الكاتب: kafej

Russia is secretly developing a new kind of satellite-killing space weapon, according to US intelligence watchdogs in Washington.

The Biden administration is gathering highly sensitive information about the new capability, which is not yet operational but could potentially be a game changer in the war in Ukraine.

Russia has denied the claims but the chair of a powerful congressional intelligence committee on Capitol Hill in Washington has issued an urgent warning about Russia’s alleged ambitions.

Space is the new frontier in military technology and never more so than during the Ukraine war. Ukraine has pioneered the use of satellites and AI to spearhead its attacks on Russia, and now Russia may be striking back.

The claims are murky and lack detail, as is often the way with intelligence reports, but it’s thought the US fears Russia is working on a weapon that could knock out many satellites at once.

Ukraine has made very effective use of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network. Data gathered in space is augmented with AI to produce lists of targets for Ukrainians to strike. Satellites can also be used to help forces communicate on the ground and guide ever more lethal killer drones.

Unlike previous satellites used for military purposes, the Starlink network comprises thousands of satellites. To be effective, Russia’s new weapon would need to be able to knock them out en masse.

A nuclear device detonated in space could create an electromagnetic pulse frying the circuitry of satellites. But it’s not clear whether the alleged new weapons will be nuclear.

Other possibilities include laser technology or other forms of electromagnetic interference.

The use of space in this war will lead inevitably to escalation beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. Inventions and weapons on one side require countering by the other.

More analysis from Sky News:
Why there’s been an unprecedented fall in living standards
The chutzpah of Putin’s ambassador exposes brutal truth

Russia, at first, was able to jam signals from Starlink and then Western engineers were able to neutralise that technology. Now it seems Russia is resorting to more aggressive solutions.

Warfare in space would have massive downsides. It could render vast areas unusable if satellites are turned into clouds of space debris. International treaties aim to mitigate that risk but the Ukraine war has highlighted the strategic advantages of operating there.

The space arms race is on, despite the enormous risks.

A trial date has been set in Donald Trump’s hush-money case, which centres on the claim he paid off two women – including an adult film star – after they said he had affairs with them.

Jury selection will begin on Monday 25 March, a judge ruled today, turning down requests for a delay from Trump‘s lawyers.

The case centres on years-old accusations that Trump sought to bury stories about extramarital affairs that emerged during his 2016 presidential campaign.

The decision means Trump will become the first former US president to stand trial on a criminal charge.

Prosecutors claim he paid off two women – porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal – as well as a Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about Trump having a child outside of marriage. Trump denies having any of the sexual encounters.

Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer at the time, paid Ms Daniels $130,000 and arranged for the publisher of National Enquirer to pay Ms McDougal $150,000 in a practice known as “catch-and-kill” to bury the story.

Trump’s company then paid Cohen $420,000 and labelled the payments as legal expenses, according to the prosecution. Trump’s legal team argue no crime was committed.

The former president was at the New York courthouse for the hearing and arrived shortly before 9am local time.

More from Sky News:
What are the investigations Trump is facing?
How Donald Trump blocked US aid for Ukraine

It was Trump’s first visit to the building since he was there in April 2023, when a historic indictment made him the first ex-president charged with a crime.

This is the first of four criminal prosecutions against Trump to proceed to trial amid his bid to return to the White House. He is also facing multiple civil lawsuits.

Trump’s lawyers had complained about the trial going ahead as he tries to lock down his place as the Republican nominee for this November’s US general election – claiming it could amount to “election interference”.

In leaving the previously set trial date intact, Judge Juan Manuel Mercha took advantage of a delay in another of Trump’s prosecutions.

His charge for plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election is effectively on hold due to a Supreme Court appeal from the former president.

Trump’s two other criminal charges are for illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and criminally conspiring to overturn his narrow 2020 election defeat in Georgia.