Might the Royal Air Force go nuclear again?
THE RUMOUR among locals in the 1960s was that the base was a secret centre for breeding chimpanzees for Britain's space programme. There was no such space programme. And there were certainly no chimpanzees. The heavily defended buildings at RAF Barnham in Norfolk were home to the nuclear bombs carried by British planes. Nuclear convoys of cargo trucks were routine. In one town's High Street, recalls an officer, the drivers 'discovered that, by blipping their throttles at the right moment they could lift the mini-skirts of the girls on the pavement alongside them.'
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Rhyl Journal
5 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
UK agrees to check-free land border for Gibraltar but EU controls for flights
The agreement on a 'fluid border' clears the way to finalise a post-Brexit deal on the territory with the EU. But those flying into Gibraltar from the UK will face one check from Gibraltarian officials and another by the Spanish on behalf of the EU. An agreement for the future relationship between the EU and the UK in relation to Gibraltar is now a reality. It is a historic agreement. — Fabian Picardo (@FabianPicardo) June 11, 2025 This is because the land border will allow those arriving by air access to the European Schengen free travel area unchecked once they are in Gibraltar. The UK and Gibraltar insisted the changes would not affect the British overseas territory's sovereignty. The airport will operate under a model similar to London's St Pancras station, where passengers pass through both UK and French passport checks to board international trains. Goods and customs checks will also eventually be removed in both directions under the agreement. The move could also see airlines start to add flights to Gibraltar from countries other than the UK in a boost to tourism. Officials say a hard border would have been introduced under the EU's incoming exit and entry control system if no deal was reached, causing delays for some 15,000 people who cross the border every day as every individual passport was checked. Talks on rules governing the border have been ongoing since Britain left the European Union in 2020. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the previous Tory government left behind a situation that 'put Gibraltar's economy and way of life under threat'. He said the agreement was a 'breakthrough' after years of uncertainty. He said: 'Alongside the government of Gibraltar, we have reached an agreement which protects British sovereignty, supports Gibraltar's economy and allows businesses to plan for the long-term once again. 'I thank the chief minister and his government for their tireless dedication throughout the negotiations. The UK's commitment to Gibraltar remains as solid as The Rock itself.' Spanish foreign minister Jose Albares said the deal marked 'a new beginning' in the relationship between the UK and Spain. He said that Spain 'will guarantee free movement of people and goods', adding that Gibraltar would now be linked to the Schengen Area with Spanish authorities controlling entry and exit. I have always said nothing about Gibraltar, without Gibraltar. — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 11, 2025 President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the deal. In a post on X, she said: 'It safeguards the integrity of Schengen and the single market, while ensuring stability, legal certainty and prosperity for the region.' Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo said the deal would 'protect future generations of British Gibraltarians and does not in any way affect our British sovereignty'. 'Now is the time to look beyond the arguments of the past and towards a time of renewed co-operation and understanding. Now the deal is done, it's time to finalise the treaty,' he said. On Wednesday evening, Sir Keir Starmer spoke with Mr Picardo and thanked him for 'his years of hard work, commitment, and leadership to reach an agreement'. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also had a phone call with Sir Keir, and congratulated the British PM because 'his Government had succeeded where others had failed'. The Conservatives have said they will carefully review the UK's agreement with the EU on Gibraltar's border to see if it crosses any 'red lines' the party set out during its own negotiations when in government. Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said: 'Gibraltar is British, and given Labour's record of surrendering our territory and paying for the privilege, we will be reviewing carefully all the details of any agreement that is reached.' Mr Lammy held talks with Gibraltar's leaders, members of the opposition and the business community before leaving the British overseas territory to head to Brussels on Wednesday morning. Gibraltar was ceded to the UK by Spain in 1713 and the population is heavily in favour of remaining a British overseas territory. The last time it voted on a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, in 2002, almost 99% of Gibraltarians rejected the move. Gibraltar also hosts an RAF base at its airport and an important naval facility.
Miami Herald
16 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
New synthetic ‘skin' gives robots human touch
By Stephen Beech A new synthetic "skin" gives robots the human touch. The low-cost, durable and highly-sensitive material can be added to robotic hands just like a glove, say scientists. It enables automatons to detect information about their surroundings in a way that's similar to humans, according to research published in the journal Science Robotics. The research team, from the University of Cambridge and University College London (UCL), developed the flexible, conductive skin, which is easy to fabricate and can be melted down and formed into multiple shapes. They say the new technology senses and processes various physical inputs, allowing robots to interact with the physical world in a more meaningful way. Unlike other solutions for robotic touch, which usually work via sensors embedded in small areas and require different sensors to detect different types of touch, the entirety of the electronic skin developed by the British team is a sensor, bringing it closer to human skin. Previously, signals from different sensors could interfere with each other, and the materials were easily damaged. Although the new robotic skin is not as sensitive as human skin, the researchers say it can detect signals from more than 860,000 tiny pathways in the material. That enables it to recognise different types of touch and pressure, such as the tap of a finger, a hot or cold surface, damage caused by cutting or stabbing, or multiple points being touched at once, in a single material. The research team used a combination of physical tests and machine learning techniques to help the robotic skin "learn" which of these pathways matter most, so it can sense different types of contact more efficiently. As well as the potential for humanoid robots or human prosthetics where a sense of touch is vital, the researchers say the robotic skin could be useful in industry and even disaster relief. Study lead author Dr. David Hardman, from Cambridge's Department of Engineering, said: "Having different sensors for different types of touch leads to materials that are complex to make. "We wanted to develop a solution that can detect multiple types of touch at once, but in a single material." Co-author Dr. Thomas George Thuruthel, of UCL, said: "At the same time, we need something that's cheap and durable, so that it's suitable for widespread use." Their solution uses a type of sensor that reacts differently to different types of touch, known as multi-modal sensing. While it's challenging to separate out the cause of each signal, the researchers explained that multi-modal sensing materials are easier to make and more robust. The team melted down a soft, stretchy and electrically conductive gelatine-based hydrogel, and cast it into the shape of a human hand. They tested several different electrode configurations to determine which gave them the most useful information about different types of touch. From 32 electrodes placed at the wrist, they were able to collect more than 1.7 million pieces of information over the whole hand, thanks to the tiny pathways in the conductive material. The skin was then tested on different types of touch. The researchers blasted it with a heat gun, pressed it with their fingers and a robotic arm, gently touched it with their fingers, and even cut it open with a scalpel. They then used the data gathered during testing to train a machine learning model so the hand would recognise what the different types of touch meant. Dr. Hardman said: "We're able to squeeze a lot of information from these materials – they can take thousands of measurements very quickly. "They're measuring lots of different things at once, over a large surface area." Dr. Thuruthel added: "We're not quite at the level where the robotic skin is as good as human skin, but we think it's better than anything else out there at the moment. "Our method is flexible and easier to build than traditional sensors, and we're able to calibrate it using human touch for a range of tasks." The team is now hoping to improve the durability of the electronic skin and to carry out further tests involving real-world robotic tasks. The post New synthetic 'skin' gives robots human touch appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
North Wales Chronicle
19 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
UK agrees to check-free land border for Gibraltar but EU controls for flights
The agreement on a 'fluid border' clears the way to finalise a post-Brexit deal on the territory with the EU. But those flying into Gibraltar from the UK will face one check from Gibraltarian officials and another by the Spanish on behalf of the EU. An agreement for the future relationship between the EU and the UK in relation to Gibraltar is now a reality. It is a historic agreement. — Fabian Picardo (@FabianPicardo) June 11, 2025 This is because the land border will allow those arriving by air access to the European Schengen free travel area unchecked once they are in Gibraltar. The UK and Gibraltar insisted the changes would not affect the British overseas territory's sovereignty. The airport will operate under a model similar to London's St Pancras station, where passengers pass through both UK and French passport checks to board international trains. Goods and customs checks will also eventually be removed in both directions under the agreement. The move could also see airlines start to add flights to Gibraltar from countries other than the UK in a boost to tourism. Officials say a hard border would have been introduced under the EU's incoming exit and entry control system if no deal was reached, causing delays for some 15,000 people who cross the border every day as every individual passport was checked. Talks on rules governing the border have been ongoing since Britain left the European Union in 2020. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the previous Tory government left behind a situation that 'put Gibraltar's economy and way of life under threat'. He said the agreement was a 'breakthrough' after years of uncertainty. He said: 'Alongside the government of Gibraltar, we have reached an agreement which protects British sovereignty, supports Gibraltar's economy and allows businesses to plan for the long-term once again. 'I thank the chief minister and his government for their tireless dedication throughout the negotiations. The UK's commitment to Gibraltar remains as solid as The Rock itself.' Spanish foreign minister Jose Albares said the deal marked 'a new beginning' in the relationship between the UK and Spain. He said that Spain 'will guarantee free movement of people and goods', adding that Gibraltar would now be linked to the Schengen Area with Spanish authorities controlling entry and exit. I have always said nothing about Gibraltar, without Gibraltar. — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 11, 2025 President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the deal. In a post on X, she said: 'It safeguards the integrity of Schengen and the single market, while ensuring stability, legal certainty and prosperity for the region.' Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo said the deal would 'protect future generations of British Gibraltarians and does not in any way affect our British sovereignty'. 'Now is the time to look beyond the arguments of the past and towards a time of renewed co-operation and understanding. Now the deal is done, it's time to finalise the treaty,' he said. On Wednesday evening, Sir Keir Starmer spoke with Mr Picardo and thanked him for 'his years of hard work, commitment, and leadership to reach an agreement'. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also had a phone call with Sir Keir, and congratulated the British PM because 'his Government had succeeded where others had failed'. The Conservatives have said they will carefully review the UK's agreement with the EU on Gibraltar's border to see if it crosses any 'red lines' the party set out during its own negotiations when in government. Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said: 'Gibraltar is British, and given Labour's record of surrendering our territory and paying for the privilege, we will be reviewing carefully all the details of any agreement that is reached.' Mr Lammy held talks with Gibraltar's leaders, members of the opposition and the business community before leaving the British overseas territory to head to Brussels on Wednesday morning. Gibraltar was ceded to the UK by Spain in 1713 and the population is heavily in favour of remaining a British overseas territory. The last time it voted on a proposal to share sovereignty with Spain, in 2002, almost 99% of Gibraltarians rejected the move. Gibraltar also hosts an RAF base at its airport and an important naval facility.
