NOCTURNAL NAVIGATORS: HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE DARK Atmos
Pasta for the People Earth Island Journal
Climate/Environment
How Fast is Earth Warming? Open Mind
Arctic Wildlife Research Suffers as Geopolitical Competition Grows Yale Environment 360
The fire retardant in the seafood chain Outlaw Ocean Project
Foretelling drought in the stars The Trade Off
Pandemics
Congo’s fast-moving Ebola outbreak spreads to eighth province AP
China?
China’s economy grows 4.5% on robust exports as domestic weakness persists Euronews
“More haste, less speed” — Phrase of the Week Sinica
Fake it and you’ll make it Rita Liao
India
US ‘close’ to finalizing trade deal with New Delhi, says Rubio ahead of India trip Anadolu Agency
Syraqistan
World Food Programme to end aid for half a million in Gaza due to funding shortfall France24
Israeli Forces Kill Two Children in Gaza as IDF Continues Relentless Attacks Antiwar
IDF Failed to Address Warnings Ahead of West Bank Settler Attack on European Diplomats Haaretz
The Palestinians Who Rescued Heidi Levine Infinite Jaz. Account from journalist Jasper Nathaniel, who was present for the settler attack on photographer Levine on Friday.
I may be reading too much into this statement, and I certainly hope I am wrong. But it is hard not to interpret it as suggesting that Netanyahu promised Trump another joint military operation against Iran in exchange for his political support.
In other words, Netanyahu may have effectively committed Israel to another war with Iran to secure his political future, regardless of the potential consequences.
If that is indeed the case, it would be an extraordinary and troubling revelation. Israel cannot afford another war with Iran driven by political calculations rather than a genuine national security necessity.
#IranWar
— Danny (Dennis) Citrinowicz ,داني سيترينوفيتش (@citrinowicz) October 18, 2026
Iranian Revolution 2.0 GeoPolitiQ
Egypt parliament delays vote on military support to Saudi Arabia New Arab
UAE agrees with Saudi Arabia to re-enter Yemen conflict amid Houthi gains The Guardian
Lebanese sovereignty is trampled on by Washington and Tel Aviv with the apparent agreement of the state Vanessa Beeley
Old Blighty
Collapsing Empire: Saudi Arabia’s Unknown Brexit Meddling Kit Klarenberg
Why are some NHS maternity units facing closure? The Guardian
Eating London’s sewage vegetables London Centric
Almost the entirety of the British Highstreet is now made up of 3 types of businesses:
1) Private Equity owned companies (Pizza Express, Burger King, Cafe Rouge, The Body Shop, Wagamamas, Zizzi, New Look, Bella Italia, Boots, WH Smith, etc)
2) Foreign owned businesses acting as fronts for skilled visa migrant scams and/or money laundering enterprises (Hairdressers, Kebab Shops, Vape Shops, etc)
3) Charity Shops. Largely in existence to sell off items left when people die.
It’s difficult to imagine anything more dystopian than this.
— Integral Views (@Integral_Views) October 18, 2026
Reform Figure Behind ‘Shocking’ Grenfell Comments Still Involved in Party DeSmog
O Canada
Multiple people dead, injured in ‘disaster’ at Alberta military base training area CBC
Alberta and Québec referendums test Canadian unity amid hostility from the U.S. The Conversation
Life alongside the impacts of Alberta’s fracking boom The Narwhal
European Disunion
US threatens Europe over Starlink restrictions FT
Europe’s Diesel Winter Is Coming, and Washington Is About to Make It Worse Larry Johnson
Germany’s War Economy Thomas Klikauer
Hard to convince Italians to back Ukraine – defense minister RT
Let’s not forget what’s taking place in Albania:
🚨🇦🇱 TIRANA IS ON FIRE — AND EDI RAMA’S POLICE HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE STREETS!
🔥 Smoke, flames, and chaos fill the scene as the confrontation escalates in Tirana. The students are standing their ground while Albania’s political crisis deepens.
✊️THE STATE HAS THE HELMETS, THE SHIELDS, AND THE TEAR GAS. THE STUDENTS HAVE THE COURAGE.
🇦🇱 YOU CAN TRY TO INTIMIDATE A STUDENT, BUT YOU CANNOT INTIMIDATE AN ENTIRE GENERATION THAT HAS HAD ENOUGH!
#Albania #Tirana #StudentProtest
— Anonymous TV 🇺🇦 (@YourAnonTV) October 17, 2026
To All foreigners – this table is one of the reasons for the protest in Albania
This is the list of Albanian Government Officials accused by the @SPAK_Albania (Special Anti-Corruption and Anti-organized Crime Prosecutor) since the last May 2025 election. What would happen in your country if the same happened there?
Ps. Do you know there is no food tracing system in Albania? Likewise for tap water. We have the worst bathing waters by far in Europe.
— Flamingo Television (@Flamingo_TV) October 18, 2026
Protestors Criticized For Looting Businesses Without Forming Private Equity Firm First The Onion. From 2020, still germane.
New Not-So-Cold War
Bombshell: Lithuanian Defense Minister Reveals Ukrainian Drones Used in St. Petersburg Attack Came From Polish Airspace Simplicius. They really want Russia to attack, don’t they?
Europe must liberate Belgium from its huge Russian assets risk FT. Liberate, eh?
Putin Floats a Summit With Trump and Xi to Discuss Ukraine Deal WSJ
Rubio says no pause in US intel sharing with Ukraine AFP
The Army Behind the Army: How Russia Regenerates Military Power While Fighting a War of Attrition Kautilya the Contemplator
Lagarde Sends Message to Putin at IMF That War Harms Prosperity Bloomberg
Why I Canceled Russian Culture for Myself New York Times
South of the Border
Nadia Beller’s courage is extraordinary. We owe her an enormous debt for repeatedly risking her life even after an assassination attempt to report this
— Camila Lourdes Galarza (@sovietwithsazon) October 18, 2026
Bolsonaro Supporters Call for Trump to “Nuke Brazil” Panamerican Dispatch
Trump 2.0
Republicans warn that Pentagon funds will hinge on Trump getting tougher with Russia The Hill
Debanking, Reputation Risk, AML, Oh My! Fintech Business Weekly
Vance is confronted by the emotional husband of a soldier killed in Iran War and acts like he had no idea anyone ever died:
Q: It’s a hard price to pay. There’s a failure in the leadership. How will the leadership be held accountable?
Vance: If there were failures… This is the first time I’ve heard of this.
— FactPost (@factpostnews) October 18, 2026
Midterms 2026
How dwindling US munitions are quietly reshaping 2026 Midterms Al Mayadeen
Healthcare Is Still on the Ballot. But the Debate Has Changed. MedPage Today
Democrats Suck
The Democrats want war with Russia in exchange for a Republican war. Don Hank
The biggest No Kings protest in NYC today did not fill half of Washington Square Park.
Easily the most low energy No Kings protest I’ve been to yet. https://t.co/f06fgF4vee
— James Klüg (@jamesklug) October 17, 2026
Meta Says Claude AI Tool Triggered No Kings Instagram Suspension Bloomberg
Imperial Collapse Watch
Three Shootings in America Doomsday Scenario
Economy
Real Wages are Negative Year-Over-Year for Six Consecutive Months Mish Talk
Analysis-IMF/World Bank meetings leave developing countries with more questions than answers Reuters
Police State Watch
A good friend of mine, @iElijahManley (ran for Congress against carpet bagger Wasserman Schultz) was just arrested and given a $40,000 bond for a social media post he made back in August.
Two women who are falsely claiming to be victims of the post (which had nothing to do with either of them) are major fundraisers for the Broward SA office.
These womens’ social media posts are almost exclusively pro-Israel propaganda.
Elijah passionately spoke up against Israel throughout his campaign.
— Rebekah Jones (@GeoRebekah) October 17, 2026
AI
America’s $10tn AI infrastructure boom is starting to fray FT
Anthropic quietly pitches its own AI safety bill to lawmakers Politico. “The bill would let the government block a model’s release or use only if it poses a foreseeable, imminent risk of more than $1 billion in damages, or of killing or seriously injuring more than 50 people.”
ANTHROPIC TO DEDICATE 20% OF ITS SHARES TO “PUBLIC GOOD”
The only way to make it a public good is to give it to the people directly with full voting rights, not to some wholly owned LLC that does “public benefit” work
Burn this effective altruism to the ground
— Jeff Park (@dgt10011) October 18, 2026
Monopoly Round-Up: Goodbye AI Bubble, Hello Real Economy BIG by Matt Stoller
Class Warfare
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
