Ancient Iran’s Religion Classical Wisdom (Micael T)
Symbol of the Trinity or just a bible story? Hillary White (Micael T)
Dragonflies can see a color humans can’t and it could change medicine Science Daily (Kevin W)
Artemis II splashes down on Earth after 10-day moon flight RT (Kevin W)
Particles Seen Emerging From Empty Space For First Time New Scientist
Ground-level ozone increasingly linked to cancer deaths, study finds Anadolu Agency
The creation of instant coffee Works in Progress (Micael T)
The Other Porn Land Aella (Micael T)
How ‘Zombie Flow’ Took Over Culture Derek Thompson (Micael T). Important
Climate/Environment
Mass seabird deaths signal trouble for Arctic ecosystems Arctic Council
Non-survivable’: heatwaves are already breaching human limits, with worse to come, study finds Guardian
Epic winter drought creates a bleak situation for farmers — and your food Washington Post
Breaking News!
Code UFB!!!We’re now at 17 months in a row for setting a new record high for the 36-month running average for global (60S-60N) Total Column Precipitable Water.
In other words, the atmosphere is now holding more water vapor than ever before in recorded history. pic.twitter.com/cY7s54oReJ
— Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@EliotJacobson) April 8, 2026
Leading Insect Farm Took Millions In Subsidies, Then Collapsed Into A Waking Nightmare Benthan’s Bulldog (Micael T)
China?
Xi Jinping tells Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun ‘we need peace’ South China Morning Post
Vietnam confirms top leader’s visit to China next week Hurriyet Daily News (Ann)
US lawmakers seek to block China’s DUV lithography access Asia Times (Kevin W)
China bans civil aviation from large area off Shanghai Infra (Ann)
Hacker Steals 10 Petabytes of Data From China’s Tianjin Supercomputer Center CNN
Japan
Japan aims to boost number of female troops as SDF struggles to enlist Japan Times
Koreas
Top DPRK leader meets Chinese FM Xinhua
Seoul plans to replace troops on North Korea border with AI-based systems NK News
Africa
Burhan centralises power as Sudan army rifts deepen Arab Weekly
Violence Against Civilians Surges in Niger’s Tillabéri Region ADF Magazine
Groups warn Nigeria ‘on brink of collapse’ over insecurity, economic strain. Premium Times
South of the Border
Cuba to Let Russian Firms Run Industrial Production Amid Energy Crisis United24 (Ann)
A story that’s flying under the radar: The US is trying to force Ecuador and Colombia into a war with each other in order to militarize and colonize the region.
The pro-US & narco-backed President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, has just announced 100% tariffs on Colombia. Why? 🧵
— Ollie Vargas (@Ollie_Vargas_) April 10, 2026
European Disunion
Today’s Berliner Zeitung asks: «Fertiliser is becoming increasingly scarce: Is Germany now turning back to Russia?»
It’s worth noting that the EU is helping drive this squeeze itself. Since July 2025, Brussels has been steadily hiking tariffs on Russian and Belarusian… pic.twitter.com/ec2z7I8ydN
— Brian McDonald (@BrianMcDonaldIE) April 10, 2026
Living pay cheque to pay cheque’: Teachers feel pinch of cost-of-living crisis Irish Times
Old Blighty
How the cost-of-living crisis is creating a lost credit generation BBC
Israel v. The Resistance
IDF claims it has killed 1,400 Hezbollah operatives since start of Iran war, as Lebanon places death toll at 1,800 Times of Israel
World Food Programme warns Lebanon facing food security crisis due to Iran war Reuters (Ann)
Iran to open Hormuz after end of war with the US, Israel — Iranian Supreme Leader’s envoy TASS
U.S. Loses Over $3 Billion Worth of MQ-9 Drones During Strikes on Iran Military Watch
God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) April 10, 2026
Detroit autoworkers denounce US-Israeli war on Iran: “This is for Big Oil” WSWS
The Netherlands preparing military intervention in the Strait of Hormuz NL Times (Ann)
Syraqistan
Big if true:
🛑🚨🚨🚨 ⚡️عاجـــــــــــــــل
الامير محمد بن نايف يؤكد موت الملك سمان،
وابنه محمد بن سلمان مع بعض المستشارين البريطانيين والامريكيين ينصحوه بعدم نشر الخبر .#الرادع_الخليجي pic.twitter.com/4ceUvJWs8R— الرادع الخليجي (@Alrade_alkhligi) April 10, 2026
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine says it replaced human soldiers with ‘ground robots’ in over 21,000 missions for Q1 Business Insider
Zelensky says unnamed ‘partners’ asked Ukraine not to attack Russian oil refineries Kyiv Independent (Ann)
Ukraine secures oil lifeline from Gulf states in exchange for military support Politico (Ann)
Imperial Collapse Watch
Trump 2.0
Trump’s peace board faces cash crunch, stalling Gaza plan, sources say Reuters (Ann)
“Is Israel Blackmailing President Trump?” Tucker Carlson Fires Back With Explosive Newsletter – FULL TEXT Latin Times (Ann)
Judge says Pentagon must restore press access CBS
JD Vance’s Approval Rating Plunges to New Historic Low Newsweek (Ann)
L’affaire Epstein
Oversight Democrats call for Melania Trump to testify on Epstein The Hill
Democrats Suck
The DNC just voted down three resolutions to stop AIPAC from influencing our politicians. One would have condemned AIPACs role in primaries. One would have conditioned military aid to Israel. The other would have recognized what is happening in Gaza.
Here’s is what they are… pic.twitter.com/galDXNKiq3
— theleahfiles (@leahfiles) April 10, 2026
Mamdani
At 100 days, Mamdani is already a different kind of mayor Politico
Economy
Hormuz deal means little for LNG without Qatar restart – analysts Montel News
US economy grew a sluggish 0.5% in fourth quarter, government says, downgrading previous estimate Associated Press (Ann)
Trump aides caught with pants down as Iran war gooses inflation Asia Times (Kevin W)
US consumer prices surge as expected in March Reuters
EU airline industry fears fuel shortages if Strait of Hormuz stays closed BBC
European airports could face jet fuel shortages within three weeks Guardian (Ann) and Fears of UK and EU flight cancellations as airports warn of jet fuel shortages Guardian (Kevin W)
Finance risks surge as Trump pushes deregulation Wealth Management
AI
AI Is Coming for Car Salesmen The Drive
Skilled Older Workers Turn To AI Training To Stay Afloat Guardian
OpenAI To Limit New Model Release On Cybersecurity Fears Axios
Anthropic Loses Appeals Court Bid To Temporarily Block Pentagon Blacklisting CNBC
Class Warfare
Housing Is Cheap. Capital Makes It Expensive William Murphy (Micael T)
Schooling for Profit: Long-run Effects of Private Providers in Public Education Petter Berg
US has let in 4,499 refugees since October – all but three were South African BBC (Dr. Kevin)
Antidote du jour (via):
A different sort of bonus:
Anonymous
I was in line at the grocery store when the guy in front of me asked the cashier, “Do you guys hire?” She looked up. “Yeah, we’re always looking. Apply online.” He nodded. Paid for his ramen and left. Something about the way he asked made me follow him to the parking…
— Sheila of the Most High (@sheilatebra) April 8, 2026
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
