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Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Spy balloons that can fly major heights to be developed in UK to keep Brits safe
The Ministry of Defence said the balloons offer low-cost surveillance as they don't need a crew on board and can travel uninterrupted at extreme altitudes for long periods The UK is developing spy balloons that can fly at double the altitude of a commercial flight to conduct intelligence and surveillance missions. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said trials of new high-altitude balloons flying between 60,000 and 80,000 feet above the Earth - higher than most military aircraft operate - have been successful. The balloons offer low-cost surveillance as they don't need a crew on board and can travel uninterrupted at extreme altitudes for long periods. The future use of such balloons could also include support to operations and reliable communication and fast internet connection to disaster zones or remote areas with no coverage, while also providing information for weather forecasting and climate research. The MoD will now develop a fleet of this class of balloon, following the successful trials in South Dakota, USA, earlier this year. It comes two years after the US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had been flying over its airspace. At the time, the UK's Tory Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said he would carry out a security review to look at the dangers of spy balloons. Defence minister Maria Eagle hailed the UK 'pushing boundaries' with its successful trials of spy balloons. 'This innovation is about giving our Armed Forces the edge – better awareness, better communications, and lower maintenance needs,' she said. 'Stratospheric technology like this could transform how we operate in complex environments, keeping our people safer and better informed than ever before. 'This successful trial is another example of UK defence pushing boundaries, with real potential to strengthen our future capabilities.' James Gavin, head of UK Defence's innovation, prove and exploit team, said: 'These latest trials have been incredibly fruitful and pave the way for more collaborative working with our allies to develop capabilities that will benefit our Armed Forces.'
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Rare fossil discovery reveals what dinosaurs sounded like
Growling dinosaurs in Jurassic Park have instilled fear in generations of children. But would these giant reptiles be so scary if they didn't growl at all, but chirped instead? Researchers in China have discovered a complete skeleton of an unknown dinosaur species, including its voice box. The find provides the first real clue as to what the extinct creatures sounded like. The two-foot-long dinosaur species, Pulaosaurus qinglong, has been named after Pulao, which is a small, loud-screaming dragon from Chinese mythology. The animal's fossils are so well-preserved that rare fossilised soft tissue has also been dug up, including structures in the larynx, or voice box. This is where scientists stumbled upon something unexpected. The dinosaur's larynx, with leaf-shaped, cartilage-like components, closely resembles those of modern birds. This suggests that Pulaosaurus could chirp, whistle, or even call, and not roar. The tiny dinosaur species were herbivores, only 28 inches long and walked on two legs. Their remains, more than 150 million years old, were discovered in the fossil hotspot of Yanliao Biota in northeastern China. We won't ever know exactly what the Pulaosaurus sounded like, though. Researchers explained: 'Due to the compression of the lower jaw of Pulaosaurus, its exact width is unknown, making acoustic calculations impossible.' But the discovery backs up growing evidence of bird-like voice boxes among dinosaurs. In 2023, the fossilised larynx of a different 16-foot armoured dinosaur, the Pinacosaurus, showed that extinct animal also chirped. The two species are only distantly related and separated by about 90 million years of evolution. This raises the possibility that chirping dinosaurs were not such a rare thing. Why is this discovery so rare? Researchers argue that the fragile voice box structures don't fossilise very often. More Trending They are also perhaps being wrongly classified as other parts of the throat. Despite going extinct around 66 million years ago, dinosaurs continue to unlock mysteries – even about human health. Scientists are hopeful they could develop new cancer cures thanks to dinosaur remains with tumours. Cancer experts at Anglia Ruskin University are studying tumours found in the fossil of a herbivorous Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus – known as a 'marsh lizard' – as it could help better understand the disease in humans. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Fan plays video game for 35,000 hours and then demands a refund MORE: Dog survives after 30-tonne boulder crashes into family's driveway MORE: China's new secret weapon is a flying ship dubbed 'the sea monster'
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Taiwan move to recall opposition lawmakers fails
TAIPEI, July 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan opposition lawmakers survived a major recall election on Saturday, thwarting a bid to oust one-fifth of the island's parliamentarians - a move supporters had hoped would send a message to China but that opponents said was an assault on democracy. All recall votes against 24 lawmakers from the largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), were rejected, according to live vote counts by Taiwanese media. The voting followed a campaign begun by civic groups. The election result will come as a blow to President Lai Ching-te's Democratic Progressive Party, which has missed an opportunity to reshape the Taiwan legislature and regain its majority. The government said the island's largest-ever recall vote had faced "unprecedented" election interference by China, which claims the democratically governed island as its own - a claim Taiwan rejects. While Lai won last year's presidential election, the DPP lost its legislative majority. The opposition has flexed its muscles since then to pass laws the government has opposed and impose budget cuts, complicating efforts to boost defence spending in particular. KMT Chairman Eric Chu thanked Taiwan's voters and called for Lai to apologise and reflect on his own governance. "One should not lose the elections and then call for malicious recalls. One should not seek for one-party dominance and destroy democracy," he told a press briefing in Taipei. "Most importantly, the people of Taiwan chose stability and chose a government that gets things done, rather than political infighting." The political drama comes as China ramps up a military and diplomatic pressure campaign against Taiwan to assert the territorial claims that Lai and his government reject. Lai has offered talks with Beijing many times but been rebuffed. It calls him a "separatist". The heated recall campaign has been closely watched by China, whose Taiwan Affairs Office and state media have repeatedly commented on the vote and used some of the same talking points as the KMT to lambast Lai, Reuters reported this week. Taipei this week said Beijing was "clearly" trying to interfere in its democracy and it was up to Taiwan's people to decide who should be removed from or stay in office. Wu Szu-yao, secretary general of the DPP's legislative caucus, said the party respected the voters' decision with pleasure, adding that the result would only strengthen the DPP's "anti-communist and pro-Taiwan" stance. "This time we saw China was trying everything it could to intervene," she told reporters at party headquarters in Taipei, pointing to Chinese military pressure and a disinformation campaign. "We must be more vigilant against their possible malicious intentions toward Taiwan." The groups seeking the recalls have said theirs is an "anti-communist" movement, accusing the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China, not supporting defence spending and bringing chaos to parliament. The KMT rejects the accusations, denouncing Lai's "dictatorship" and "green terror" - referring to the DPP's party colour. The KMT campaigned against what it called a "malicious" recall that failed to respect the result of last year's parliamentary election, saying they have simply been keeping lines of communication open with Beijing and exercising legitimate oversight of Lai's government. Recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers will be held on August 23.
