Climate/Environment
The three-story house at 00:10 is for sale for $4.95 million. https://t.co/X0YbYGEmUQ
— Lior Pachter (@lpachter) October 12, 2026
Vegetables half as nutritious as they were in the 1960s The Telegraph
‘We poison our soils for efficiency’ The Ecologist
The U.S. Public Is Losing Its Say on Environmental Policy Yale Environment 360
Pandemics
Ebola spreads in eastern DRC as Kenya confirms imported case Al Jazeera
Water
The Race for Lithium Is Becoming a Race for Water Inside Climate News
The Koreas
North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles toward Sea of Japan TRt World
Japan
Trump complained about the weak yen. Days later, Japan PM Takaichi signals the end of reflation Business Times
China?
Anduril’s plan to save US sub edge from China’s undersea surge Asia Times
China Proposes First Dedicated Rules to Protect Gig Workers, Regulate Platform Algorithms Yicai Global
India
India cracks down on Delhi election protests with 20,000 security forces; 2,000 detained: Reports Press TV
Syraqistan
Jared Kushner’s Middle East Financial Ties Draw Scrutiny as US Funds Gaza Force Military.com
***
Pentagon raises US-Iran war toll to 21 killed, over 800 wounded New Arab
Iran Says US Response To Its Proposal To Reopen Hormuz Was ‘Insufficient’ Reuters
Ansar Allah Continues Attacks on Riyadh Airport After Strike Kills 13 Civilians Antiwar
Iran ready to facilitate KSA-Sanaa dialogue, Araghchi tells bin Farhan Al Mayadeen
WOW!!! SAUDI GOV SPOKESPERSON ADMIT THEY ARE STRIKING YEMEN TO PROTECT EILAT IN ISRAEL
He said their aim is to prevent Yemen from threatening the Israeli port of Eilat
ANY PERSON SIDING WITH SAUDI IS SIDING WITH ISRAEL https://t.co/9CVzEnm019
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) October 11, 2026
***
Acting leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party:
A fascinating and frank interview by @KamalChomani with Murat Karayilan. Here are some key highlights:
– Karayilan revealed (for the first time?) that PKK delegations have been meeting directly with Turkish state representatives outside İmralı prison, while Abdullah Ocalan has held separate talks with state officials. He declined to confirm whether he or other PKK leaders personally visited Ocalan.
– Despite recent setbacks for Kurdish forces in Rojava/Syria and growing criticism of the PKK’s emphasis on the ‘brotherhood of peoples’, Karayilan defended the strategy, insisting that democracy, women’s freedom and cooperation among peoples remain essential to Kurdish success. He argued that Kurds in Syria could become a major political force through this approach, warning that narrow nationalism and the pursuit of a nation-state would only isolate and weaken them.
– He provides more details regarding PKK’s withdrawals: the group had withdrawn its fighters from Diyarbakır, Botan and Mardin, as well as undercover special forces operating in Istanbul and other Turkish cities. He also confirmed withdrawals from Zap (after a receiving a letter from Ocalan) in 2025 and Metina in Iraqi Kurdistan, completed on 8 October 2026.
– Karayilan identified two priorities for advancing peace process: legal recognition of Ocalan’s role as chief negotiator and coordinator of the peace process, including his freedom, and formal legal recognition of Kurdish identity and existence in Turkey.
– Despite the PKK’s dissolution decision, Karayilan said broader disarmament cannot proceed without further Turkish government action. He argued that the existing legal framework addresses security rather than the political roots of the Kurdish question.
– Karayilan also criticised Turkey’s proposed arrangements for former fighters, saying they exclude Ocalan and senior PKK commanders, including himself. He questioned how disarmament could succeed if commanders were required to remain in the mountains while their fighters returned.
– He said returning PKK members must be legally permitted to participate in political activities rather than simply return to private life. The movement, he argued, intends to replace armed struggle with democratic political campaigning.
– Interestingly, Karayilan claimed that some factions within Turkey’s state apparatus oppose the process and could undermine it. According to him, Turkish negotiators have cited resistance from elements operating outside established state norms as a reason for delaying certain steps.
– Karayilan reaffirms that the PKK had ended its strategy of armed warfare and undertaken unilateral withdrawals to demonstrate its commitment. However, he warned that Ankara had yet to establish sufficient trust and that opponents of the process could still derail it.
– He said he is neither positive nor negative about the peace process at the moment.
https://t.co/R2dUhdM7Qc
— Renwar Najm (@RenwarNajm) October 11, 2026
Africa
Ethiopia, Eritrea ramp up rhetoric: Are they inching towards war? Al Jazeera
O Canada
Canada’s farmland is worth $760B. Investors want in Canadian Affairs
Old Blighty
Leaked: Britain’s Covert Iraqi Psyops Network Kit Klarenberg
Andy Burnham says it is clear Russia interfered in Brexit referendum The Guardian
One pub shutting each day in 2026 as cost pressures bite in UK DPA International
European Disunion
System Fractures New Left Review
“In praise of les étudiants.” Patrick Lawrence, The Floutist
Greece Has Become a “Café Economy,” LSE Study Finds Greek Reporter
Poland arrests man over plot to kill PM Donald Tusk DW
Poland urges Nato to prepare response to potential deadly Russian hybrid attack in Europe Traders Union
NATO top commander to warn Russia over alliance’s ability to counter-attack France24
Germany’s imperfect spies The European Angle
Russia steps up bid to kill European defence chiefs, spy agencies warn FT
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine knocks out third Yandex data centre in four days intellinews
US Proposes Economic Incentives to Russia for Limited Truce Kyiv Post
Zelenskyy says he’ll hold elections if Putin agrees to 60-day ceasefire Anadolu Agency
US threatens to block arms for Ukraine over attacks on Russian refineries FT
Trump’s Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire claim is news to Kyiv Kyiv Independent
Bipartisan bill barring U.S. purchase of Russian oil on the horizon: Fitzpatrick The Hill
Watching Reykjavik from Moscow Russian Nuclear Forces
South of the Border
BRICS, Bolsonaro and Brazil’s Balancing Act Sinification
L’affaire Epstein
Burying the Horrors of Epstein Island The Epstein Files by Julie K. Brown
Trump 2.0
Trump and Rubio weigh firing Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of improper conduct The Guardian
How Trump Enforcers are Sabotaging Efforts to Bring Down Drug Prices Matt Stoller
Judge orders cancellation of Trump’s government-funded ads The Hill
Midterms 2026
Diesel Is the Number That Will Decide November Larry Johnson
Economy
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
AI
The U.S. Nuclear Plant Fleet Is Leaning Into AI Spectrum IEEE
Viral AI-Generated Comedian Steals Jokes And Is Rewarded With Millions Of Views Kotaku
Buddhist monks outshine AI in offering advice to troubled souls Asahi Shimbun
Class Warfare
Walmart Denies Plans for Surveillance Pricing Despite Holding Patents for Surveillance Pricing Gizmodo
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
