The Case of the SS Stalingrad, the Polar Bear and the Barrels of Siberian Honey. Breaking the Fetters
Climate/Environment
The energy transition is powered by — wait for it — coal Bloomberg
Another private equity group is buying an Ohio coal plant. Will anything change? Ohio Capital Journal
US power system becomes more fossil-dependent than China’s Reuters
AI’s thirst for power keeps coal fires burning bright The Register
The future of coal country: The landscape of energy Montana Free Press
Pandemics
CDC sends help as more WA egg farm workers test positive for bird flu Seattle Times
Africa
The end of Mozambique’s two-party system? Africa Is A Country
India
Supply of arms to Israel case: Pro-corporation judgment misses the ‘human’ element The Leaflet
Startups: Pushing India towards $10 Trillion Economy Open Magazine
Stalinist CITU shuts down Samsung India workers’ militant strike on orders of DMK government WSWS
The Koreas
Samsung Electronics Union strikes a chord with South Korean society East Asia Forum
Japan
Two key elections chart the U.S.-Japan alliance’s future Tokyo Review
Japan election: stagnation continues The Next Recession
China?
China industrial profits extend drop as deflation takes toll The Business Times
Is US trade policy reshaping global supply chains? Journal of International Economics
US approves $2 Billion arms deal to Taiwan Defence Blog
Why Taiwan Should be Disheartened by Iran’s Missile Strike on Israel The Diplomat
Old Blighty
Britain is Owned System Change
In Britain, Palestine and climate activists face an ‘unprecedented’ wave of criminalisation Middle East Eye
O Canada
Zionist lobby organizations openly seeking fascism in Canada The Canada Files
A dark future for Canadian drug policy is being designed in the prairies The Breach
European Disunion
Bulgarians head to the polls to vote in seventh general election in three years Euronews
The European Dream is Fading in the East Counterfire
How Europe’s New Political Class Began Rejecting Reality Glenn Diesen, Glenn’s Substack
Germany’s Greens need to be denazified The Electronic Intifada
Syraqistan
‘The Entire Population of North Gaza Is at Risk of Dying’: UN Relief Official Common Dreams
Israel’s obstruction of aid doesn’t end at the border Polygraph
Former British special forces poised to deliver aid to new Gaza ‘gated communities’ The Telegraph
Rewriting Resolution 1701: Hochstein’s diplomatic cover for Israeli expansion The Cradle
War crimes court replaces judge in Netanyahu arrest case on health grounds Reuters
Palantir’s Israel contracts prompt $24M Storebrand divestment over rights concerns Ctech
***
Israel strike crippled Iran’s missile production, sources say Axios
Why Did Israel Just Launch a Tiny Attack on Iran? Three Major Possibilities Military Watch
Satellite Photos Show Israel Hit Iran Former Nuclear Weapons Test Building, Missile Facilities Asharg Al-Awsat. Commentary:
I suspect that what actually happened in Iran last night was an aborted attack. The IAF’s initial SEAD strikes with long-range missiles, meant to pave the way for what was probably an F-35 strike package with conventional bombs, clearly failed. Thus they scrubbed the strike.⬇️… pic.twitter.com/5QToCiESki
— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) October 26, 2024
It would demonstrate that the IAF can’t actually hit Iran in any significant way without flying manned aircraft “downtown,” likely because their stock of real standoff weapons is very low.
And that the F-35 is a failed design, because this was precisely what it was designed for. https://t.co/KmpUPD0EBC pic.twitter.com/y1djMTXoTq
— Armchair Warlord (@ArmchairW) October 26, 2024
Iran Says ‘Entitled’ to Defend against ‘Aggressive Acts’ after 4 Dead in Israeli Strikes Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran’s Khamenei seriously ill, son likely to be successor as supreme leader – NYT Jerusalem Post
Israel-Iran escalation prompts Turkey to launch talks with PKK Middle East Eye
New Not-So-Cold War
SITREP 10/26/24: Zelensky Begs Grid-Strike Trade as ‘Dark Winter’ Looms Simplicius the Thinker
South Korea has decided to openly fight with Russia?! Marat Khairullin Substack
How Russia Is Overwhelming Ukrainian Frontlines Moon of Alabama
***
Exclusive: Europe seeks to underpin Russia sanctions, fearing Trump overhaul Reuters
Don’t Rely on Sanctions Alone: Ways of Facilitating Regime Behaviour Change The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies
Joe Biden’s big blunder: how the war in Ukraine became a global disaster Simon Tisdall, The Guardian. Not as sane as the headline makes it sound. The deck: “Failure to contain the conflict has led to huge suffering and geopolitical shifts. Why didn’t the US commit to Nato?”
2024
In key swing states, the lines at food banks are growing longer NBC News
BLUE STATES GAVE TRUMP AND VANCE AN OPENING The Atlantic
Trump on Joe Rogan: Biggest WH mistake was hiring ‘disloyal people’ Al Mayadeen
Patrick Lawrence: Harris Comes Out of the Closet on Israel Patrick Lawrence, Scheerpost
“No more Gaza war!” protester yells.
Speech momentarily stops.
When it resumes, Harris says:
“…we must end that war and bring the hostages home. But now I am speaking about 2024.” pic.twitter.com/j9luDCeP2g
— Azi™️ (@Azi) October 26, 2024
Immigration
Border911: The misinformation network profiting off the false invasion narrative Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
Groves of Academe
Faculty Members Suspended From Harvard’s Main Library After ‘Study-In’ Protest The Harvard Crimson
Our Famously Free Press
You know I think we should really lament the resignation of a man who cheered on a war that kept American men and women rotating overseas for 20 years because he said we all needed ‘the stomach’ for democracy building and that only the US could do it. And then it failed. https://t.co/DOMWvP3xyS pic.twitter.com/NflSFBD0as
— Kelley B. Vlahos (@KelleyBVlahos) October 25, 2024
Imperial Collapse Watch
The times are a-changing and the BRICS Summit is a major factor Gilbert Doctorow
Factors Underlying Sino-Indian Rapprochement At BRICS – Analysis Eurasia Review
Big Brother is Watching You Watch
Inside the U.S. Government-Bought Tool That Can Track Phones at Abortion Clinics 404 Media
AI
U.S. MILITARY MAKES FIRST CONFIRMED OPENAI PURCHASE FOR WAR-FIGHTING FORCES The Intercept
$142 million AI drone warfare contract from ‘Project Maven’ was silently erased from public record All-Source Intelligence
Microsoft fires employees who organized vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza AP
The Bezzle
Nvidia overtakes Apple as world’s most valuable company NBC News
Antitrust
‘We took on Google and they were forced to pay out £2bn’ BBC
Class Warfare
A Win for the Poor Counterpunch
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.