world

China wanted to be the queen of high -speed trains. So he built all the longest bridges in the world

by

Although Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are immersed in a war for have the highest skyscrapers in the worldwhen we talk about megaconstructions, there is no one to have China. It doesn’t matter if we talk about tunnels, Dams, roads and even half -skyscraper. And, when we talk about bridges, there yes There is no rival. From time to time They complete a new pharaonic bridgebut if there is something that shows China’s muscle about it, they are the bridges of the Beijing-Shanghái line. Because it is in it where the three longest bridges are located in the world. Massive and … boring? He Great Danyang-Kunshan bridge It is the longest bridge in the world. It measures just over 164 kilometers and can also be the most boring bridge in the world. The reason is that it is a bridge in which functionality prevailed. It is part of the high -speed network that joins Beijing and Shanghai and in its construction, 10,000 workers used 450,000 tons of steel and 2.3 million m3 of concrete to give life to a structure that had to endure possible ships of ships and the impact of earthquakes. It has 2,000 pillars, 22 tunnels, it has an average altitude of just over 30 meters and trains circulate at a speed of more than 320 km/h. Declaration of intentions. The most striking thing is that it only took four years to complete the work. It is an achievement if we consider that other bridges, such as the Constitution of Cádizthey took more than seven years for about three kilometers. They began in 2006 and the works were completed in 2010, inaugurating both the bridge and the line in 2011. The investment? 8,500 million dollars, and although in later bridges we have seen an aesthetic intention by the engineers, that of Danyang-Kunshan was a declaration of intentions. It became a global reference in rail engineering, but above all in a sample of the Technological advance of the country when undertaking the Infrastructure construction large scale in record time. It is something that has also attracted attention to subsequent works, the speed at which things do, especially, in many occasions of works of great complexity. In dark red, the bridge. In clear red, part of the full line Beijing-Shanghai, a monster. Because although this bridge Have the Guiness record in length and it was an important technical advance, the most imposing thing is that it is only a piece of the puzzle that supposes the high -speed line Between Beijing and Shanghai. It is a connection with a length of 1,318 kilometers and, apart from that of Danyang-Kunshan, there are three other bridges that are on the list of the 10 longest in the world. He Great Bridge of Cangde measures 115.9 kilometers and the Great Tianjin Bridge It “stays” at 113.7 kilometers. The three are the longest in the world, and in the seventh place on the list is the Great Bridge of Beijingwith 48.2 kilometers. The four were completed for the inauguration of the line in 2011, assuming a pharaonic work and, in total, representing a third of the total line length. The artificial island of the Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge, which is a bridge over the water until it becomes a submarine “bridge” It is called obsession. Because, if we look at the list of the longest trains in the world, China is a constant, monopolizing with eight structures the top ten positions. Not only are they very long bridges to house train lines (the Weinan Weije It has 102.7 kilometers, but it is not from the Beijing-Shanghai line), also for roads. The fifth longest bridge in the world is Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macaohe longest maritime bridge With 55 kilometers (and, this yes, quite attractive), the eighth of the list is the Quingdao Haiwanwith another 44.5 kilometers of road and the tenth is the bridge of line 1 of the Wuhan Metro with 37.7 kilometers. Within those positions of honor, we only find a 54 -kilometer Thai bridge, the Band Na Expresswayand the Lake Pontchartrain Road in the United States with 38.4 kilometers. Images | Mnxanl(2) Pechristener, Highestbridges In Xataka | Three highways, 20 access ramps: China has the most diabolical exchanger in the world in Huangjuewan

The countries with the most immigrant population in the world, exposed on this map

by

The number of migrants has not stopped growing in the last 50 years. Since many countries They opened their doors to immigrationinternational migratory flow has not stopped intensifying. In fact, some of those countries, such as the United States, They could not explain without immigrationbut in recent years, economic, labor, war and even climatic issues have caused the number of migrants to exploit. And it is something that is perfectly reflected in the following maps. Immigration map in 2025. On the upper map, prepared by Visual Capitalist With the last data United Nations Migration Reportwe can see the 20 countries with a greater proportion of international migrants until 2024. A migrant is defined as someone who lives in a country other than his birth for at least 12 months, regardless of reason. And what we can see is that Qatar, United Arab Emirates or Monaco are countries in which more than 70% of its population are international migrants. Around 50%, we have both European countries (Liechtenstein, Andorra or Luxembourg) and the Middle East (Kuwait, Baréin or Jordan) and Singapore. Trend. Beyond this map, there are other resources to understand the Magnitude of these migratory movements In recent years. One of them is provided by the United Nations report itself, a graph in which we can see the evolution of the number of migrants in the last 25 years. Of the 150 million of 1990, where there was already an upward trend, we went to 304 million in 2024. Distribution. The region that hosted the most migrants during the past year was Oceania, with 21.5%, followed by North America with 15.9%, Europe with 12.6%, North Africa and the Middle East with 9.3%, Latin America with 2.6%, sub -Saharan Africa with 2%, this of Asia with 1%and south of Asia with just 0.9%. It is very clear what are the regions that welcome those migrants. And another interesting resource to see those migratory movements in the last 25 years is this interactive map in which we can see the total number of immigrants from 1990 to 2024. International runners. Putting the cursor over Mexico, we observed 4.49 million people who migrated in 1990, less than half of the more than 11 million people who left the country last year looking for something better. And, of course, these people go somewhere, there are favorite destinations for cultural reasons, of language or, simply, close. These movements are summarized in the ‘runners’, and the Next graphic It allows us to take an eye on those favorite international corridors. An example, the clearest, is that of Mexico and its almost 11 million inhabitants going to the United States. Others are 3.5 million Indians going to the United Arab Emirates, another 2.8 million traveling to the United States and another 2.5 million moving to Saudi Arabia. Chance. Immigration is an opportunity for those people looking for something better, but also for the countries themselves. For example, thanks to this immigration there are countries that seek to improve their demographic situation. The case of Europe is clear, with countries that They do not approach the replacement rate and others that, thanks to immigrants, The pension system is strengthened. And then there is Japan. It is no longer that they look for that Demographic salvationbut They need labor. They do not find it in the country due, among other things, population agingand that’s why they trust and give You help whoever wants to start a new life In the country. And need. And, obviously, that immigration is the exit for situations that, unfortunately, are becoming more frequent worldwide. From the beginning of the Russian invasion, eight million Ukrainians moved internally due to the crisis, but others six million They became refugees. In Palestine, se esteem that almost six million people are refugees. In total, according to estimatesin 2024 there were more than 123 million people displaced by force around the world. Of these, 42 million were refugees and another 73 million moved internally. In Xataka | Thousands of Americans want to flee from the country because of the political climate. And they have a preferential destination: Spain

More cocaine is being manufactured and selling than ever around the world. The UN has a clear guilty: Colombia

by

If we go outside and take one hundred adults, it is likely that six have consumed some drugs recently. This reflects The last report The UN about narcotics, which slides an even more interesting idea: although cocaine is not the most popular narcotic or consumed its global market is beating records and its production has grown almost 34% in just one year. It is an alarming fact and focuses the focus In a specific country: Colombia. A fact: 316 million. United Nations wanted to celebrate International Day for the Fight against Drugs (June 26) with A report that updates consumption data. And they are not exactly good. According to the figures that the agency manages, in 2023 about 316 million people were drugged. It is bad fact for its enormous volume, but also because of the trend it reflects. That figure represents 6% of the adult world population, between 15 and 65 years. Only a decade ago that same percentage was barely exceeded 5%. A business in record figures. UN data also help to understand what people are “places”. The most appealed drug is cannabis, with 244 million of users, followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7) and already cocaine in fourth place, which in 2023 consumed 25 million people. Although it is not the majority or the most widespread, the report pays special attention to this last narcotic for how its market evolves. “Production, seizures and consumption reached new maximums in 2023, becoming the greatest market growth with the highest market growth,” They warn from the United Nations Office against drugs and crime (UNODC) before moving on to the figures: in 2023 his illegal production shot at 3,708 tonsalmost 34% more than the previous year. That trend is a reflection of demand. If in 2013 they consumed 17 million people, in 2023 they were already 25. To hunt new markets. The UNODC Slide Another key idea. It is not just that illegal production has fired more than 30% in one year or consumption grows 47% throughout the last decade. To these handicaps it is added that drug traffickers are looking for new markets in which to grow. “They are finding new markets in Asia and Africa. Violence and competition that characterize the illegal scope of cocaine, previously confined to Latin America, is expanding to Western Europe as organized crime groups of Western Balkans increase their influence on the market,” insists. That trend has come accompanied by more seizures. In just a five years (2019-2023) they have shot 68% to mark a record of 2,275. Colombia, in the focus. How does that increase in cocaine in circulation explain? Where is it being cultivated and why? One of the keys is given by UNODC in Another report Published last October and focuses on a very specific production focus: Colombia. The reason? Their data shows that in 2023 the cultivation of the coca bush increased there by 10%, to around 253,000 ha with a potential cocaine production of 2,664 metric tons. A problem that grows … and expands. “This represents a potential increase of 53% in the production of cocaine compared to 2022 and marks the tenth consecutive year, since 2013, in which estimates of potential cocaine production have increased in the country,” Point out The international organization, which warns of another interesting phenomenon: coca grows … and expands. Unlike what happened during the 2021 and 2022, when the increase in production was concentrated in Putomayo, in 2023 the crops were strengthened in the vast majority (16 of a total of 19) of the Coca producing departments. Moreover, only Cauca and Nariño brought together about half of the new surface with plantations if we compare them with those of 2022. With that backdrop, Precise Infobaethe nation concentrates 67% of the crop of coca leaf. “Production increased”. The UN connectsBoth phenomena, the greatest global production and that more surface to the crop is allocated in Colombia, and launches a notice to navigators: “updated data on performance (…) gave rise to a production estimate for the country approximately 50% higher than the previous year. It also increased the concentration of coca leaf production and the manufacture of cocaine in high -performance areas.” The data of the UNODC collected by The country They find in any case that Colombia is not the only nation where coca leaf is cultivated. Not even the only one in which these plantations have gained weight. Although in Colombia they grew 9% between 2022 and 2023, until they reached 253,000 ha, in Peru they also increased slightly to touch the 93,800. In Bolivia they remain at 31,000. More cocaines, more raids. To understand the global panorama of cocaine, specifically in Colombia, it is necessary to handle some extra data. Although the cultivated area grows by police ‘courses to drug trafficking. The Colombian newspaper Time remember that in 2024 the national authorities seized 883 tons and that so far this year there are already 403. The fight against drug trafficking has also become A fundamental issue in it political debate of the country, with different positions. Price earrings. The Coca market has also experienced another phenomenon that can be seen in the streets of Spain: a deep price fluctuation. Some sources They point That in a matter of a few years the kilo has gone from costing more than 30,000 euros to get off the 15,000, a puncture that coincides with several factors, such as Colombia Stop eradicating crops sprinkling them with glyphosate, which would have influenced production. The herbicide was abandoned in 2015 for its harmful effects, but the authorities They already propose to resume it. Images | US Department of Defense Current Photos (Flickr) and UNODC 1 and 2 In Xataka | The consumption of amphetamines in Spain is concentrated in an autonomous community. And we know it with a “single” trick

In World War II, the British were looking for an antibunker bomb. So they copied a Disney idea

by

The morning of last Sunday, June 22, The United States deployed its B-2 With a mission: launch, for the first time, its new MOP pumps on Iranian bases. These mass bombs have a single function: eX PLACE IN Underground Bases And, despite being avant -garde armamentits technology began to be tested decades ago, in the Second World War. It was the British who developed a bomb capable of bursting a bunker, and their inspiration came from the most unexpected place. A Disney movie. Need. It is in the war when the brightest minds of each country gather to invent new ways of killing. Even if they don’t know what the consequences of their creations will be. The World War I It was a period of Technological Revolutionthe second more of the same and In the Cold War The Explosion of nuclear bombs (and almost that of chickens). In short: each country in conflict wants have the “fattest” bomb. In the mid -2GM, the British sought a powerful bomb, but with a more concrete objective than that of causing all possible damage: they wanted something capable of advising a blow to the bunkers heart and Nazi submarine factories. Thus, they developed the Tallboy and the Grand Slampumps of five and ten tons respectively designed to hit near the target, penetrate the earth, exploit and cause damage to the shock waves transmitted through the ground. The idea was good, but they still needed something more concrete than those “earthquake” bombs. And then, someone saw this propaganda movie of Disney: Drawing pump. Leaving aside that you could keep your mouth open because … yes, that Disney produced ithe who saw the short was Edward Terrellof the Royal Reserve of Naval Volunteers. It is said that, after watching the film, Terrell and other officers, they would ask if it would be possible to design a bomb that directly crossed the concrete and destroy objectives such as the Nazi submarinesas seen in one of the frames, instead of waiting for the expansive wave of an earthquake to damage the underground base. In September 1943, engineers got to work while the viability of the pump was discussed. There were those who opposed, but Churchill was approved and, there, the development began. Edward Terrell and two other RAF officers with a Disney bomb Promising. The Disney pump, baptized Officially as “4,500 pump assisted by rocket to drill concrete” (‘Disney bomb’ has much more stuck, where we are going to stop) it was massive not so much because of the dimensions, but because of the weight and its explosive capacity. With just over five meters long and 43 centimeters in diameter, it had a weight of 2,000 kilos. As his name indicated, he was driven by RP-3 rockets And as an explosive it was loaded with 230 kilos of ‘Shellite‘, a mixture designed during World War I. Thrown from Boeing B-17 or B-29 aircraft, its operation was simple: to boost with the rockets to reach a speed of more than 1,500 km/h, penetrate everything possible due to accumulated kinetic energy and detonate late within the installation. In addition, its maximum penetration was about 5 meters of reinforced concrete, enough to cause great damage to enemy structures. Afternoon, too late. The bomb was promising, but it took too long. They began to develop late (when they had the idea, go) and that caused that it was not ready until almost the end of the conflict. In January 1945 they carried out some tests and, although the bomb was British, it was the United States Air Force that had of it. Between February and April 1945 they launched a total of 158 Disney bombs against bunkers and submarine factories in Germany. A clear objective was Valentin, a U-Bats factory That it was about to be completed, something that the allies could not allow and managed to cause damage to the target with armor 4.5 meters thick, but had a trick: it had already been previously damaged by the Grand Slam bombs of the British. A fair shotgun. The Disney bomb was a disaster for two reasons. The first and most obvious is that it came very late and attacks on underwater bases did not mean a real difference in the outcome of the conflict in the European territory. But, in addition, they failed. During the Valentin bunker attack More than 60 pumps were launched, but only one directly impacted and, as we say, the damages caused were preceded by the explosions of the British bombs thrown days before. For more inri, in evidence during the years after World War II with controlled releases in the Helgoland Islandof 76 bombs released, it was discovered that the lighting of the rockets failed in 37% of the cases, very limiting the penetrating power of the projectile. In addition, some bombs exploited prematurely and would not serve to achieve the objectives. Yes one thing was discovered: the maximum penetration of 5.08 meters in concrete. The MOP, Disney’s legacy. In the end, between technical, tactical and temporary problems, the efficacy of the Disney pump was extremely limited, but it is clear that it represented an important technological advance in the Antibunker war. So much that he laid the foundations for future penetration weapons. And of those rains, these sludge, as they say. The GBU-57A/B. launched by the US against Iran is the latest technology of the MOP bombs, or ‘Massive Ordnance Penetrator’. The big difference with the Disney pump is that this huge 6.25 meters long projectile and the FRIOLERA OF 13,600 KILOS (2,400 of them are explosives) Yes it works, also penetrating up to 60 meters of concrete. And another difference is that it is launched from such high (12 kilometers from a B-2) that does not need engine, since it is gaining speed as it falls, being very precise thanks to its laser guidance. In short, technology that is not so much of science fiction and that shows that we are great … Read more

Very few countries in the world are dedicated to the industrial production of avocados. Now an unexpected one has joined: Japan

by

Tsutomu Uchida is 64 years old, is a retired entrepreneur and for a while now He spends hours working on a plot located in the Shizuoka districtwhere different cultivation techniques prove. So far unusual. The funny thing is that Uchida is not dedicated to Plant riceneither soy nor Mikana very popular citrus in the region. No. His interest has little to do with traditional vegetables. What is trying to grow since 2020 are avocados, a plant that wakes up more interest in Japanese agriculture. The reason: the market … and climate change. What happened? That in Japan, Rice landcherries and citrus, there are farmers who begin to Look with interest A new variety of crop, a very popular in other latitudes but that has so far had an almost testimonial weight in the country of the rising sun: avocado. And the most curious thing is what that curiosity is awakening. Beyond the growing Internal demand or the Production increase Worldwide, the factor that has led Japanese farmers to plant avocados is climate change. Shizuoka avocado. The news I advanced it A few days ago The Japan Times: More and more farmers in Shizuoka Prefecture show interest in avocados. The phenomenon is curious for several reasons. First, because the traditional cultivation of that region is another good, the Mikana citrus similar to mandarin. The second reason is that this interest It is promoted by local authorities. Shizuoka Prefecture has just activated a triennial plan that aspires, among other goals, to develop cultivation techniques and sales channels focused on avocado. With that purpose the institution plans to invest over the coming months 18 million yen (about 100,000 euros) in investigations to improve local production. Putting his head. If everything goes as planned, in three years you will publish a manual for farmers. It may seem like a modest initiative, but it is quite significant: Shizuoka is one of the main producing regions of Mikan From Japan and right now the avocado cultivation in the country is very small. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2022 there were hardly any 34 tons who came out above all from Saga, Ehime and Wakayama, territories that (exact!) have always stood out for their citrus. TEMPERATURES QUESTION. The most curious thing is that this growing interest in avocado is not explained only for its internal demand or market prospects. At stake there is another equal or even more relevant factor for Japanese farmers: climate change. Their effects already They let themselves feel in the Rice crops and They threaten to punish to much of the plantations of Mikan of the country while They favor to those of avocado, a tree originally from Mesoamerica. “We cannot simply advance complaining about the negative impact of change on the agricultural environment. We are trying to convert this adversity into an opportunity and make the most of it,” Recognize to The Japan Times Yuji Hirano, responsible for agricultural strategies in the government of Shizuoka. With that clear idea, the prefecture probes the pros and cons of betting on a dozen subtropical crops in the region. Among them there was one that stood out for their “pull” in the market and that could also be favored by the weather: the avocado. But … what are they based on? In forecasts that draw such a promising scenario for avocado as a funeral for the Mikan. In March the National Organization for Agricultural and Food Research (Naro) public A report in which he warns that the future of citrus in Japan “will depend largely” on greenhouse gas emissions while avocado suitable areas could expand its current size more than 2.5 times by the middle of the century. An uncertain horizon. Nikkei It goes further And he warns that climate change can make that at the end of the Japanese century find that 80% of the areas that are right now for the cultivation of tangerines cease to be. With the land suitable for avocado plantations, a subtropical fruit, the opposite would happen: they would multiply by 7.7. “Maybe you think that a temperature difference of 1ºC does not mean much,” Clarify Toshihiko Sugiura, from Naro. “But for him Mikan It makes the difference. “ Hence the scenario can vary greatly depending on what happens in the coming years. If for 2100 the temperature rise does not exceed 1.4ºC the country may keep 80% of the current surface destined for Mikan. If the increase is 4.3ºC as soon as any. However, and although the increase in temperatures may make it easier, the avocado is not guaranteed in Japan either: the winter cold waves would mean a serious threat. The other key: the market. The other factor that explains Shizuoka’s interest in avocado should be sought in the market. The Japan Times remember that today the fruit is much more popular in the Japanese fruit shops than a few decades ago. And the data show it. In 1988, only 3,400 tons were imported. In 2020 there were already 80,000. That boom coincided with an increasing exposure of the fruit in the country’s media, which began to highlight its nutritional value as “superfiment” rich in vitamins and fiber. Today the avocado is already integrated from the diet of many Japanese and it is easy to find in supermarkets, although the nation basically depends on imports. The vast majority (at least in 2020) comes from Mexico, where they start around 85% of importsand Peru, which brings together about 11%. National production is scarce and is sold at prices greater than foreign fruit. Images | Eddie Pipocas (UNSPLASH), 光曦 刘 (UNSPLASH) and Rui Hao Lim (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | Japan is suffering a bankruptcy record from Ramen. And in part it is the result of the “1,000 yen barrier”

The size of the submerged economy of all countries in the world, exposed in this developer map

by

It is said that, each one does what they want with their money, but in the future there is the question of whether each one You can pay as you want. Cash is still a important part of day -to -day paymentswhat has generated an unequal career in half the world and a problem: the submerged economy, which in many countries is a good percentage of GDP. And on this map prepared by Visual Capitalist It is perfectly reflected, although we must bear in mind that the percentages … they deceive. In the shadow. There are countries that have A crusade against cashand that is why you are promoting payment in digital and tools such as Digital euro. The map is based on the Global Report of Economy in the 2025 shadow of Ernst & Young and reflects which part of the GDP of each country escaped to fiscal control in 2023. Complicated. While this informal economy represents a significant loss of tax revenues for governments, it is really complicated to obtain an exact figure. That is because they are all those economic activities that are not declared and, therefore, regulated. For example, payments without invoice to avoid VAT, but also not declared and without contract, Rentals without contract or something that seems as innocent as some private classes in which no invoice is issued. Depending on the study, percentages of GDP by country or others are handled, but there is something that does not usually vary, and it is the difference between hemispheres. North. Worldwide, it is estimated that the submerged economy is equivalent to 11.8% of GDP and, although there are exceptions, there is a clear line that divides the world into north and south if we get carried away by that percentage of GDP that would correspond to money from the submerged economy. In Europe, countries such as Poland, Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece have higher levels of submerged economy. Countries like Greece, Romania or Ukraine raise the average, and in others as Albania we talk about more than 27% of its economy belonging to the submerged economy. Canada and the United States remain at 4.5% and 5% respectively, Saudi Arabia has 5.2%, Japan 6.7%, Mexico 18% and in Central America we see that the level of submerged economy is increasing. South. Australia with 5.7% is one of the exceptions of countries in the southern hemisphere with a submerged economy contained, since in most of the rest, the percentage is overwhelming. Latin America It has a high level of submerged economy, but nothing is left if we compare it with what we see in Africa and some Asian countries. Africa takes the palm and it is estimated that, if Sierra Leone had a GDP of 6,400 million dollars in 2023, it had another 4.1 billion dollars, or 64.5% compared to GDP, in submerged economy. It is not an isolated case, since Nigeria, Ethiopia or Burundi are also cases in which the submerged economy is 50% or more of its GDP. And Asia. In Asia, the film is not so dramatic, but it is also not the region with the more transparent economy. India submerged would be comparable to 26% of its GDP, in Iran and Iraq it is similar, in Nepal it rises to 51% and then we have the case of China with 20%. It is not much if we compare it with the rest of the territory, but taking into account the amount of population that hasWe talk about important quantities. The same happens in Indiawith 26% that is much less than what is seen in many African countries, but that in total numbers, is much more. The percentages deceive. Because here there is something to take into account, 64.5% of Sierra Leone GDP has nothing to do with 5% of the United States. The higher an economy, although the percentage of submerged economy is lower, the total will be astronomical. In This other graph It can be seen perfectly, since that 20% of China translates into a total of 3.3 billion euros and the United States, with that “scarce” 5% submerged economy, translates into the largest economy in the shadow of the planet with 1.3 billion euros. Cash safety. As we said, there are countries trying Face this economy In the shadow. Portugal, for example, has converted invoices into lottery ticketsbecause not all activities that are not declared are illegal and the objective is that there are higher tax revenues. Paying with a card or digital media seems to the solution and, although it raises doubts about its operation without internet or electricity, the recent April blackout showed that There were TPV terminals prepared for it And that the future digital euro … It is too. If it arrives one day. In Xataka | The sudden enthusiasm for a society without cash or physical portfolio: the geek and the accommodation, a drama for the poor

When the British wanted to terrorize the Nazis during World War II, they chose a peculiar weapon: pump rats

by

Think about the Second World War is to think of large -scale battles, tremendous operations and epic skirmishes. And, although it is true that there were imposing deeds, we are also tremendously influenced by cinema and video games. Because doing one spy movie or a ‘Save Soldier Ryan‘is’ easy’, but … and one above the inflatable tanks or of pigeons piloting missiles? That is more complicated. Because, In a moment of despaireverything goes. And if the Americans gave them to devise a bomb -loaded bomb To set the Japanese houses, the British be occurred Something that looks like a joke, but that made a lot of sense: filling rats with plastic explosive and waiting to be triggered in Nazis facilities. The Germans They were caught at firstbut far from being a fudge, it turns out that discovering the pump rats was what made the operation a success. Exploding Kittens Rats 1941 was a key year in the Second World War. The Nazis gave the green light to the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States entered the war officially and began the Mass deportation of Jews to the extermination fields. There were too many open fronts and the war had just become a global phenomenon, but the British wore years fighting the Nazis. The first quarter was crazy, with bombings of the British to German possessions and intense German bombings in English territory, attacking cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and, above allLondon, who for almost two months He suffered night bombings. Apart from in the air, the war was fought on land, and one of the plans of British intelligence revolved around the industrial sabotage. Damaging the factories, Germany would lose war power, it is evident. Thus, the British Special Operations Office, or SOE for its acronym in English, devised a strategy which would consist in wasteing pump rats near German infrastructure. They would not put a “backpack” pump to the rat and leave it free out there, no: the plan It consisted In getting dead rats, open them on the channel, empty them, fill them with plastic explosive, place a detonator that would come out for what would be the anus and strategically locate each animal near the boilers of the factories and key buildings of the Nazis. The goal? That when a worker found a rat, he directly threw it into that boiler, turning on the wick and causing the structure to fly through the air, interrupting the Nazi war machine. That said, the truth is that it was a brilliant plan because it was easy to think that workers would not bury the animal or throw it out there, since it could spread diseases, that cremation in the boiler being as fast. And they got with a hundred of them. There was a problem: the Nazis intercepted the first sending of explosive rats before they were deployed. Far from thinking that the plan failed, it turns out that The caught was much more effective that what they could have achieved if the rats had managed to be thrown into the boilers. And the reason is obvious: the Nazis, when discovering the Artimañathey wondered how many explosive rats before that interception they could have placed the British. That sowed a more explosive doubt than the rat itself because the Nazis launched campaigns to search for similar devices and, if they found a dead rat, began to tremble. Would it be a rat or a pump? Although any exploded, the operation was never considered a psychological success for the general paranoia that caused in the German ranks. The possibility of such unconventional sabotage forced the Nazis to divert resources to counteract similar threats. In the official SOE archives, they detail that the device “caused considerable problems to the enemy, but not quite in the way it was intended.” In the end, it was an effective form of psychological war because there were Germans trying to counteract a non -existent threat. As concluded Soe himself, “the problem that rats caused to the Nazis was a much greater success for us than if the rats had really been used.” Today is an anecdote or an object of collecting, like the main image rat, sold In 2017 for more than $ 1,800. Also as a much less crazy idea than those of those pilot pigeons … or that of the incendiary bats. Images | Charles Merrell, The National Archives, Bonhams In Xataka | 80 years ago the US threw a bomb in Japan that nobody agreed again. He has just exploded at an airport

Waymo promised them very happy as a world leader in Robotaxis. Now Baidu has just advanced on the right

by

Chinese robotaxis just advanced the United States for the first time in the race for autonomous transport. Baidu announced that his service Apollo Go has completed 11 million tripsovercoming the 10 million reported by Waymo. Why is it important. This advance marks a turning point in a technology that defines the future of urban transport. China has needed only two and a half years to overcome the company that launched the first completely autonomous service in the world in 2020, after a long stage of R&D as part of the “Other bets“From Google. The contrast. General Motors announced that He left his Cruise project At the end of 2024 after spending 10,000 million dollars on it. Motion had to pause its operations for economic causes. Meanwhile, Weride and Pony.aiboth Chinese, expand through Europe and the Middle East thanks to alliances with Uber. In Xataka I have tried a totally autonomous taxi. This is traveling without driver In figures: A journey in Robotaxi costs 35 cents per mile in China. That same trip costs about 2 dollars in the United States. China and its 1.4 billion inhabitants make up a market that quadruples to the American. That is a natural advantage of scale impossible to replicate. The panoramic. China has built its advantage over three pillars: Favorable regulations in more than 50 cities. Competitive automotive supply chains worldwide. Enthusiast government support that considers the autonomous car as a key area of ​​innovation. {“Videid”: “X8Clg26”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “Baidu World 2022 Say hello to the apollo rt6, Baidu’s Next-Gen Av”, “Tag”: “Baidu”, “Duration”: “53”} And now what. Tesla announced that I was going to launch his service in Austin this monthbut competition has been globalized. Baidu is already testing in Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates, with filtered plans to do the same in Switzerland and Türkiye. Nevertheless, Chinese companies are still looking for financing: Not even its huge market by population serves to survive in a sector that has not yet achieved black numbers. Deepen. McKinsey estimates that the robotaxis will not reach commercial scale until 2030, requiring billions of extra dollars to achieve a completely autonomous capacity. In Xataka | There are only two confirmed data of the launch of the Xiaomi Yu7: that we do not know its price and that the waiting list is one year Outstanding image | Apollo Go (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news Waymo promised them very happy as a world leader in Robotaxis. Now Baidu has just advanced on the right It was originally posted in Xataka by Javier Lacort .

Some researchers have calculated mathematically which are the most tourist cities in the world. Bad news, Barcelona

by

Each summer Barcelona usually Be news in the foreign press for its attractiveness as a tourist destination. After all, its mixture of Mediterranean climate, beach, culture, architecture and gastronomy attract every year to hundreds of thousands of travelers from other parts of the world. However in July 2024 The Ciudad Condal monopolized holders in the media of the entire planet for a rather different reason: fed up with saturation, a group of neighbors dedicated himself to shooting visitors with water guns next to posters in which messages such as “Tourists Go Home” were read. That was a sample (The nth) The impact of the sector in the Catalan capital, a phenomenon that has now been black on white in A study which identifies Barcelona as the city most pressured by tourism. Tourist density. That is the parameter that has analyzed Nomad Esim in A report published a few days ago, a study in which he is dedicated to examining how Overurism It is affecting some of the most popular destinations in the world. To do this, it has basically valued two parameters: the size of the cities and the number of foreign visitors who receive each year, which allows it to calculate their “density” of travelers. With the results it has elaborated A 40 -cities ranking Headed by Porto, Cancun and Barcelona, ​​which leads the list. Why’s that? Nomad technicians have estimated that Barcelona receives about 20.37 million tourists who are forced to be distributed by an urban area of 101 square kilometerswith what the concentration of visitors per km2 amounts to 201.722. There is no other city on the list that approaches him. The second in the ranking, Cancun, has 147,887 tourists per km2 and in Porto do not even reach 144,000. The fourth place is occupied by New York, with 137,712, which Dubrovnik (112,500), Florence (107,843), Kyoto (98,651) and Lisbon (88,000). Mallorca occupies the 37th position, with 5,137, and Paris the 29th (16,820). Issue of density and size. That data does not mean that Barcelona is the one that receives the most tourists. Not much less. New York, Kyoto, Los Angeles, Paris, Las Vegas or London (to quote only some examples) receive more visitors than the city, according to the information that Nomad Esim manages, but its largest urban extension explains that the tourist massification is not so high. The data of the report They must also be taken as what they are: a report, with their biases and limitations. His estimate of tourists does not coincide for example with the global data that the city handled in the late 2024 (15.5 million). In 2023 the observatori of tourism spoke of 15.6 million of visitors, balance that rose to 25.9 million if the region was taken into account, not just the city. The report It is interesting in any case because it provides clues about other destinations and connects with a feeling that has been breathed for years in Barcelona: The discomfort from the neighbors for the tourist. The pressure on residents. In his report, Nomad has done something else: calculating the “pressure” that tourism exerts on the local population of each of the destinations. To do this he crossed the flow of tourists from each city and its census. The most bulky data is taken in that case Orlando, with 241 tourists for each resident. They are followed by Santorini (220), Queenstow (116), Mykonos (105) and Cozumel (94). Barcelona occupies the 24th place of the international list, with an average of 13 visitors per local, a result slightly lower than that of Mallorca (20). If both metrics are mixed, the surface, total register of neighbors and influx of tourists, the first in the list is Cancun, followed by Orlando, Dubrovnik, Kyoto, Florence and witches. Barcelona is in tenth place and Mallorca in the 32nd. Of the imforms to the streets. The study is interesting because it gives a measure of the pressure that great destinations support, including Barcelona or Mallorca, a phenomenon that has caused resident mobilizations that claim a more sustainable tourist model. The Protest with guns Water was surely the most media, but not the only one: in Barcelona (as in other locations) the neighbors have taken to the streets to show their rejection of massification or demand a greater access to housing, a market conditioned for tourist pressure. The risk: die of success. Saturation supposes something else: a threat to the quality and future of its own destination. The “No List 2025” of Fodor´s, one of the most solera guides among the Anglo -Saxon travelers already has proposed To their readers who “reconside” spend their vacation in three emblematic destinations in Spain that face the risk of dying of success or are directly saturated. Which is it? Canary Islands, Mallorca … and Barcelona, ​​who share a list with international destinations such as Bali, Venice, Lisbon, Koh Samui (Thailand) or Agrigento (Sicily). It is not that they have asked for charm, but about the consequences that tourist success is having in the functioning of cities. Image | Sung Shin In Xataka | The tourism paradox in Spain: if you have not reserved your vacation in the Canary Islands, it is possible that the same thing costs to go to the Caribbean

The 100 best universities in the world excluding those of the US, exposed this graphic revealing

by

The listings are important. Well for Choose the most reliable car or to see Where can we give ourselves a feasthaving well -ordered options is a good starting point in our search. The same goes for universities and, in These dates after the Pauit is likely that many wonder which one is the best. In this graph prepared by Visual Capitalist We can see the top 100 of the best universities in the world if we do not take into account those of the United States. Eeuu queen, but collapses. The list of the best universities has been prepared thanks to the data and scores of the ranking of Times Higher Educationbut something interesting is that the United States is left out for a very specific reason: although it represents almost a third of the best 100 universities in the world, in recent months Cases of permits rejection are being given due to the changing immigration policy of the country. According to data Of the Association of International Educators, or Nafsa, the interest in studying in the United States by postgraduate students from other countries collapsed in more than 40% after the arrival of Donald Trump to his second term. That after 6.6% increases in 2023 and 11.5% in 2024. Because of that, the graphic excludes American universitiescountry that still has Mit, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Caltech, Berkeley and Yale within the world top 10. United Kingdom: proper name. There are three free positions within those first ten, and the United Kingdom is the protagonist. The best in the world, according to this data, is the Oxford University. His eternal rival, Cambridgeoccupies the fifth place and closes the top 10 the Imperial College of London. The latter does not have as much name as the previous two and is much younger (open in 1907, when the other two are from the eleventh and thirteenth century respectively), but has managed to sneak among the best of the best. If we exclude the United States again, the United Kingdom stands out with 12 universities in the list. Europe, culture focus. If the United States is the one that has the most universities in the top 100 and the United Kingdom that has the best university in the world, as region, it is Europe that carries the singing voice. 36 of the 100 best non -American universities are found in Europe thanks to programs and policies Focused to scientific excellence and research. This list tells us about how Europe is not only an academy, but also a Important research pointwith Germany to the front with eight centers and other countries such as France (4 centers), Sweden (3) and the Netherlands (1) being outstanding names. In this list, Spain, Italy or Portugal are out of Top 100. In fact, according to the list, the only Spanish universities within the Top 200 are the University of Barcelona (position 149), the Pompeu Fabra (176) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (199). Italy strain three others (Bologna (146), Scuola Normale Superior Di Pisa (154) and Sapienza University of Rome (185). China advances with speed. Leaving Europe, another important name is that of China. In recent years, Chinese universities have acquired greater importance in the international scenario due to an exhibition greater to their studies, to research and innovation. The country has seven universities in the list, two of them (the Tsinghua and Beijing) They are within the 20 most important, and is the third country with the most renowned universities at the moment after the US and the United Kingdom. AND It is not a coincidence: The Chinese government has invested more than 23,000 million dollars since 2016 for infrastructure and research equipment improvements and have started To apply policies to attract international students, with programs in English and certain advantages. And also talent. Notable absences. Outside these three regions, we have Japan, Canada, Singapore or Australia as examples of countries that also have universities in this list of the best 100. And, beyond countries such as Spain, Portugal, Greece or Italy without universities in this top, we also see a lack of Latin American and African universities. Rejection of listings. And, although lists of this type can be very useful when finding the university that best suits your educational or research needs and can give prestige to those that are above the list, it is also possible that those same universities reject being there. An example is that of the Harvard School of Medicine, which a few years ago said “no” to one of these lists. Specifically, the index of the medical schools of US News & World Report. Reasons? Question the methodology used to create these indexes. But from the index they responded to Harvard stating that, with increasingly faces, students deserve to have access to all data and information to make a decision. Beyond all that, it is curious to know which countries that accumulate that educational and research wealth and know that it is not something that is achieved overnight, needing, as we see in the case of China, that the government impulse is key to improving the university offer. In Xataka | Some millionaires did not like the ideology of universities, so their own university has been created: an anti-woke “

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.