UK Column News

UK Column News — 18th March 2026► Subscribe to the UK Column YouTube channel ► https://bit.ly/ukcolumnofficialMike Robinson, Charles Malet and Vanessa Beeley with today's UK Column News. ► Join UK Column Live every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1pm UK time or watch previous live recordings here: https://bit.ly/UKColumn_Live► [UK Column Website] Explore all our written and video content on the official UK Column website: https://www.ukcolumn.org/► [Support UK Column] Please donate to support our independent journalism & investigative journalism: https://support.ukcolumn.org/► [UK Column YouTube] Please subscribe to the UK Column News YouTube channel for more alternative news and independent news: https://bit.ly/ukcolumnofficialFollow #UKColumn on:► X: https://x.com/ukcolumn► Telegram: https://t.me/ukcolumn► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UKColumnExtracts► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uk_column_newsChapters00:00 Welcome00:34 Defensive Posture: War narrative update13:30 Trump Iran: Press conference comments analysed21:00 Technology: UK to be fastest G7 nation to adopt AI kill chain26:50 Weapons: AI used to dictate targets28:44 Check out UKC’s website and support our work29:55 Assisted Dying: The bill fails in Scotland34:08 Lebanon: Bombing intensifies41:02 Food: Unappealing new diets on the way48:15 Media: Local news will be funded by the state50:30 Rwanda: Was never going to work52:35 Security Council: UN second resolution ‘bows to US empire’58:55 And finally: Robots’ Rebellion. Tech goes mad in public

Mathew Maavak, researcher and commentator on propaganda and foresight, talks about information warfare, media disinformation, and how public trust shifted after COVID. He questions elite competence, explores AI risks and secret military systems, and connects systemic fragility to geopolitical shocks and the resurfacing of the Epstein files. He also reflects on societal unraveling and the role of scepticism.

A neighbour’s unexpected journey delivering a donated vehicle from Lviv to Sumy in brutal winter conditions. Long snowbound drives, icy roads and makeshift checkpoints feature heavily. Stories of prepping cars for extreme cold, handing over the vehicle to front-line medics, and encounters at borders and air-raid shelters. Reflections on costs, logistics and the human side of wartime aid.

Dr. Warwick Powell, Australian academic specializing in geopolitics, energy and thermoeconomics. He dissects how a rapid strike on Iran unraveled U.S. military reach. Shortfalls in munitions and fuel, damage to regional infrastructure, and shifting Gulf and East Asian alignments are explored. The conversation spotlights energy, supply-chain shocks, and the strategic consequences for global power projection.

Etienne De La Boetie, libertarian commentator and organizer with Art of Liberty, critiques government illegitimacy and media capture. He and Jerm explore links between organized crime, political image-making, and war profiteering. They discuss militarization’s moral costs, propaganda techniques, and voluntarist visions for markets replacing state services.

They unpack Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the geopolitical fallout for oil, navies and escalation risks. They scrutinize “sustainable markets” initiatives, space infrastructure and alleged financialisation of nature. They reveal a Companies House security flaw exposing director data. They question AI reliability and warn about propaganda risks.

Vanessa Beeley, independent journalist and Middle East field reporter based in Lebanon, shares on-the-ground reporting from Syria and Lebanon. She recounts a Beqaa Valley raid and Hezbollah ambush. She explores Israel’s displacement tactics and blocked reconstruction. She examines Christian Zionist influence on US policy, AI-assisted targeting concerns, and Iran’s strategic missile and air-defence moves.

Charles Mallett, field reporter who recorded on‑site at RAF Fairford, gives a frontline account of US B‑1 activity and munitions near civilian areas. Short segments probe UK support for US operations, dual‑use cyber risks, Iran’s civilian resilience amid strikes, oil market shocks and AI‑driven job cuts. Fast‑paced, topical and on‑the‑ground.

A reflective chat about living authentically and reconnecting with nature. They explore worries about technology and AI eroding attention and skills. Conversation covers concerns over overmedication and medicated food chains. Practical remedies include reviving hands-on crafts, disciplined tech use, regenerative farming, and shifting from passive consumption to active creation.

Cynthia Chung, independent writer on geopolitics, technology and resource policy, outlines the political roots of the limits to growth narrative. She discusses AI and social media shrinking attention spans. She critiques predictive models and highlights human innovation, nuclear and regenerative solutions, and the politics that manufacture scarcity.