,700 kilometers from his home

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In recent years we have seen how the algorithm has taken over Christmasand Netflix to the head of the film industry competes to offer the most emotional miracle of the year, stories designed to reconcile us with chance, hope and those impossible endings. But this time, the story that best fits that mold does not come from a script or a streaming platform, but from real life, far from the screens and without special effects. The loss. The story has been collected by US media this weekend. Apparently, during almost five yearsPatricia Orozco lived with an unanswered question. Since Choco, the dachshund mix dog that he had adopted in 2016, disappeared in May 2021, his memory remained present in our daily lives. The uncertainty was constant: if he was still alive, if someone cared for him, if he had suffered. After months of posters, calls to shelters and no clues, the disappearance turned into mourning and a silent renunciation of having a dog again, as if accepting another company meant admitting that Choco would not return. The impossible message. Everything changed with an unexpected message from a microchip company. Choco had appeared, but not near Sacramento, where Orozco lived, but rather more than 3,700 kilometersin Lincoln, Michigan. At first, the woman thought it was Lincoln, California, just half an hour from her home. Surprise turned to disbelief when he realized that his dog had crossed practically the entire United States without anyone knowing how or when. Choco had been found tied to a fence in front of to a shelterand the photos confirmed what seemed like a mistake: it was him. The problem of bringing him back. The initial joy gave way to logistical anguish. With two small children, one of them barely four months old, Orozco saw no way to travel to pick him up. A message on social networks It activated an unexpected chain of solidarity. Volunteers, protectors and anonymous people began to look for solutions, from affordable flights to km donations (miles in USA). The possibility of someone traveling in his place took shape when Penny Scotta volunteer accustomed to complicated rescues, offered to make the trip. Orozco with his dog Choco, almost five years after he disappeared from his home in May 2021 A silent journey. The Washington Post told that Choco’s return was a small aerial odyssey. Scott flew from California to Detroit with stops and delays, picked up the dog thanks to the help of local volunteers and crossed the country again with the. A missed connection forced him to spend almost fourteen hours at the Chicago airport, where Choco, calm and docile, walked on his leash among travelers without a single complaint. For those who accompanied him, that behavior seemed to confirm that, despite everything, he was still the same calm and affectionate dog. The mystery of time. In the background of this most “Christmas” story, the great question: Nobody knows how the hell Choco ended up in Michigan or who he lived with during that time. The only thing that is clear is that he traveled through an entire country, far from the sunny climate that he had always known and that, according to its ownerI hated to leave. Now, at eleven years old, the dog had aged, but he had not lost his curious and affectionate character, the same one that led him to run away every time he found an open door. Return home. Finally, on December 3rd Choco came back to Sacramento. The reunion was immediate and left no doubt: when he got out of the car, he walked directly towards Patricia, as if he had never left. The same home from which he escaped years ago became his refuge again, yes, now withwith more precautions: a double door and the determination not to repeat history. For Orozco, the moment was unreal, a mixture of disbelief and relief that he still finds difficult to assimilate. A network and an idea. Beyond the happy ending, the story left a clear lesson. The microchip was the key piece that allowed us to close a circle that seemed broken forever, but so was the network of people who, without knowing each other, decided to act. Rescuers, donors and volunteers demonstrated that even after years and thousands of kilometers, a loss can be transformed into a reunion. For Patricia Orozco, there are not enough words to describe it: what happened, insistcan only be called “Christmas miracle”. A story with a happy ending that could be perpetuated on the big screen. The story of Choco and Orozco has all the ingredients to make the next Christmas list… in the home of the algorithms. Image | PexelsHelping Paws and Claws In Xataka | In 2019, Iberia lost a dog before flying. Now the European Justice says that it is worth the same as a suitcase In Xataka | The science behind your dog being able to find you 12 years after being lost

We have a problem with cardboard recycling. In the United Kingdom they believe that the solution is to use it in a power plant

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Every day, millions of cardboard boxes leave our homes heading to the blue container. They are the last link in an accelerated consumption cycle in online commerce. However, this material, so everyday that we don’t even look at it twice, could be on the verge of an unexpected second life: becoming fuel to generate electricity on a large scale. A residue that enters the energy map. A team of engineers from Nottingham University has shown for the first time that used cardboard can be used as an effective source of biomass in power plants. The investigation, published in the journal Biomass and Bioenergycompares cardboard with a common reference for industrial biomass: eucalyptus. The engineers didn’t just watch the cardboard burn. They crushed it, studied its shape, broke down its chemistry and analyzed how it reacted to heat and what type of carbon it left behind. They even developed their own method—based on thermogravimetric analysis—to measure exactly how much calcium carbonate each sample contains. This component, common in printed cardboard, gives rigidity to the material but also conditions its behavior when burning. Thanks to this procedure, they can predict which type of cardboard will work well in an industrial boiler and which could cause problems. The science behind cardboard that burns “better.” The study did not stop at theories. He tested the combustion of cardboard in two types of systems equivalent to those used in power plants: Drop Tube Furnace: Simulates the rapid combustion of pulverized biomass.Here, the researchers observed that cardboard particles develop chars (the carbonaceous remains that remain after the first combustion phase) highly reactive, with a predominance of fine and porous structures that favor a burnout accelerated. Muffle Furnace: Simulates fluidized bed or grate systems. Even with longer residence times, the paperboard maintained its excellent combustion profile. In addition, the size and shape of the particles were characterized through an analysis with more than one million particles per sample; The tendency of cardboard to form “spongy aggregates” during grinding was observed—a challenge for its industrial handling—and characteristics such as sphericity and aspect ratio were correlated, something that could improve future combustion models. As the academic study explains, this detailed analysis allows predicting combustion efficiency and designing industrial strategies to integrate cardboard into the fuel flow. The result was very favorable. Thanks to this experiment, the engineers managed to demonstrate that cardboard has less carbon (38%) than eucalyptus (46.7%) and its calorific value is also lower (15.9–16.5 MJ/kg versus 21 MJ/kg). However, its chars are finer, porous and reactive, which accelerates combustion; In addition, it contains much more ash (8.9–10.6%, compared to 0.6% for eucalyptus), a critical aspect for boilers. What remains to be resolved? Although the technical potential is evident, the study makes it clear that cardboard is not ready to enter the boilers of a power plant tomorrow. There are three fundamental challenges that must be addressed: Management and processing problems. When ground, cardboard does not behave like wood: it forms spongy lumps of very low density that make internal transport difficult, complicate the continuous feeding of boilers and can increase the risk of blockages and accumulations. The study warns that it will be essential to adapt the grinding and feeding systems to guarantee a stable and safe flow. The behavior of calcium. Cardboard contains very high levels of CaCO₃, especially when printed. This calcium can behave in different ways depending on the temperature and type of boiler. In certain cases it raises the fusion temperature of the ashes – which is positive -; In others it can favor the formation of slag or alter the quality of the fuel. The study recommends analyzing the behavior of cardboard according to the type of plant, because not all technologies tolerate these variations in the same way. Large-scale industrial validation. Laboratory tests are promising, but the decisive step is missing: testing the cardboard in real operating conditions. According to the researchers, the industry will have to carry out tests on different technologies in boilers, evaluate emissions, study the accumulation and composition of ash and check their compatibility with existing biomass mixtures. Only then can it be determined whether the cardboard can be safely and stably integrated into the mix of biomass. An everyday material with an unexpected future. Cardboard protects pizzas, televisions, books and appliances. We recycle it without thinking too much about it. But this research from Nottingham suggests that this everyday waste could become another piece of the energy transition, helping to diversify fuels and take advantage of an abundant and local resource. Today we see it as garbage. Tomorrow it could help produce electricity. The spark has already been lit: now we need to know if the industry wants – and can – convert it into real energy. Image | Unsplash and Geograph Xataka | Selling smoke is now a business in Soria: it purifies it and sells it as CO2 to make soft drinks

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