Declan

I'll do it with the caveat that, if I survive (regardless of the situation of the cargo) I get a payment > £100m.

I'm not often a gambling man, but the all-or-nothing option does have some appeal.

I wonder if any other nation Americans consider one of our geopolitical Rivals noticed that four days of lobbing missiles at Iran from afar reduced the president to screaming at defense contractor CEOs to conjur up more missiles instantly because we're running out.

China in the crosshairs as EU launches sweeping plans to save industrial future Proposals reveal EU anxiety over competing with Chinese products, security fears linked to Chinese investments and urgency to act.

China in the crosshairs as EU launches sweeping plans to save its industrial future

My report on all today's goings on

www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

Back to the industrial accelerator act - this jumped out at me:

It will insist that companies from countries which do not allow EU firms to access their own procurement markets are excluded from the bloc’s tenders in sectors including steel, cement, automotive, solar, wind and nuclear

Commission launches EU Industrial Maritime and Ports Strategies to boost competitiveness across the maritime sector Today, the European Commission adopted a EU Industrial Maritime Strategy and a Ports Strategy to drive competitiveness, sustainability, decarbonisation, security and resilience within the EU\'s wider ...

Two more proposals today which will hit China:

the EU Ports Strategy and the EU Industrial Maritime Strategy

Both will further squeeze Chinese investors in infrastructure at a time at which their port holdings in the West are under scrutiny.

ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Here we go - EU industry chief Stephane Sejourne presents the long-awaited Industrial Accelerator Act

"What I'm talking to you about isn't just a change in our modus operandi - it's actually a change in doctrine. This is something that was unthinkable even just a few months ago"

Sketch of a blue forest at night. In the middle stands a samurai silhouette and somewhere hides a cat. Indian ink, acrylic pens and technical pens on paper.

Daily sketch 🪾🌌🥷🐈‍⬛️

Can you spot the cat ?

(Zoomed out version below)

#art #artsky #ink #sketch #noai

Rough calcs...

The vessel plus cargo was likely valued at as much as $300,000,000

China unlikely to have paids for the cargo, so total loss to Russia.

BahnBet — Bet on German Train Delays Predict Deutsche Bahn delays and win. Real-time prediction markets on ICE, IC & EC train delays.

What I thought was a joke is real: you can now bet on German train delays. bahn.bet

I see the ‘patriotic’ parts of the press are delighting in a US President having a go at the PM.

I haven't done shading in my sketches for more than 25 years. Always felt like it could put the lines at risk of becoming unreadable. It is strange how we creatively change over time.

What you're looking at is not a sunrise — it's the Russian LNG tanker ARCTIC METAGAZ (IMO 9243148) struck by a massive explosion in the Mediterranean this morning. Photographed by crew aboard a merchant vessel, via Vanguard Tech.

Guardian 🌿

Paradox should push a Hearts of Iron update just to see the impact on Pentagon strategic planning

I am honored and delighted to announce that my image of two Springboks in a sandstorm that was raging in Namibia's coastal dunes has won the Grand prize of the2026 international Memorial Maria Luisa competition! 🥳🥂🍾

#photography #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #bluesky #nature #mammals

The United States is seeking an armed uprising inside Iran, with a ground operation expected within days.

www.itv.com/news/2026-03...

So apart from the incoherence of his timeline, and the fact that he's shitting on Ukraine (again), is this an admission that A) the US is now running out of expensive weapons and B) that they no longer believe they have a (lord forgive me) 'technological overmatch' against a certain peer adversary?

Process pictures of a pencil drawing depicting the weaving branches and roots of a woodland alive and full of history. This woodland being known as The Golden Wood of Lórien. Within this scene depicted from the books we see a bewildered Frodo and Sam lead by Galadriel to her all seeing mirror, where our little hobbits learn the fate of all who inhabits Middle Earth.

Process pictures of a pencil drawing depicting the weaving branches and roots of a woodland alive and full of history. This woodland being known as The Golden Wood of Lórien. Within this scene depicted from the books we see a bewildered Frodo and Sam lead by Galadriel to her all seeing mirror, where our little hobbits learn the fate of all who inhabits Middle Earth.

Process pictures of a pencil drawing depicting the weaving branches and roots of a woodland alive and full of history. This woodland being known as The Golden Wood of Lórien. Within this scene depicted from the books we see a bewildered Frodo and Sam lead by Galadriel to her all seeing mirror, where our little hobbits learn the fate of all who inhabits Middle Earth.

Process pictures of a pencil drawing depicting the weaving branches and roots of a woodland alive and full of history. This woodland being known as The Golden Wood of Lórien. Within this scene depicted from the books we see a bewildered Frodo and Sam lead by Galadriel to her all seeing mirror, where our little hobbits learn the fate of all who inhabits Middle Earth.

Here’s some process pics of my ‘Mirror of Galadriel’ piece from last year ✏️✏️
Hoping to do some more Tolkien work this year but I’m paralysed by choice..

If you have any scenes you’d love to see depicted I’m all ears!

#illustration #lordoftherings #tolkien

After-lunch stroll in the garden 🌸🌿✨

Remember my first post here? It's actually part of a larger piece (2nd image).

I put a lot of love and care into this piece, and I'm very proud of it. 😊

It begins.

Again.

And defence/security. You need people who know this stuff. It's hard and mistakes are potentially catastrophic. Where is the Green 'think tank'/working group on this stuff? Do they have anyone with foreign office, military, law enforcement, or intelligence experience?

You do not want a government that does not have any international relations expertise in the world of today. You *need* people who understand crisis bargaining and are brutally clear eyed and pragmatic when it comes to foreign countries. You need ministers who understand their briefs.

It's not acceptable to still have prominent anti-nuclear power people influence policy, it's ridiculous to allow infrastructure NIMBY-ism, it's more than slightly worrying to not have extremely savvy finance and heavy/high tech industry people providing advice, and where are the IR crowd?

I'm not a member of any political party in the UK and have voted for several different ones over the years, however my concern with the Greens is that there are still too many of the cranks hanging around from the 1980s-mid 2010s. If they're going to govern, they need to get serious.

This is nothing. Just send Mahmood out again to announce some more anti-refugee policies and you can easily find your way to fifth place.

Raytheon Executive: I know you’re skeptical about buying American again. But hear me out. The MIM-104 Patriot is the only surface to air missile system with a proven track record of success against the US Air Force.

Danish Defense Minister: Continue.

Not to take too much advantage of you in your moment of grief, but an EV with home charger and a cheap overnight charging rate *could* save you a lot of money. And solar PV and a battery could also save you more money over time.

I know a guy. He handles Wilts. Just saying. 😇

Minimalist painting of a cliff with a blue tree on it. A little samurai silhouette stands below the tree. Somewhere hides a cat. Indian ink on a5 paper.

Daily sketch 🏔🪾🥷🐈‍⬛️

Can you spot the cat ?

#art #artsky #ink #sketch

Honestly the collective national level of disdain for Brits living in Dubai on all my social media platforms today really is bringing the UK together as one in a way that's hard to achieve in the modern era.

I am not dunking on this account but it's important to explain a couple of things that they haven't understood.

There are only two ways to defend against a ballistic missile. Either shoot it down, or stop it launching.

We're not in a position to do the first, which leaves only the second. 1/n