Mike Alderson FRSA

🇨🇳Chinese State Media just unveiled the Next Generation Killer Robodogs armed with Type 191 Rifles The future of warfare wouldn’t be fought by humans, but humanoids and robots.

Thai fishing industry nears a standstill as Iran war pushes up fuel costs (Ed: so implications on price and availability of shrimp, tuna and squid for the UK). reuters.com/world/asia-pac…

If PM Starmer (in his own words at the meeting of the leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force in Helsinki today) considers that the threat to Ukraine and Europe has grown whilst the focus is on the Gulf, why is the Defence Investment Plan still stalled and awaiting publication? Could it be that all the money has gone, under pressure from his left wing back bench MP's, to welfare and union pay rises?

8 m/s speed. 30 km endurance. Full speed ahead! Shanghai-based robotics company AgiBot (智元机器人) unveils the D1 MAX quadruped robot, delivering high speed, strong waterproofing, and all-terrain performance. Where would you deploy it? Video from AGIBOT @AGIBOTofficial @China4Tech @CyberRobooo @lukas_m_ziegler @Rainmaker1973

🇨🇳The PLA showcases the "Unmanned Killer Drone" for the first time, with built-in firearms and ammunition making drones more concealable, and the ability to swap in shotguns or submachine guns at any time. When sci-fi meets reality, this is INSANE.

Wow!

Welcome to ‘New Russia’: How the Kremlin is remaking occupied Ukraine (longread) reuters.com/investigations…

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Venezuela deploys robotic dogs for patrols in Caracas Two robotic dogs are now patrolling public spaces in one of Caracas’s wealthiest districts. Officials say the technology is meant to support, not replace, police officers on the ground. Venezuela’s Chacao municipality, in eastern Caracas, has introduced two robotic dogs named Turbo and Voltio as part of a new public security programme unveiled in March 2026. (via euronews.com) The AI-powered machines, presented by Mayor Gustavo Duque, are expected to patrol plazas and other public areas, especially at night, using high-resolution cameras and motion sensors to send live images back to the municipal command centre. Officials say the robots are designed to detect suspicious movement, monitor licence plates and support officers during routine patrols, rather than replace human police or traditional canine units. The move matters because Chacao, one of the capital’s most affluent districts, is positioning itself as a testing ground for “smart city” policing in Latin America. Chacao is one of the five municipalities that make up Caracas and hosts major financial centres, hotels and shopping malls. Local authorities have described the rollout as a regional first, reflecting a broader push to combine visible policing with surveillance technology in urban spaces where safety remains a political and public concern.

Air taxis in the US could launch this summer A new federal push could put electric air taxis in the sky as early as this summer. Not everywhere. Not at full scale. But in enough places to make this real for the first time. This is the first program of its kind designed to bring air taxis into everyday U.S. airspace. The biggest hurdle has not been technology. It has been regulation. The FAA requires commercial aircraft to meet extremely high safety standards. We are talking about failure rates closer to commercial airlines than cars. (via foxnews.com) That creates a problem. Traditional aircraft follow well-known designs. eVTOLs are completely new. They take off vertically, then transition into forward flight. That adds complexity and risk. Companies like Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation and others have spent years testing. Some have logged thousands of flights. Still, full approval has remained just out of reach. Now comes a major shift. The government has launched a new initiative called the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. The goal is to speed things up without lowering safety standards. Instead of waiting for full nationwide approval, companies can begin limited operations in specific areas. This rollout breaks from the old all-or-nothing approval model. Instead of waiting years for full certification, companies can now prove safety in real-world conditions and expand from there. Eight pilot programs have been approved across the country, including: New York and New Jersey, with flights from Manhattan heliports Texas connecting cities like Dallas, Austin and San Antonio Florida testing passenger flights, cargo and medical use North Carolina and Virginia are exploring autonomous operations. These pilot programs span 26 states, creating one of the largest real-world test environments for next-generation aircraft. These aircraft will not just carry passengers. They will support cargo delivery, emergency medical response and regional transportation. Data from these pilot programs will help the FAA create new rules to safely expand air taxi use nationwide. That last part matters more than it seems. "This is the clearest sign yet from the White House, the FAA and the DOT that bringing air taxis to market in the United States is a real priority," said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer. "We appreciate Secretary Duffy and Administrator Bedford's leadership and are excited to bring Midnight to the skies of some of America's largest cities." This push is not only about getting you across town faster. It is also about keeping up. China has already moved ahead in drones and air mobility. Companies there have been running real commercial passenger flights since 2023.

Drones empower China's smart spring farming #China now operates the world's largest fleet of agricultural #drones — over 300,000 units — covering more than 460 million mu (30.67 million hectares) of farmland every year. With drones and robots leading the way, smart agricultural machines are expanding into ever more diverse applications, boosting agricultural yields across the country.

China's low-altitude economy takes flight A recent milestone in #China's aviation sector saw the successful maiden flight of an electric vertical take-off and landing (#eVTOL) aircraft. Resembling an electric vehicle equipped with wings, this innovative craft can carry two passengers at speeds up to 150 km/h below 3,000 meters. Notably, the detachable wings allow it to drive over 300 kilometers on the road. This achievement reflects the strong momentum of China's low-altitude economy, which is rapidly becoming a key driver of the nation's new quality productive forces. Advancements in airspace management, core equipment breakthroughs, and developing infrastructure networks position the sector to transition from pilot flights to scenario-based validation by 2026. Across China, diverse application scenarios are rapidly emerging. In major agricultural provinces such as #Shandong, #Henan and Sichuan, drones are widely used for crop protection, playing an important role in coordinated pest and disease control. #lowaltitudeconomy Read full: en.people.cn/n3/2026/0326/c…

Construction begins on Guangzhou's new airport On March 25, construction officially commenced on the Guangzhou new airport project in Gaoming District, Foshan. The airport is positioned as an "aviation hub for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" and a "comprehensive transportation hub in the western Greater Bay Area." The current phase of the project has a total investment of RMB 41.808 billion, including RMB 35.909 billion for the airport itself. Plans include the construction of two widely spaced parallel runways, a terminal building with a floor area of approximately 260,000 square meters, 94 aircraft stands, and supporting facilities. Upon completion, the airport is expected to handle an annual passenger throughput of 30 million, cargo and mail throughput of 500,000 tonnes, and 260,000 aircraft movements. (via info.newsgd.com) Located in Gaoming District of Foshan, the Guangzhou new airport aims to address the current imbalance in the Greater Bay Area's airport system—where the eastern side is stronger than the west—and to serve as a key missing piece in building a world-class airport cluster in the region. Once operational, the airport will directly serve more than 20 million people in Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing, and surrounding areas. It will also complement the strengths of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, promoting coordinated development and enhancing integration between the region's world-class airport system and urban clusters. The development of the airport economy brings vast opportunities. Gaoming District has already taken proactive steps in this direction. In recent years, it has accelerated efforts to develop the aviation industry and airport economy, including the construction of an aviation materials industrial park near the airport. It has also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China Southern Airlines, with both sides set to collaborate across six key areas: base development, route expansion, industrial growth, integration of aviation and tourism, air-rail intermodal transport, and the low-altitude economy, with a total investment exceeding RMB 2 billion.

Carney's mega anti-Trump alliance starts quest to save world trade Nearly 40 nations are hatching a plan to save the World Trade Organization or, if it can’t be salvaged, to build a new order. The middle powers that Canada’s Mark Carney rallied in Davos will face a test this week against the “rupture” in global trade opened by U.S. President Donald Trump. The nearly 40 nations in the EU and Indo-Pacific CPTPP trade blocs are on a quest to save the World Trade Organization at a pivotal meeting in the African nation of Cameroon. (via politico.eu) Six years ago, Trump crippled the global trade body’s dispute court. His administration is now pressuring members to change the WTO’s core principles to get tough on China as the White House’s tariffs openly flout the rules, damaging global trade. Among other squabbles, the WTO, which operates by consensus, has seen its 166 members at odds over whether to make e-commerce and digital trade — including software, cloud services, and music and movie streaming — permanently tariff-free. On the sidelines of the four-day showdown in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, the EU and the 12-nation CPTPP bloc, which together represent nearly a third of the global economy, will hatch a plan Friday to keep the WTO on the rails. Or, if it can’t be salvaged, “build a new order” as Carney urged in his address to the World Economic Forum. “I think Canada has added a bit of oomph into this conversation since Mark Carney’s speech,” U.K. Trade Minister Chris Bryant told POLITICO ahead of the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), where he is serving as a facilitator, guiding the multilateral reform talks. Last month, Carney offered to “broker a bridge” between the EU and the fast-growing Indo-Pacific bloc — which comprises Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and, most recently, the U.K. — in the form of a new anti-Trump trade pact that also aims to reform the WTO.

U.S. Vice President Vance will visit Hungary just days before its election Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to visit Hungary between April 7-8, just days ahead of the country’s election, to show support for the reelection of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The trip dates, which have not previously been reported and which the White House has not made official, were outlined in an excerpt of a State Department cable obtained by POLITICO.com The cable’s subject line reads: “Hungary: Scenesetter for Vice President Vance's April 7-8 Visit to Budapest.” Hungarian elections are set for April 12. The overt politicking on behalf of any foreign leader runs counter to a long tradition of American administrations generally staying out of other countries’ domestic politics. But Trump has already endorsed Orbán in a social media post and a video message shown at last week’s CPAC conference in Budapest. In Trump’s March 24 post, he urged people to “get out and vote” for Orbán, who he called a “truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results.” In addition, Vance has long made waves in Europe for his support of far-right parties and at times stinging criticism of more mainstream governing coalitions and alliances. A State Department spokesperson referred questions to the vice president’s office. Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Generally speaking, senior officials’ travel plans are considered tentative until the final hours. Vance would be the highest-level U.S. visitor to Hungary since then-President George W. Bush’s trip in June 2006, according to the cable excerpt, which was shared with various parts of the State Department on Wednesday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Hungary in mid-February.”

Metropolitan Police to resume arresting Palestine Action protesters The Met had paused making arrests after the High Court ruled that the Government ban on the group was unlawful. Britain’s biggest police force will resume arresting protesters for holding signs in support of banned group Palestine Action. The Metropolitan Police paused doing so in February after the High Court ruled that the Government’s ban of the group was unlawful. (via standard.co.uk) But on Wednesday the Met announced that officers will resume arresting protesters because the appeal against the ruling is likely to take several months. Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said: “While the High Court has found the proscription of Palestine Action to be unlawful, it has confirmed the impact of that judgment will not take effect until the Government’s appeal has been considered which could take many months. “That means it is still a criminal offence to support Palestine Action. We must enforce the law as it is at the time, not as it might be at a future date. We must do that consistently and without fear or favour.” He went on: “The High Court decided on February 25 to grant the Home Secretary permission to appeal and to leave the proscription in place pending the outcome of that appeal. “Having now considered our position in light of that decision, taking into account all the circumstances, we have determined that while Palestine Action remains proscribed and support for it remains unlawful under the Terrorism Act, we must continue to enforce the law and this is likely to involve the arrest of those committing offences.” More than 2,700 people have been arrested so far for allegedly expressing support for Palestine Action since it was banned as a terrorist group last year.”

“The best thing to do is to look at your business first and figure out where the pain points are. Where are those tasks that employees are really frustrated with? Where are the processes that slow things down? Or where are the bottlenecks that are limiting your growth? That is probably the best way to identify a set of initial AI use cases.” says AI advocate (and former Prime Minister) Rishi Sunak. Here are his golden rules... fortune.com/2026/03/25/ris…

Arrests in Germany after UK tracks inner tube shipment to suspected boat gang The tubes are often given to migrants instead of life jackets before they are crammed onto small boats. An investigation sparked when UK law enforcement tracked inner tubes used as part of “go kits” for small boat launches has led to the arrests of four people in international raids. The suspects, all Syrian nationals, were held in Germany as hundreds of police, with staff from the UK National Crime Agency, carried out raids in mainland Europe on Wednesday. (via independent.co.uk) Boats and engines, as well as petrol cans, pumps and life jackets, were seized in raids on warehouses in the North Rhine-Westphalia region said to be linked to a people smuggling gang. Twelve sites in Germany were raided, and two in Belgium. The investigation began when the NCA received a tip-off about a shipment of tyre inner tubes that arrived in Italy in March last year. They are often given to migrants instead of life-jackets before they are crammed on to inflatable boats. Investigators found that so-called go kits for smugglers were being assembled in Germany and then driven to France for use by gangs. Worth £10,000 each, they included inflatable boats, pumps, and engines, along with the inner tubes. Between April and December last year, seven vehicles carrying the kits were stopped in Germany, France and the Netherlands, and 17 suspects arrested. The National Crime Agency said that had they reached the French coast, the kits could have been used to illegally transport 1,000 people to the UK, with each boat crossing making the gang a profit of about 100,000 euros (£86,500). Those arrested will be extradited to Belgium where they face prosecution for people smuggling and being part of an organised crime group.