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Hegseth Says Four ‘Narco-Terrorists’ Killed in Latest US Attack on Venezuela Boat

 Trump claims attacked boat had enough drugs to kill 25,000-50,000 people

by Jason Ditz | October 3, 2025, https://news.antiwar.com/2025/10/03/hegseth-says-four-narco-terrorists-killed-in-latest-us-attack-on-venezuela-boat/

A day after President Trump informed Congress that the US is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, the US carried out yet another strike on a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean Sea, alleging it was loaded with drugs.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the attack on social media, claiming the attack on the small boat killed four “narco-terrorists.” President Trump went on to claim, without evidence, that the boat was loaded with enough drugs to kill 25,000 to 50,000 people and was “entering American territory.”

In reality, the boat attacked was off the coast of Venezuela, far from US territorial waters. Secretary Hegseth further claimed that the US had intelligence the four were affiliated with a “designated terrorist organization” but did not specify which nor show the evidence.

The US has attacked multiple Venezuelan boats in recent weeks, with US officials saying the goal of the strikes is regime change in Venezuela as opposed to the war on drugs. Along with the airstrikes of boats, a US destroyer boarded and seized a Venezuelan boat in mid-September, which the Venezuelan government insists was a tuna fishing vessel.

The administration’s strikes are fueling growing opposition within Congress, with ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee Sen. Jack Reed (D – RI) saying the strikes were unconstitutional, and Sen. Rand Paul (R – KY) saying that “blowing them up without knowing who’s on the boat is a terrible policy, and it should end.”

Sen. Jim Risch (R – ID), the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that he believes Trump is allowed to attack the boats by virtue of “his general powers under the Constitution.” Many in the Senate, however, argue there is a legal process to be followed, and the unilateral attacking of boats isn’t it.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D – AZ) was concerned in particular about the legality of the strikes under international law, wondering of the officers involved in the strikes “What situation did we, did the White House, just put them in?”

Though President Trump informed Congress after the fact of the strikes by way of claiming a general armed conflict, there is as yet no indication Congressional leadership intends to bring the question of the ongoing US strikes to a vote.

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | OCEANIA, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Nuclear disaster fears as expert highlights ‘fragile’ Zaporizhzhia power plant system

Europe’s largest nuclear plant is on the brink of disaster if total power loss is achieved, with experts saying that it is a fragile situation that needs monitoring

 Ciaran McGrath and Zesha Saleem, 04 Oct 2025, https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/nuclear-disaster-fears-expert-highlights-36013152

A nuclear plant faces the risk of meltdown from it’s longest blackout since 2022, with experts cautioning about a single power line’s dangerous vulnerability. Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant lost its last connection to the external grid on September 23.

This makes it the 10th outage since the war began, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Since Friday, the plant’s six reactors were inactive as it remained in a cold shutdown, but it still needs regular electricity to keep cooling systems on for spent nuclear fuel.

The scenario was described as “clearly not sustainable in terms of nuclear safety” by AEA Director General Rafael Grossi during talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials this week.

Nickolas Roth of the Nuclear Threat Initiative think tank highlighted the fragility of the plant’s power infrastructure.

He told Express.co.uk : “For much of this year, the site has relied on a single functioning transmission line instead of multiple redundant connections.

“That creates a single point of failure: if that one line goes down, the plant loses the electricity needed to keep cooling and safety systems operating.”

The shutdown has been due to fighting near the location, with Ukraine accusing Russian forces of shelling the last remaining 750 kV power line. On Wednesday, a Greenpeace satellite investigation uncovered no major damage to the line, fuelling speculation of sabotage.

Moscow denied the claims. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described them as “stupid” and emphasised that Russia would not target a facility under its control. ZNPP is Europe’s largest nuclear plant, and was captured by Russian forces in March 2022 and formally annexed by Moscow following disputed referendums later that year.

While it doesn’t generate electricity, it holds tons of spent fuel that must remain submerged in water to prevent overheating.

Mr Roth explained the risks involved if there was a total power loss. He said: “A complete loss of power could lead to fuel overheating if cooling systems fail.”

He added that governments need to “develop plans to ensure the continuity of nuclear security operations during major crises,” including regular exercises practicing extended external threats.

Ukrainian nuclear safety official Dmytro Gumeniuk said: “The fact that it is running on diesel generators already represents a risk. Even if they are refuelled, this is still not a typical situation. Generators can fail, and they must be constantly monitored.”

Under Russian occupation, IAEA access to ZNPP has been restricted, which makes oversight difficult to achieve. The expert added that commitment to IAEA’s five principles on nuclear safety is important.

He said: “The plant should not be used to store or base heavy weapons or military personnel that could be employed for attacks. Off-site power must not be put at risk, and every effort should be made to ensure its availability and security at all times.

“First and foremost, Ukrainian reactor operators must be able to manage the plant without fearing for their lives and the lives of their families. They need safe working conditions and clear lines of communication with their national regulator.”

October 6, 2025 Posted by | safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

For Haecho and the global citizens aboard the humanitarian flotillas’ safe return and for a Free Palestine!

Oct. 4th, 2025, From the Edges, Gangjeong Mission Station, Association of Gangjeong Villagers Against Jeju Naval Base, Gangjeong Peace Network, The Frontiers, People Making Jeju a Demilitarized Peace Island, St. Francis Peace Center, Civic Exercise Gathering, Jeju Green Party, Inter-Island Solidarity for Peace of the Sea, Hot Pink Dolphins

(Translated by Curry) https://savejejunow.org/for-haecho-and-the-global-citizens-aboard-the-humanitarian-flotillas-safe-return-and-for-a-free-palestine/

It has been over a week since Gangjeong peace activist Haecho set sail as a volunteer aboard the humanitarian flotilla ‘Thousand Madleens to Gaza’ bound for Gaza. The flotilla is expected to reach Gaza’s territorial waters within a week.

We earnestly pray that Haecho, who courageously joined this arduous journey, reaches the Gaza coast, delivers relief supplies like milk powder and food to the starving people, and returns safely. We also strongly demand that the United States and Israel immediately and unconditionally cease the massacre of Palestinians. We strongly urge the South Korean government to take all necessary measures to protect its citizen participating in the humanitarian flotilla.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s invasion, massacres, and systematic starvation policy have resulted in the death of approximately 67,000 Palestinians. According to a UN report, one in three people go hungry all day, and one in five households suffer from extreme food shortages. The majority of victims are women, children, and the elderly. The deaths of non-human beings living on Palestinian land and sea cannot be properly documented or quantified.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice concluded that Israel’s long-term occupation, settlement, and annexation policies in Palestine violate international law. However, the United States has vetoed six UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In late September, Trump and Netanyahu presented a ‘Gaza peace plan’ that did not explicitly mention the establishment of a Palestinian state as demanded by the international community. This peace plan effectively demands the unconditional surrender of Hamas, which in fact governs the Gaza Strip, and amounts to nothing less than a deceptive plan for the United States and Israel to permanently dominate Palestine.

The South Korean government remains among the 35 countries out of 193 that have yet to recognize Palestine as a state, despite 158 nations having done so. The South Korean Navy also faced condemnation for inviting Israeli naval commanders to the maritime weapons exhibition held in Busan this past May. Furthermore, Dana Petroleum, wholly owned by the Korean public corporation Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC), secured exploration rights for gas fields in Palestinian waters illegally sold by Israel. Meanwhile, war weapons companies like Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Aerospace, and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) have formed partnerships with Israeli arms firms, complicit in Israel’s massacre of Palestinians. Hanwha Systems is constructing a space center in the Jeju mid-mountain area. Satellites produced there are likely to be used for military purposes, potentially becoming tools for further massacres. Samsung mobile phones distributed in the Middle East and North Africa, including Palestine, came pre-installed with Israeli spyware, victimizing masses of users. HD Hyundai excavators are used to demolish Palestinian homes and build illegal Jewish settlements. The recent proposal by the Korean National Assembly for a ‘Resolution Urging Israel to Halt the Massacre in the Gaza Strip’ at least lessens the shame for those living in a country that has stood with the perpetrator of genocide.

The ‘Thousand Madleens’ humanitarian flotilla (11 ships) and the ‘Sumud Flotilla’ (42 ships) bound for Gaza have carried hundreds of beautiful citizens from over 50 nations who set sail to stop the unrelenting slaughter and starvation, to turn fear into hope. Our friend Haecho is proudly one of them. In a letter before departure, Haecho wrote, “When I embrace my fear, and approach it with different attitudes, I learn that when we feel fear we can also experience a will toward beauty or hope.” This learning and awareness came from sailing the waters of Jeju Island and East Asia, meeting people along the way. “I carry this precious learning and support with me to Gaza,” she stated. She also shares that while participating in the ‘Grand March for Life and Peace’ in Jeju and the ‘Birds and People’s March’ on the mainland, she felt “On the road and on the sea, I feel my body becoming a conduit connecting here and there, me and you, past and future.” She believes that “through solidarity with the people of Jeju, Saemangeum, Okinawa, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Palestine, and countless others, we can break through the blockade imposed by capital and military might.” Having visited Gangjeong as a teen, Haecho, now in her twenties, participated in the 2023 Gong Pyeong Hae (共平海) voyage connecting Taiwan, Okinawa and Jeju, the 2024 voyage of the Golden Rule ship—a symbol of the anti-nuclear movement—and the planned 2025 Jeju-DMZ voyage. Gangjeong and Jeju were her training grounds for peace activism.

On the afternoon of October 3rd, Korean time, news broke that all 42 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the Mikeno ship near the Gaza coast, had been attacked and seized by Israel. The ‘Thousand Madleens’ flotilla, to which Haecho belongs, is also expected to face raids and seizures, causing grave concern. Citizens worldwide are watching Gaza. Climate activist Greta Thunberg appealed for greater solidarity among citizens, saying, “Be human!” Upon hearing news of the attack on the Sumud flotilla, countless people took to the streets in protest across the globe—in Germany, France, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, and elsewhere. Workers in Genoa, who had already blocked weapons shipments bound for Israel, sealed off railways and train stations. Spain, which had sent its own warship to protect the Gaza humanitarian flotilla, recalled its Israeli diplomat. The Colombian government ordered the expulsion of Israeli diplomats and terminated its free trade agreement with Israel. Turkish prosecutors stated their intent to investigate whether Israel violated international law by arresting over 20 Turkish citizens, specifically regarding deprivation of liberty and seizure of means of transport. The Malaysian Prime Minister held talks with foreign leaders, requesting support for the immediate release of Malaysian activists and firmly demanding an end to Israel’s atrocities and plunder against Palestine. Given the peril faced by its own citizen, one cannot help but compare and closely watch the South Korean government’s future response.

We stand with the countless global citizens who support the humanitarian flotillas to Gaza and demand an end to the U.S. and Israeli occupation and massacre of Palestine. We strongly demand the following from the South Korean government and corporations, the United States, and Israel:

One. Israel must lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip and immediately cease the seizure of civilian vessels! Ensure the safety of the international citizens who were aboard the hijacked humanitarian flotilla and release them all immediately and unconditionally!

One. Israel must guarantee that all relief supplies reach the people of Gaza, who are suffering extreme hardship due to prolonged massacres and starvation policies!

One. The South Korean government and National Assembly must take all measures to protect their citizen aboard the humanitarian flotilla and strongly protest Israel’s violations of international law and human rights abuses!

One. The South Korean government must recognize Palestine as an independent state and cease all cooperation with Israel, a criminal state that thoroughly disregards international law!

One. Korean government agencies and corporations such as Hanwha, Samsung, KAI, HD Hyundai, and Korea National Oil Corporation must immediately cease all cooperation with the Israeli government and companies which are complicit in the massacre of Palestinians!

One. The United States and Israel must withdraw their deceptive Gaza peace plan and cease all aggression and massacres!

Liberation of Gaza is liberation for all!

Liberation of Palestine is liberation for all!

Free Free Palestine!

October 6, 2025 Posted by | ASIA, politics international | Leave a comment

After “Greater Israel,” Netanyahu calls for a “Super-Sparta” and “finishing the job in Gaza”

Voltaire Network | Paris (France) | 3 October 2025, by Thierry Meyssan, translation, Roger Lagassé, https://www.voltairenet.org/article222905.html

Benyamin Netanyahu’s drift from avowed conservatism to Nazism is increasingly evident. After claiming the “historical and spiritual” mission of achieving a “Greater Israel,” that is, conquering the territories of its seven neighbors, he has just called for transforming Israel into a “super-Sparta,” that is, militarizing the state and ceasing all trade with its allies. If words have any meaning, he constantly makes us understand that his references are the fascists Vladimir Jabotinsky and Leo Strauss. From one drift to another, he engaged in a shameless act of lying before the United Nations General Assembly, attributing dark thoughts to his adversaries and claiming the right to continue massacring.

Last week, I warned our readers, particularly Israeli ones, against Benjamin Netanyahu’s rapid drift toward fascistism—and perhaps Naziism, in Ben-Gurion’s words about Vladimir Jabotinsky. [1] I had indeed noted the Prime Minister’s public conversion to the doctrine of “Greater Israel.” Let us recall that this expression is not intended to justify the annexation of the entire Palestinian territories to the State of Israel, but also eastern Egypt, parts of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, all of Lebanon, most of Syria, and part of Iraq, to ​​the point of reforming the ancient Assyrian empire “from the Nile to the Euphrates.”

This announcement, made exclusively in Hebrew, that is, for the sole use of his fellow Israelis, drew strong criticism from all Arab leaders, even reaching the United Nations Security Council on September 23. Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf declared that “the Israeli occupation compromises any prospect of creating an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, not only on the ground but also in people’s minds.” Fueled by the myth of “Greater Israel,” the Israeli government seeks to redefine the region’s borders and extend its hegemony in defiance of international law and the norms governing peaceful coexistence between states; a statement echoed by the Russian Permanent Representative.

Indeed, how can one not question this reference, which the Prime Minister had always avoided citing throughout his political career and which he now uses in the midst of the “genocide” in Gaza? The term genocide is not a legal whim, but the carefully chosen word of the “Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories,” which submitted its report (reference A/79/363) to the United Nations General Assembly on September 20 [2].

This is also the opinion of Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the Advocate General of the Israel Defense Forces. The latter had warned the IDF General Staff that 1.2 million Gazans could not be displaced without ensuring their fate. But on September 8, General Eyal ’Amir, Chief of Staff, overruled these objections. This is the first time since the creation of the State of Israel that a Chief of Staff has ignored the warnings of an Advocate General.

No matter. Benjamin Netanyahu is now reclaiming his complex legacy of fascism and Nazism: on September 15, during a conference organized by Israel’s Accountant General, the Prime Minister declared that the entire world was now against the State of Israel (which is false: he is against its own policies). Particularly Europeans, who are giving in to pressure from their Arab and Muslim immigrants. The enemy is no longer Hamas and Iran, but Belgium and Spain. Also, he continued, Israel must transform itself into a self-sufficient country… a “Super-Sparta.” It must abandon its conventional economic activities and develop its defense industries. [3]

Benjamin Netanyahu spoke cautiously about this myth, saying: “We are Athens and Sparta. But we are going to become Athens and super-Sparta.” It must be remembered that no politician has referred to Sparta since the fall of the Third Reich. It was a leitmotif of the Nazis and their allies, right up to the Japanese imperialists. Everyone claimed to be a Spartan against Athens, just as today, everyone claims to be an Athens against Sparta… except Benjamin Netanyahu and the Straussians. This is why I immediately refer you to what I wrote two years ago [4]: ​​the man behind Netanyahu’s legal coup, the Israeli-American Elliott Abrams, claims not only to be Vladimir Jabotinsky, the founder of Revisionist Zionism, but also to Leo Strauss.

But Leo Strauss was not only a disciple of Jabotinsky, whom he came to welcome in New York with Benzion Netanyahu (Benyamin’s father). He was a philosophy professor at the University of Chicago. He secretly trained his favorite students. He called them his “hoplites” (that is, his soldiers, in reference to ancient Greece). He tested them by sending them to disrupt the classes of his rivals. Then he taught them that to protect themselves from a possible holocaust, they should not rely on democracies, weak regimes, but build their own dictatorships. It was his students, like Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz, who rigged US intelligence and initiated both the attacks of September 11 and the destruction of Afghanistan and Iraq.

The reference to Sparta is a means of recognition that all fascists understand. Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, commented the next day on Radio 103FM, declaring: “Sparta was destroyed. He is the son of a historian. He surprised me. Sparta is a sword, why did he mention it? Because it transformed us into a country at war. We don’t want to be a state at war, we want to be a prosperous, prosperous, and popular country in the world.” Above all, he should have said and repeated that Benzion Netanyahu was a fascist and that Sparta is an unworthy reference in a democracy, that the Holocaust survivors who, fleeing aboard the Exodus, participated in the creation of the State of Israel would turn in their graves to hear the Prime Minister evoke a Nazi myth and perpetrate genocide.

As if that weren’t enough, Benjamin Netanyahu continued to lie before the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly [5]. In a room deserted by three-quarters of the diplomatic delegations, he claimed that Hamas had massacred “1,200 innocent people” on October 7, while, according to the Israeli press, he had ordered the IDF to kill soldiers and civilians themselves so that they would not be “taken prisoner by the enemy” [6]. He is therefore responsible for half of the deaths he denounces. Then, he claimed that Hamas called in its charter for “the murder of all Jews on the planet,” which was never included in it. He boasted of taking all necessary measures to protect Gazan civilians, while all non-Israeli—and often Israeli—experts note the opposite. He accused all those who try to save Gazans of being anti-Semitic and of spreading anti-Semitism, without realizing that it is his policy, carried out in the name of a self-proclaimed “Jewish state,” that fuels this anti-Semitism. He accused 90% of the Palestinian people of supporting the horrors of October 7, while they supported a military operation by the entire Resistance (except Fatah) and largely disassociated themselves from the crimes committed that day. He accused the Palestinians of not wanting an independent state alongside Israel, but instead of Israel, while Yasser Arafat signed the Oslo Accords alongside Yitzhak Rabin, accepting the “two-state solution.” And so on.

When will we admit that Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer a democrat and that it is our duty to fight him before he kills all the Gazans and begins to purge the Israelis? More than anyone else, Israelis, whose parents were betrayed by their homelands and delivered to Nazi barbarism, should rise up against what the State of Israel is becoming, not only against the Arabs, but also against them.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | Israel, politics | Leave a comment

Peace Without Denuclearisation? Kim Challenges U.S. To Rethink Nuclear Stance

Oyeronke Oyerinde, 5 Oct 25, The Organisation for World Peace

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has declared that he is open to dialogue with Washington if the United States drops its demand for denuclearisation, which he previously stated he would never accept. During a recent speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim insisted that his country’s nuclear arsenal is essential for survival, calling recent proposals from the U.S. and South Korea “disingenuous” attempts to weaken his regime. Yet, striking a different note, he also expressed “fond memories” of U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom he held three unprecedented summits. Kim’s statements mark his first direct reference to Trump since the start of Trump’s second presidency in January, raising speculation that Pyongyang sees him as the only credible partner for renewed talks. Rachel Minyoung Lee, an analyst at the Stimson Center, described Kim’s comments as “an invitation to Trump to rethink U.S. policy on denuclearisation.”……………………………………………………………………………

Despite sharp rhetoric, Kim notably did not renounce the 2018 Singapore Declaration, which laid out goals for peacebuilding, new U.S.-North Korea relations, and eventual denuclearisation. This suggests that space for dialogue still exists, though only if both sides are willing to temper their demands. For the U.S., this could mean considering interim steps such as freezes or arms-control-style agreements, as part of a broader peace framework.

The alternative is an escalating arms race on the peninsula. South Korea warns that North Korea is close to developing a missile capable of striking the continental U.S. with a nuclear warhead, a milestone that could trigger further militarisation and raise the risk of miscalculation. Meanwhile, sanctions continue to exact a toll on ordinary North Koreans, worsening food shortages and isolating a population already cut off from much of the world.

The path to peace and security in Northeast Asia cannot rest on ultimatums that no side will accept. Peace is dependent on creative diplomacy: freezing nuclear development, reducing military exercises, opening humanitarian channels, and fostering trust through incremental agreements. Kim’s statement is a challenge, but also an opportunity. If the U.S. and its allies can move from absolutist positions towards pragmatic steps, dialogue could resume. The Korean peninsula has suffered too long under the shadow of war, and what is needed now is not maximalist posturing but the courage to take its first, fragile steps toward peace. https://theowp.org/peace-without-denuclearisation-kim-challenges-u-s-to-rethink-nuclear-stance/

October 6, 2025 Posted by | North Korea, politics international | Leave a comment

Trump says Putin’s offer on nuclear arms control ‘sounds like a good idea’

By Andrea Shalal, October 6, 2025, Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Chizu Nomiyama, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-says-putins-offer-nuclear-arms-control-sounds-like-good-idea-2025-10-05/

  • Summary
  • Putin proposed voluntary limit on nuclear arsenals last month
  • US-Russian ties strained despite Trump-Putin summit in August
  • Putin warned US against sending long-range missiles to Ukraine

WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to voluntarily maintain limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons “sounds like a good idea.”

Putin last month offered to voluntarily maintain limits capping the size of the world’s two biggest nuclear arsenals set out in the 2010 New START accord, which expires in February, if the U.S. does the same.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House, when asked about Putin’s offer.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia last week had said Moscow was still waiting for Trump to respond to Putin’s offer to voluntarily maintain the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons once a key arms control treaty expires.

Any agreement on continuing to limit nuclear arms would stand in contrast to rising tensions between the United States and Russia since Trump and Putin met in Alaska in mid-August given reported incursions of Russian drones into NATO airspace.

Speaking in a video clip released on Sunday, Putin warned that a decision by the United States to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for strikes deep into Russia would destroy Moscow’s relationship with Washington.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said last month that Washington was considering a Ukrainian request to obtain missiles that could strike deep into Russia, including Moscow, though it is unclear if a final decision has been made.

Trump, who has expressed disappointment in Putin for not moving to end the war in Ukraine, was not asked directly on Sunday about the prospect of supplying Tomahawks to Ukraine.

“This will lead to the destruction of our relations, or at least the positive trends that have emerged in these relations,” Putin said in a video clip released on Sunday by Russian state television reporter Pavel Zarubin.

One U.S. official and three other sources told Reuters that the Trump administration’s desire to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine may not be viable because current inventories are committed to the U.S. Navy and other uses.

Trump is touring a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, the George H.W. Bush, off the coast of Virginia on Sunday, and will give a speech on a second carrier, the Harry S. Truman, later.

Tomahawk cruise missiles have a range of 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles). If Ukraine got the missiles, the Kremlin and all of European Russia would be within target.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | politics international, Russia, USA | Leave a comment

Iran says nuclear cooperation with IAEA ‘no longer relevant’

Iranian FM warns that Europe has ‘eliminated justification for talks’ with UN nuclear watchdog after triggering snapback sanctions.

By Elis Gjevori and News Agencies, 5 Oct 2025, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/5/iran-says-nuclear-cooperation-with-iaea-no-longer-relevant

Iran’s foreign minister has declared that cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog is “no longer relevant” after Western countries reinstated international sanctions on the country.

“The Cairo agreement is no longer relevant for our cooperation with the IAEA,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, referring to a deal signed last month with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

That agreement had laid out a framework for renewed inspections and monitoring after Tehran suspended cooperation following Israeli and United States attacks on its nuclear facilities in June.

However, the deal lost significance after Britain, France and Germany – all signatories to the 2015 nuclear accord – triggered the return of UN sanctions, accusing Iran of breaching its commitments, claims which Tehran has rejected.

“The three European countries thought they had leverage in their hands, threatening to implement a snapback,” Araghchi told foreign diplomats in Tehran. “Now they have used this lever and seen the results. The three European countries have definitely diminished their role and almost eliminated the justification for negotiations with them.”

He added that the European trio “will have a much smaller role than in the past” in any future talks over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Double standards

Tehran has accused the IAEA of double standards, saying the agency failed to condemn Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites despite its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Western states, led by the US and supported by Israel, have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons – allegations Tehran strongly denies. Iran insists its programme is purely civilian and that it retains the right to enrich uranium under the NPT.

Some Iranian lawmakers have suggested withdrawing from the NPT altogether, though President Masoud Pezeshkian has maintained that Iran will remain committed to its treaty obligations.

Araghchi said Tehran’s “decision regarding cooperation with the agency will be announced”, without elaborating, but noted that “there is still room for diplomacy”.

Talks between Iran and the US that began in April to revive a broader nuclear agreement collapsed after Israeli attacks in June targeted Iranian nuclear, military and residential sites.

Tehran has since accused Washington of sabotaging diplomacy and demanded guarantees and recognition of its rights before any potential resumption of negotiations.

Iran has repeatedly denied seeking a nuclear weapon, while Israel is widely believed to possess an undeclared nuclear arsenal of dozens of atomic bombs.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

They Really Think They’ll Be Able To Propagandize The World Into Liking Israel Again.

Caitlin Johnstone, Oct 06, 2025, https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/they-really-think-theyll-be-able?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=82124&post_id=175387550&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1ise1&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

It’s cute how the Zionists think they’ll be able to manipulate and propagandize the world into liking Israel again.

Yeah, saturate all online platforms with weird-faced influencers telling us Israel is awesome. That’ll make us forget those years of genocidal atrocities.

Sure, buy up the social media platforms that young people are using so you can censor criticism of Israel. That’ll convince them that Zionism is cool.

Go on, take control of CBS and make Bari Weiss the boss. That’ll make us forget all those videos of mutilated Palestinian children.

Right, use Zionist oligarchs and influence operations to manipulate governments and institutions into crushing free speech which opposes a genocidal apartheid state. That’ll get everyone supporting the genocidal apartheid state.

Propaganda is an effective tool of mass-scale psychological manipulation, but it isn’t magic. It isn’t going to miraculously erase what people know in their bones to be true.

In order to successfully propagandize people you need to first get them to trust you, and then you need to feed them narratives which appeal to the cognitive biases they already hold. Nobody trusts Israel apologia anymore, and people’s biases are now stacked squarely against the Zionist entity. They’ve got nothing to work with and nowhere to start from.

If a coworker you hate came up to you and started stealing stuff off your desk while telling you he’s your friend and that he would never steal from you, you’re not going to believe him no matter how many words he says to you. No matter how skillful a manipulator he is, no matter how eloquent his words are, nothing he says will trump your first hand observations of your material reality.

That’s what it’s like at this point. They’re trying to throw a bunch of language at us in order to convince us that we haven’t seen what we’ve seen, haven’t experienced what we’ve experienced, and don’t know what we know. And they assume it will work because the language they’re throwing at us is being circulated in high volumes and costs a lot of money.

It won’t work, though. Even if propaganda could convince us that we haven’t seen what we’ve seen and don’t know what we know, propaganda only works if you don’t know it’s happening to you. These past two years have made even relatively apolitical members of the public acutely aware that there is an aggressive campaign to manipulate their perception of the state of Israel, and that anyone pushing them to support that state is untrustworthy. Nobody’s going to buy into the propaganda if they don’t trust the source.

Now that everyone’s aware that Israel is paying influencers $7,000 per post to churn out propaganda on its behalf, whenever you see a video online of some young social media-savvy personality promoting pro-Israel narratives you see their replies flooded with memes and jokes about their $7k jackpot. From now on whenever some sunglasses-wearing zillennial shows up going “Israel is surrounded on all sides by Islamofascists and you think JEWS are the problem? Uhh, no babe. Walk with me,” everyone’s going to go “Found one of those $7k posts.”

It just doesn’t work. Psychological manipulation only goes so far. There’s only so much that clever language can do to decouple someone’s mind from their direct experience of material reality.

This is where Israel went wrong in alienating the liberal Zionists. They needed people at the table who understood how normal human beings think, who could help the Israel project walk the delicate line between apartheid abuses papered over with propaganda and full-scale atrocities which would alienate the world. Instead they decided to go all in with the Smotriches and Ben-Gvirs, trusting that the propaganda machine which had served them so well all those decades would continue to carry them through any international upset they might cause.

It hasn’t turned out that way. The world’s eyes are open to what Israel is, and they are never going to close again. You can’t take off the Mickey Mouse mask, show the kids the snarling Freddy Krueger face underneath it, and then put the mask on and hope they start calling you Mickey again. Nobody’s going to forget what you showed them.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | Israel, spinbuster | Leave a comment

The before and after images showing glaciers vanishing before our eyes

 When Matthias Huss first visited Rhône Glacier in Switzerland 35 years
ago, the ice was just a short walk from where his parents would park the
car. “When I first stepped onto the ice… there [was] a special feeling of
eternity,” says Matthias. Today, the ice is half an hour from the same
parking spot and the scene is very different. “Every time I go back, I
remember how it used to be,” recalls Matthias, now director of Glacier
Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS), “how the glacier looked when I was a
child.” There are similar stories for many glaciers all over the planet,
because these frozen rivers of ice are retreating – fast.

 BBC 5th Oct 2025,
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce32ezzq6zlo

October 6, 2025 Posted by | climate change | Leave a comment

Right-wing Czech politician who promised to cut aid to Ukraine takes lead in parliamentary election .

 04 Oct 2025, https://www.sott.net/article/502181-Right-wing-Czech-politician-who-promised-to-cut-aid-to-Ukraine-takes-lead-in-parliamentary-election

The right-wing party of agriculture billionaire Andrej Babis, branded ‘Czech Trump’ by local media, has taken the lead in his country’s parliamentary election.

Partial results were released by the Czech Statistical Office several hours after the polls closed across the central European country of 11 million earlier on Saturday.

With ballots from 20% of voting districts counted, Babis’ opposition ANO (Yes) party was ahead with 39.7% of the vote, followed by the Spolu (Together) group led by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala with 19.1%, the agency said.

Babis has been campaigning on a promise to stop Czech military assistance to Kiev, unlike Fiala, who has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

The 71-year-old, who served as prime minister between 2017 and 2021, has been particularly critical of Prague’s ammunition initiative for Kiev, calling it “overpriced” and insisting that it should be handled by NATO.

He has spoken out against Ukraine’s membership in the EU, as well as Brussels’ handling of immigration and the Green Deal.

The Western media has warned ahead of the vote that with Hungary and Slovakia already refusing to provide military aid to Kiev and advocating for a diplomatic end to the conflict, Babis’ victory in the Czech Republic could tip Central Europe even further away from Brussels on Ukraine and other key issues.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | EUROPE, politics, Ukraine | Leave a comment

45K gallons of radioactive water to be dumped into Hudson River from Indian Point nuclear plant

Shane Galvin Oct. New York Post, 2, 2025, 

Roughly 45,000 gallons of radioactive water from a defunct plant north of New York City will be discharged into the Hudson River after a federal court ruling struck down a state environmental law.

US District Judge Kenneth Karas sided with company Holtec International over New York State in a ruling issued last week that reversed the 2023 “Save The Hudson” law which sought to prevent the company from muddying the Hudson’s waters.

Holtec sued the Empire State last year, arguing that only the federal government had the right to regulate discharge of the Indian Point plant’s nuclear waste, which amounted to the 45,000-gallon sum, The New York Times reported……………………………………..

Indian Point, which sits on the Hudson River about 35 miles north of Manhattan, was closed in 2021 after years of public outcry from the local community over environmental concerns…………………… https://nypost.com/2025/10/02/us-news/45k-gallons-of-radioactive-water-to-be-dumped-into-hudson-river-from-indian-point-nuclear-plant/

October 6, 2025 Posted by | USA, wastes, water | Leave a comment

Another ageing Royal Navy nuclear-armed submarine completes a 200-day patrol amid fears absence of replacements will make epic voyages ‘the new normal’

Daily Mail, By BY MARK NICOL DEFENCE EDITOR, 3 October 2025

An ageing Royal Navy nuclear submarine has completed a 200-day patrol amid fears of shortages of alternative vessels.

The Vanguard class submarine was welcomed back to port with her hull covered in slime and barnacles.

The marine growth indicated how long the submarine – which carries the UK’s nuclear deterrent – had spent submerged.

Nuclear submarines remain undetected by spending the majority of their time on patrol at very slow speed. This is to minimise their noise signature.

Biofouling as it is also known, can also indicate a submarine has been operating in either shallower or warmer waters.

Nuclear submarine patrols are being extended as Navy chiefs await new vessels.

This submarine was understood to have spent 203 days at sea. Earlier this year another spent 204 days at sea.

While only last year another Vanguard-class submarine broke the 200 day barrier for the first time. At least ten patrols are understood to have exceeded five months.

The trend for extended patrols is dangerous according to Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the recently retired former Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS).

In his final speech he decried the decrepit state of the Royal Navy’s subsurface fleet at a time when the world is getting more dangerous.

In September Admiral Sir Tony said: ‘Our armed forces are not as strong as we would wish. There is something wrong when governments profess the nuclear deterrent at sea is our highest priority but our sailors are having to put to sea for extraordinarily long patrols in some of the most complex machines on the planet that are beyond their original design life.’……………………….

The oldest of the Vanguard class submarines first put to sea 33 years ago. The vessels have a recommended service life of 25 years.

The physical strain on the Vanguard class submarines is mirrored by the psychological effects on their crews of spending six months and longer at sea.

Each submarine has a crew of around 130 sailors and officers

Experts have also warned of the growing risk of a catastrophic accident as parts are being cannabalised from other submarines which are more than 30 years old…………………………….

The shortage of submarines is also compounded by the length of time it takes to conduct repairs.

The Vanguards will be replaced by Dreadnought submarines – but these are not expected to enter service before the early 2030s……………………… https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15159175/Another-ageing-Royal-Navy-nuclear-armed-submarine-completes-200-day-patrol-amid-fears-absence-replacements-make-epic-voyages-new-normal.html

October 6, 2025 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Sellafield nuclear workers to strike over pay

 ITV 3rd Oct 2025, https://www.itv.com/news/border/2025-10-03/sellafield-nuclear-workers-to-strike-over-pay

Construction workers at the Sellafield nuclear site are to strike from Saturday in a dispute over pay.

Unite said 1,500 of its members, including electricians, joiners and welders, at the Cumbria site will walk out until 13 October.

The union said other nuclear projects pay premiums it wants Sellafield to match, and it warned of further industrial action if the dispute is not resolved.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members are highly skilled workers operating in an extremely challenging environment.

“That this is the most significant industrial action at Sellafield in recent history speaks volumes about the levels of feeling among the workforce.”

As well as the strikes, a continuous overtime ban will start on 14 October.

October 6, 2025 Posted by | employment, UK | Leave a comment