Dr Christine Cheng

France to boost nuclear arsenal and extend deterrence to European allies Emmanuel Macron said eight countries could enjoy protection from France's nuclear umbrella - but that Paris would retain sole decision-making power.

The UK, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden & Denmark “would also share in the development of ‘auxiliary’ capacities under the new nuclear doctrine: space-based alarm systems; air defence to shoot down incoming drones and missiles; and long-range missiles.”

bbc.com/news/article...

U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus Advocacy group reports commanders giving similar messages at more than 30 installations in every branch of the military

EXCLUSIVE: At more than 30 installations, U.S. commanders told troops the war on Iran is a Christian war.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been “inundated” with more than 110 complaints.

One NCO said they were told the U.S. war is to bring about Armageddon and the return of Jesus…

uld you support or oppose abolishing ICE? (%) Somewhat or strongly supportNot sureSomewhat or strongly oppose U.S. adult citizens 39 Party ID Democrats 14 Independents 35 Republicans 68

Per The Economist/YouGov, half of Americans support ABOLISHING ICE.

Literally, "abolishing."

yougov.com/en-us/articl...

IRGC Destroys Second US THAAD System in Gulf, Wipes Out UAE Radar and $1.1 Billion Qatar Early Warning Shield — Iran Declares Missile Dominance - Defence Security Asia IRGC precision strikes reportedly destroy a second US THAAD system, its UAE radar, and Qatar’s $1.1 billion early warning system, exposing fractures in America’s Gulf missile defence architecture and ...

so Iran has apparently knocked out and destroyed / disabled to some extent two U.S. THAAD batteries

This is a massive deal. Aside from the expense, this is not a weapon system we just have a ton of lying around. You don't replace these easily.

defencesecurityasia.com/en/irgc-dest...

It's crazy how fast things changed in the global order.

Trump casually threatened to invade NATO ally Spain during a press conference in the Oval Office, and it's not even surprising anymore.

Things like this make it really hard to take US security guarantees at face value.

CNN put together a montage of the regime's incoherent talking points about Trump's war on Iran

When all the uber wealthy people left London for Dubai, they assumed that small states would be just as safe as big states, and that money can buy security.

This used to be mostly true.

But here’s a reminder that UK taxes also pay for defence. And that the Middle East isn’t Europe.
aje.news/um63bn

Reform win a seat: The true Volk have spoken and we all must listen.

Greens win a seat: Early reports that Muslims may have ‘voted’ (an ancient Islamic practice designed to steal elections). How severely should the franchise be limited in response?

Lap tops needed.
I need 15 good 2nd hand laptops for a drone training course Rugby Team are setting up for recruits who have passed basic infantry training.
The specification is below.
Can anyone help?
This is not money that needs to be spent
Specifically Ireland & UK

Will Iran Be Next? Soldiers, spies, and diplomats conduct a classic Pentagon war game—with sobering results

Twenty-plus years ago, did big, long Atlantic story based on formal "war game" involving "preemptive" attack on Iran.

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Lots of details have changed since then. But not the fundamental conclusion of the war-game: ARE YOU CRAZY?? DO NOT EVEN THINK OF DOING THIS.

Spot-on point from Al Cairns about setting up the right *culture* in the UK military to innovate quickly.

We have so much to learn from Ukraine on drone warfare.

Universities’ “core function has always been to provide cheap, scalable trust—certifying competence, signaling legitimacy, and reducing uncertainty for outsiders. AI weakens those signals precisely by making them easier to imitate.“

Must read for all university faculty.

Japan shipping group says Strait of Hormuz closed to energy, other traffic Prolonged crude oil, LNG stoppage could stoke Japanese inflation

Japan shipping group says #StraitofHormuz closed to energy, other traffic (Nikkei Asia)

Trump thinks he can do regime change on the cheap. With no US boots on the ground.

This doesn’t work. Whichever civilian leader tries to take over still has to face the entrenched interests of the IRGC.

Since this is existential for IRGC, they will fight to the death.

What an utterly disgusting and dangerous front page from the Mail today. Surely by now everyone can see that Reform is a party that thrives on division, fuels anger, and uses the scapegoating of minorities and migrants to gain support. Everyone it seems except the Mail

U.S. Ability to Determine What Comes Next in Iran Might Be Limited

Understatement alert

As a European country we do of course have a third option….

Houthis Announce Support for Iran; Government and STC Condemn Attacks on the Gulf Aden (South24 Center)The Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, announced on Saturday (February 28) “full readiness and mobilization across various ...

The Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, announced on Saturday (February 28) “full readiness and mobilization across various activities” to support Iran, amid a massive regional military escalation following a joint U.S.-Israeli strike inside Iranian territory.

south24.org/news/newse.p...

As a non-aligned country, I’d be thinking: Long term, US or China?

Who can I do business with? Who is less likely to weaponise a security or trading relationship?

This statement makes it so clear that China=coercive stability and US=coercive chaos. Both terrible option, but here we are.

Opinion | Trump’s Strikes on Iran Were Unlawful. Here’s Why That Matters.

The strikes on Iran are blatantly illegal. I explained in June why the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were unlawful under US and international law. Everything I wrote then is true today, but this is a far larger assault with far graver consequences.

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/o...

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine are monitoring the U.S. operation in Iran from President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Trump is currently located, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Jesus Christ they're running the war from Mar-a-Lago

www.reuters.com/world/us/top...

The Neo-Isolationist-Eldridge-Colby part of MAGA is not going to like war with Iran.

Trump wants a quick win but if this gets long and messy, he may end up with a deep fissure within MAGA.

This isn’t just US & Israel vs Iran. US allies knew in advance that bases would be targeted.

I’m sure US has asked allies to stay calm, but very hard to say where this all goes.

Shouldn't really surprise anyone anymore but it is interesting that Israeli officials are just outright threatening to destroy Beirut International Airport if Hezb "gets involved" and this doesn't permeate Western media

A direct call by Trump for regime change in Iran.

This is all or nothing- Khamanei has everything to lose. Which could make Tehran’s retaliation very unpredictable.

Unless they have a Delcey Rodriguez waiting in the wings, this could become very bloody. For the IRGC, this is a fight to the death.

ASPI's researchers highlighted a familiar story across many technologies. An early and overwhelming US lead in research output in the first decade of this century has been surpassed by China's persistent long-term investment in fundamental research. In 2005, China accounted for just 6 per cent of the world's most highly cited research papers but that share had risen to 48 per cent this year. The comparable proportion of US publications fell from 43 per cent to 9 per cent. At a time when the US is defunding many federal science programmes, China is doing the opposite by "building the whole technology ecosystem", says Jenny Wong-Leung, one of the report's authors.

At a time when the US is defunding many federal science programmes, China is doing the opposite by “building the whole technology ecosystem”
www.ft.com/content/4561...

Sobering to see the Ukrainian flag flying above the UK Department for Culture, Media, and Sport today. Marking 4 brutal years of war since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

When the US National Security Strategy referenced civilizational erasure”, it was code for “Where have all the white people gone?”

The man who best represents that view in the UK is Tommy Robinson. And he’s now being courted by the US government.

Ah yes. We’ve been expecting you. The latest kick in the nuts for all the racist & racist-adjacent ‘mainstream’ UK journalists who mocked the notion that Trump’s administration was far-right & fascistic. Don’t expect any apologies, though. It’s Brexit 2.0.

Academics and students ‘face censorship’ for Palestinian support Universities worst affected as lawyers collate database of incidents of ‘repression’

Academics and students are more likely to face “repression” for their pro-Palestinian views than any other group, according to a new report that lists more than 300 examples of “censorship” in the past six years. Juliette Rowsell reports #AcademicSky #EduSky
https://ow.ly/fQif50YmhVp