Isabel Hilton

@isabelh.bsky.social

Writer, broadcaster, China, geo-politics, climate; Founder of ChinaDialogue; contributing editor Prospect Magazine. Chair of Centre for Investigative Journalism; NED E3G; visiting professor Lau Institute, KCL, co-chair Bureau of Investigative Journalism

I am one of the few people in the UK who is not a regular Strictly viewer so I never caught the lovable crowd-pleasing side of the late Anne Widdecombe who is being remembered today as a kind of national pet.

Simon Romero of the New York Times reports that the Trump administration has taken an estimated $8 billion in oil revenue out of Venezuela. In the wake of the devastating earthquakes that hit on June 24, the U.S. has so far pledged only $300 million in aid.

The ever solipsistic Nigel Farage described himself as the “most physically and verbally attacked public figure or politician in modern times. “. Quite a claim. I wonder if he knows the names Jo Cox and David Arness?

With unclear intention, Russia’s satellites have been placed curiously close to a commercial satellite that provides essential intelligence for the Ukrainian armed forces. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by @julianasuess.bsky.social.

Checkmate? Russian Orbital Manoeuvring Threatens Ukraine’s Space Capability

With unclear intention, Russia’s satellites have been placed curiously close to a commercial satellite that provides essential intelligence for the Ukrainian armed forces.

rusi.org

Ft on space x A very successful but fairly small satellite launch company, bolted onto a stagnant money-losing social media company (X) and a money-incinerating AI company [xAI, operator of the widely despised model Grok], and then sprinkled with a lot of hype about humankind going interplanetary.

With Orbán in power in Hungary, Russians refrained from targeting Ukraine’s Transcarpathia that hosts a sizeable Hungarian ethnic community. But after the regime change in Hungary, Russians are no longer restrained, hence the most dramatic Russian strike on Transcarpathia today since February 2022.

BURGUM: When the sun goes down, solar produces zero electricity HUFFMAN: I want to enter into the record this amazing new technology that apparently the secretary is unaware of -- it's a battery

New Prospect out now! With @ethanz.bsky.social on the US court judgments threatening the future of social media; @isabelh.bsky.social on the new star wars; @duncanweldon.bsky.social on price shocks and the Iran war; and @mrhenrymorris.substack.com joins Reform on the Welsh campaign trail

Prospect Magazine@prospectmagazine.co.uk · 3mo ago

Our latest issue is out now! Here’s a peek at what’s inside (all of which you can READ FOR FREE until 11th May) 🧵 For our cover story, @ethanz.bsky.social argues that it has not been proven that social media causes harm—or that banning it is the answer: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/techno...

And thank you Reuters for reminding us where our realy sympathies should lie in this disordered world:second-hand Lamborghinis and Ferraris, bound for Dubai from Japan, are stranded at a port in Sri Lanka because ships are unable to dock in the Middle East..

There has been a striking lack of news about the US airman since Trump's announcement of his rescue from Iran. Clearly the operation was messy and became a long firefight in which he and others were wounded. Since then, silence.

Ever wonder where the money goes that the US spends on the military? In September an awful lot goes on furniture and king crab "The Pentagon spent $2 million on Alaskan king crab in September. It’s the fifth time the Pentagon under Trump has spent $2 million or more on king crab in a single month