Although I am not a great ‘aficionado’ of things military, something caught my attention the other day when the News Channels were reporting upon the huge military display recently mounted by the Chinese in their capital (no doubt to impress the Americans, as well as the Russians and the Indians) The Chinese have developed a very fast and sophisticated underwater drone which is capable of about 45 knots on the surface and up to 6 knots underwater. Although intended primarily for civilian use such as mapping and hydrology, the technology has evident military significance (and hence its place in the military parade) and one can only start to imagine the vulnerability of the British (and American) submarine fleets that are armed with our nuclear deterrent. The vessel is equipped with an advanced artificial intelligence decision-making system powered by deep learning algorithms capable of autonomous route planning, real-time mission adaptation, and hazard avoidance. The vessel’s AI-driven autonomy has tripled mission efficiency in complex operational environments compared to manual navigation protocols. Its core mission set includes typhoon tracking and atmospheric data collection through the launch of onboard meteorological rockets, which can be deployed while tracking cyclonic systems. The submersible’s endurance profile enables operations under Category 12 typhoon conditions, environments characterized by winds exceeding 130 km/h, and hazardous sea states. Submerged, the platform utilizes an advanced propulsion system that alternates between high-speed waterjets and silent magnetic fluid drives. Proprietary acoustic-dampening coatings reduce operational noise to ambient sea levels, enhancing their utility for hydroacoustic monitoring and stealth operations. Its payload capacity exceeds 20 mission-specific modules, enabling operations including meteorological surveillance, ocean floor mapping, photogrammetry, water quality sampling, and subsea infrastructure inspections. During recent trials in the South China Sea, the vessel successfully mapped 3,000 square kilometres of seabed in just 15 days, a rate five times greater than conventional manned survey vessels. Other technology included robotic ‘attack’ dogs (called wolves) that could approach a tank, crouch under it and then blow it up. The interesting thing is that the Ukraine is proving to be a testbed for such technologies – why use a simulated attack in for example, a desert when you have a real war in which to test things? Despite the impressive military hardware, a defence analyst made the point that despite a few minor border skirmishes over the decades and impressive military parades, the Chinese have not actually fought a real hot war in decades and no one in the Chinese army has any experience of this. So how well could the Chinese miliary perform in an an actual ‘hot war’ situation? Although posed in this way, it looks as though the Ukraine conflict is changing the nature of modern conflict in which appears likely that initial contacts will be by drones or robotic fighting vehicles controlled from a safe military HQ somewhere. This morning, I am probably going to try a ‘Tai Chi’ session at the Methodist Centre in Bromsgrove. It will probably be a session where I put myself near the front so that I can closely observe the actions of the demonstrator but practically every participant will be my age or similar so I am pretty sure that I will be able to keep up even though it is all very new. In addition, there is always a cheap cup of coffee and the possibility of a chat at the conclusion and before I go off and shop.
At last, the Epstein scandal is started to be reported in depth on Sky News and the other Main Street Media (MSM) Epstein survivors take centre stage as files controversy continues to leave Trump vulnerable. MAGA ultra-loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene was among politicians who joined the women to call for complete disclosure of government files on the infamous paedophile. For so long, the Epstein story has cast them in a cameo role. Everyday coverage of the scandal churns through the politics and process of it all, reducing their suffering to a passing reference. Not anymore. Not on a morning when they gathered on Capitol Hill, survivors of Epstein’s abuse, strengthened by shared experience and a resolve to address it. In a news conference that lasted over an hour, they brought an authenticity that only they could. There was vivid recollection of the abuse they endured and a certainty in the justice they seek. They had the safety of each other – adults now, with the horrors of youth at a distance, though never far away. It was an emotional gathering on Capitol Hill, attended by survivors, politicians and several hundred members of the public who turned up in support. Banners read ‘Release the files’, ‘Listen to the victims’ and ‘Even your MAGA base demands Epstein files’. That last statement is not lost on Donald Trump. As if for emphasis, one of the speakers was the ultra-loyal House representative Marjorie Taylor Greene – they don’t make them more MAGA. In a spectacle, startling to politics-watchers in this town, she stood side by side with Democrat congressmen to demand the Epstein files be released. It reflects a discontent spread through Donald Trump’s support base. He is the man who once counted Jeffrey Epstein as a friend and who has said he would release the files, only to reverse course.
We have our own scandal brewing here in which the deputy PM as had to refer herself to the Parliamentary ethics watchdog for seeming to underpay a great wallop of stamp duty. He full story is that Ms Rayner says she was advised that the home she bought was liable for the standard rate of stamp duty. It now turns out that advice was wrong and she owes tens of thousands in underpaid tax, because Hove is classified as her second home rather than her main residence. She says it was a genuine mistake and has referred herself to Parliament’s independent standards commissioner and informed HMRC that she says she will pay any additional tax owed. Whether this ‘I was misinformed’ excuse will wash is an interesting question because all that she and/or her advisers had to do was to consult the HMRC website where it is made crystal clear that stamp duty needs to be paid even if the property in question is held in a trust. Either Angela Raynor is lying (and a hypocrite to boot) or she has the most incompetent of tax advisers. In any case, as Deputy PM and in charge of a huge department such as housing, surely, she can understand the clear advice given on the HMRC website. I suspect that she might be ‘cleared’ on a technicality but that that there may be a damning phrase in the report when it emerges that ‘she did not exercise the required degree of care and/or oversight of her tax affairs’ and this will be sufficient to sink her completely. Keir Starmer is rumoured to be planning a mini-reshuffle of ministers but is staying his hand until such time as Angela Raynor’s future becomes more clear.