How SOS became a universal distress signal The Laughing Squid
Dictionary.com’s word of the year is “6-7.” But is it a word? AP
Mathematical proof debunks the idea that the universe is a computer simulation Phys.org
Climate/Environment
State of the Climate Report 2025: A planet on the brink
Global tree cover loss due to fires will increase by 370% compared to 2023 Down to Earth
Two people found dead in flooded basement in New York City due to record rains CBS New York
IMF stands ready to assist Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa if needed
Bill Gates calls for a ‘strategic shift’ from curbing emissions to combating climate change NBC News
I’d like to offer some thoughts on the Gates climate memo that’s been circulating this week. I can’t directly speak for others, but I can say that my own reaction is one of disappointment and deep frustration (and this view is shared by many climate/earth scientists). [1/n]
— Dr. Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) October 30, 2025
pandemic
Asymptomatic human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus confirmed by molecular and serological tests JAMA Network
“Be patient and keep going”? Analysis of critical barriers and strategic recommendations to support the well-being of people living with long-term COVID-19 infection.
Wave of RSV, especially dangerous for infants, hits the United States. Doctors urge vaccination Los Angeles Times
Monkey in overturned truck was not infected with hepatitis C, herpes or the new coronavirus, university says WLBT
Historian smells rats through plague doctor’s beak mask The Times
China?
Trump and Xi face off over all of South Korea’s marbles Simplicius
President Trump’s absence from the Greater Asia Economic Forum could jeopardize US reputation in the AP region
South Korea
South Korea pledges $350bn investment in the US Intellinews https://www.intellinews.com/south-korea-pledges-350bn-investment-in-the-us-408798/?
South Korea’s 30-year quest for nuclear submarines has come to fruition. What’s next? Breaking through the defense https://breakingdefense.com/2025/10/trump-south-korea-nuclear-submarines-china/
India
India rushes to reform financial sector as foreigners withdraw $17 billion Economic Times
$3.9 billion plan for India to support Mr. Modi’s powerful ally after US indicts WaPo
old blighty
Toxin levels in fish prompt calls for mercury dental fillings to be banned across the UK The Guardian
syrakistan
Israel bombs Khan Yunis despite confirming ceasefire promise New Arab
The Rafah hoax: Prime Minister Netanyahu’s excuse for the Gaza bloodshed al-Mayadeen
Confidential US report finds backlog of hundreds of possible Israeli human rights violations WaPo
🔴Breaking News: Israeli military opens criminal investigation against whistleblower who exposed detainee rape in Sde Teiman
The Israeli military has launched a criminal investigation into leaked footage showing blindfolded Palestinian detainees from the Sude Teiman camp. pic.twitter.com/F4hoWjcye6
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 29, 2025
Inside Shin Bet’s secret startup factory Calcalist
⚡️🇮🇱Now:
Israel’s former Mossad chief boasts of disseminating “booby-trapped and manipulated equipment” like Hezbollah pagers to “every country imaginable”
pic.twitter.com/6J9w1rL1Mj
— Hidden news. (@SuppressedNws1) October 29, 2025
India to approve deal worth $3.7 billion for Israeli defense missiles
US envoy puts Lebanese army under Al-Akbar surveillance
Moscow resumes military flights to Syrian air base amid efforts to strengthen Damascus alliance
Lafaire Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein and Mossad: How sex traffickers helped Israel build a back route to Russia during the Syrian civil war
discord in europe
EU carmakers face ‘several days’ of work stoppage as chip war with China escalates The Guardian
A new war that’s not so cold war
China supports Russia. Russia closes in on trapped Kyiv-Pokrovsk troops. Silsky gives up. Poseidon Alexander Mercouris (video)
Russia proposes temporary ceasefire on journalists’ access to Ukraine Yeni Safak
Moscow says it has tested another nuclear ‘superweapon’, the Poseidon underwater drone Euronews
Burevestnik – Part I Black Mountain Analysis
Leaked: British Ukrainian sniper training plan Kit Clarenberg
America Can’t Defeat Russia Larry Johnson
EU lifts sanctions on heavy ships Audax and Pugnax involved in Russia’s Arctic LNG construction
Where is the West headed? Valdai Discussion Club
war? Don’t do that Edward Slab Squat
At least they aren’t talking. Aurelian
south of the border
U.S. focuses on Venezuelan military targets used for drug trafficking WSJ
US attacks another drug ship in Eastern Pacific: Pentagon chief Anadolu
How Miami hardliners hijacked Trump’s foreign policy UnHerd
US debt trap: How liberal Javier Millay will sell Argentina to Wall Street – for $82 billion Geopolitical Economic Report
Africa
US supports genocidal militia in Sudan, calls for halt to arms sales to UAE Truth Out
More than 2,400 Moroccan youth charged over Gen Z protests France 24
Curfew and power outages continue across Africa as Tanzania poll protests continue
Belgian Prince, National Park, and Bitcoin Mine Continent
Mali cancels more than 90 mining exploration permits Mining.com
US urges people to evacuate Mali amid jihad blockade and fuel shortage
spook country
Can a former spy make a good governor? spy talk
“Liberation Day”
US Senate passes President Trump’s resolution to eliminate international tariffs Anadolu Agency
How we lost the trade war Paul Krugman
Trump 2.0
As food stamps expire on Saturday and mass hunger looms, major price increases for Obamacare health insurance are revealed WSWS
Trump and the Nuclear Threat Accuracy.org
police state surveillance
Each state’s National Guard orders creation of civil war-trained ‘immediate response forces’ Associated Press
Border Patrol takes lead in Trump administration’s Chicago crackdown, making more arrests than ICE CBS News
ICE is now roaming the streets, scanning people’s faces to check if they are citizens.
our famous free news agency
North Carolina Republican Party official uses ‘Trump administration ties’ to threaten ProPublica journalists’ shared dream
Chief Justice of God ProPublica
health care?
OIG says Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans are haunted; healthcare exposed
immigration
US limits number of refugees to 7,500, prioritizing white South Africans
Deshabille Democratic Party
Confident DNC chair defends party’s outlook Semaphore
imperial collapse watch
Defeat in battleground states Foreign affairs
Weapons companies pay out more cash to shareholders than they generate Steven Semler
Historic U.S. Civil War ship rots due to fungal invasion, maritime executives say
A.I.
“They’re trying to maximize the amount they can make a particular consumer pay.” Fairness
Shortly after shedding its nonprofit roots, OpenAI is already preparing to move toward public futurism
How the artists behind Marvel, Alien and The Matrix movies are fighting AI Blood in the Machine
Meta prepares for $25 billion bond sale as rising AI costs trigger stock selloff FT
AI-induced layoffs backfire: Half are silently rehired at lower wages The Register
economy
Where did the new jobs go? Dollars and Sense
Bible sales and how Chipotle explains the economics Kyla Scanlon
class war
Yes, it all crashed – just not for you Charles Hugh Smith
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