NASA Scientist Proposes Theory of Alien Civilizations Throughout Milky Way Futurism
Markov Chains: The Strange Math That Predicts (Almost) Anything 3 Quarks Daily
How the Brain Moves From Waking Life to Sleep (and Back Again) Quanta Magazine
Rise in youth mortality fuelled by mental illness, drugs, violence and other preventable causes The Conversation
COVID-19/Pandemics
Pozniak: Are we really ready for next pandemic? Boston Herald
Pandemic fears grow amid alarming rise of variant in China Daily Mail
Climate/Environment
Sea Levels Rising Faster than at Any Time in 4,000 Years, Study Warns SciTech Daily
World’s landscapes may soon be ‘devoid of wild animals’, says nature photographer The Guardian
South of the Border
Is the US about to attack Venezuela? Vox
Mexican and U.S. Officials Don’t Think Trump Admin Will Conduct a Military Intervention in Mexico: Report The Latin Times
Treasury’s $20 Billion Swap with Argentina and the Complementary ESF Credit Facility VeriDelis substack
China?
Heavy trucks in China given a personality
pic.twitter.com/RdbKoH0i3Z— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) October 7, 2025
China Seizes The Master’s Weapon As It Makes Itself The New Hegemon Ian Welsh blog
Nexperia China unit asserts its independence as tensions with the Netherlands run high Reuters
China Wins Its Largest Ever Fighter Export Deal: Pushing U.S., Russian and Korean Competition Out of Indonesia Military Watch magazine
The First 48 Hours of a War With China ‘Could Be Ugly’ National Security Journal
India
India cutting Russian oil imports by 50%? After Donald Trump, White House makes big claim; refiners await clarity The Times of India
“India Working On 2 nm Chip”: Ashwini Vaishnaw Shows ‘Wafer’ At NDTV Summit NDTV World
Africa
American Private Military Companies Are Poised to Become Major Players in Africa’s Security Landscape SOFREP
Gen Z protesters toppled Madagascar’s president. Should other African leaders worry? CNN
European Disunion
Europe and the US Are Drifting Apart and It Isn’t Just Because of Trump Jacobin
Is mandatory military service returning in Europe? Turkiye Today
Twenty countries pressure EU for more deportations to Afghanistan DPA International
Old Blighty
The new favourite bolthole for Britain’s wealth creators: They are being driven out by Labour’s ‘attack on hard work’… and finding happier and ‘more sophisticated’ alternative Daily Mail
Brexit impact on UK economy will be negative for foreseeable future, Bailey warns The Independent
Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran
Israel tortured and sexually humiliated Greta Thunberg.
Some excerpts from her interview with the Swedish paper Aftonblatet:
“They grab me, pull me to the ground, and throw an Israeli flag over me.”
“They dragged me to the opposite side from where the others were sitting, and… pic.twitter.com/vr4P0PuBgY
— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) October 15, 2025
Rebuilding Gaza will take ‘decades,’ cost $70B, experts say ABC News
Egypt expected to lead global stabilisation force in Gaza, say diplomats The Guardian
Israeli forces stage new incursion near Syria’s Quneitra Shafaq News
UN rapporteur says deadly Israel strikes on vehicles in Lebanon could be war crimes The New Arab
New Not-So-Cold War
Hungary for a Change (No Kings Update) Oliver Boyd Barrett substack
The Wizard of the Kremlin News Forensics substack
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant repairs begin in Ukraine as ceasefire zones set Al Jazeera
Ukraine’s Zelensky leaves D.C. without Tomahawk missiles he sought UPI
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
Google’s Ambitious Privacy Sandbox Project Signals Its End Gizmodo
Quantum threat looming large to privacy Bizz Buzz
Imperial Collapse Watch
Ohio community frustrated over homeless encampment in cemetery News 5 Cleveland
Maryland Lawmaker Seeks Tougher Sentences for Fentanyl Dealers Amidst Climbing Overdose Deaths in Baltimore and Rural Counties Hoodline
Trump 2.0
Prosecutor Who Rejected Trump’s Pressure to Charge James Is Fired NY Times
When could the shutdown end? Five key dates to watch The Hill
US to repatriate survivors of strike on ‘drug-carrying submarine’, Trump says BBC
Protesters gather nationwide for ‘No Kings’ rallies opposing Trump administration Andolu Agency
Musk Matters
Key facts: Analyst questions Tesla’s valuation; ISS advises against Musk’s pay TradingView
Elon Musk is looking for 100,000 people to send to Mars zamin
SpaceX has big, destructive plans for its big rocket in Florida The Bradenton Times
Democrat Death Watch
Newt Gingrich sees nationwide shift to GOP as voters flee ‘crazy’ Democratic Party Fox News
Democrats Have Let Republicans Become the ‘Peace’ Party Common Dreams
Immigration
Trump’s immigration crackdown weighs heavy on the US labor market AP
Internal documents suggest Salesforce offered AI services to expand Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown Times of India
Judge orders federal immigration agents to use body cameras in Chicago The Spokesman-Review
Our No Longer Free Press
Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Johnson Decries Trump Administration Curbs on Pentagon Press Insider NJ
Pentagon Press Exodus Erupts Over New Access Rules Grand Pinnacle Tribune
Mr. Market Is Moody
Fragility of the dollar system: balance sheets to blockchains Kraken blog
Smart Investor: AI Boom or Bubble, Stocks on a Tightrope, and Why the Market Could Get More Concentrated Morningstar
AI
Game over. AGI is not imminent, and LLMs are not the royal road to getting there. Marcus on AI substack
How sexy should AI be? OpenAI is one of many companies hoping to cash in Euronews
Inside San Francisco’s new AI school: is this the future of US education? The Guardian
People are using AI to talk to God BBC
People Who Lost Their Jobs To AI Are Opening Up About Their Experiences, And It’s Genuinely Scary BuzzFeed
The Bezzle
South Koreans freed from Cambodian scam centres return home under arrest Al Jazeera
Myanmar scam cities booming despite crackdown – using Elon Musk’s Starlink AFP
Guillotine Watch
TOP 8 MOST EXPENSIVE WHISKIES IN THE WORLD 🌎 2024
A THREAD ❗️❗️❗️
1. Isabella’s Islay – $6.2 million pic.twitter.com/OuvpXP3dzg
— BLAZE OF LAGOS🔥 (@campusblaze) February 12, 2024
The most expensive bottled water in the world is the Acqua di Cristallo Tributo a Modigliani, which is priced at $60,000 per 750 ml, and is sourced from either France or Fiji, and contained within a 24-karat solid gold bottle. 💦 #FactManiac pic.twitter.com/d8EXOWnl6K
— Fact Maniac (@factmaniac) January 27, 2019
Antidote du jour (via)
Lioness and cub
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
