radiofree.asia

Category: Global

  • Eugene Doyle: Venezuela and Trump’s war to save the Ancien Régime

    COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle

    “The Past is not dead; it is not even past.”

    William Faulkner was right: past events continue to inform and shape our world.  With powerful forces gathering to reassert US dominance over not just Venezuela but the entire Western hemisphere, the vexed issue of local elites, for example Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado and her backers, enlisting an imperial power in domestic broils, is again top of the agenda.

    Back in the 1980s I studied in France.  The most thrilling lecture of my university career was an outline of the significance of the Battle of Valmy, a crucial win for the young French Revolution.

    The lecture was given by the distinguished historian Antoine Casanova.

    One of the revolutionary generals that day in 1792 was a Venezuelan, Francisco de Miranda, who in time, returning to the Americas, would wrest power from imperial Spain and become leader of an independent Venezuela.

    Miranda knew Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and, of significance to this story, the father of the Monroe Doctrine, President James Monroe. Were he alive today he would again unsheathe his sword to fight King Donald Trump and all the forces of L’Ancien Régime.

    L’Ancien Régime — the “Old Order” — refers to the system of absolute monarchy, hereditary privilege, and rigid social hierarchy where a tiny elite owned everything while the masses owned little or nothing.

    In today’s world, given the concentration of power among the few in our countries, I extend the term Ancien Régime to capture the way the US, working in concert with local elites, is operating in ways that would be familiar to a Bourbon King or a British monarch.

    If they had such a thing as shame, the American elites should wince that their country, born out of an epic anti-colonial struggle, now plays the role of a Prussian army seeking to impose its will on another state.

    1792. La patrie en danger. The homeland is in peril.
    The monarchies of Europe had rallied their armies for an assault on France to destroy the Revolution that had swept from power not only King Louis XVI but the entire absolutist order of L’Ancien Régime.

    After a string of victories, the invaders swung their armies towards Paris, intent on snuffing out the revolution, to ensure the contagion did not infect the rest of Europe. Desperate, the French Assembly declared “La Patrie en danger” and called on patriotic citizens to rally to the flag.

    The two world orders clashed in a pivotal battle at Valmy, 200 km northeast of Paris on 20 September 1792.

    At Valmy, for the first time in history, the battle cry that General Miranda and others called out — and thousands of citizen soldiers answered — was “Vive la nation!”  “Long live the Nation! (not for a king, nor an emperor, nor a god).

    Confronting them on the field was the superpower of the day, the best armed, best drilled war machine in history: the Prussian Army, led by Prince Field Marshall Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand. As well as his Prussians, he commanded the army of the Holy Roman Empire and, significantly, L’Armée de Condé, led by King Louis XVI’s cousin and comprised of French royalist émigrés.

    To the citizen soldiers of France, this latter group were traitors to their country, men who put their privileges and their class ahead of the interests of their homeland. This is a theme relevant to discussions of Venezuela today.

    Things went badly for the republican French in the opening and the lines wavered.  The Venezuelan Miranda, history records, raced his charger up and down the lines, urging the troops to sing La Marseillaise, written earlier that year by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. We know it now as the French National Anthem. It is a stirring call to arms, a passionate appeal to fight the enemies of the nation.

    French First Republic
    Long story short, the French prevailed that day and France’s First Republic was declared in Paris two days later.  A witness to the battle was the German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who, by way of consolation — I would have thought a little rashly —  told some dejected Prussian officers, “Here and today, a new epoch in the history of the world has begun, and you can boast you were present at its birth.”

    Today Francisco Miranda’s name is among the 660 heroes of the Republic engraved on L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris. He has been called the “First Global Revolutionary”, having fought in the American War of Independence as well as his other exploits in Europe and Latin America.

    The first global revolutionary - Miranda
    The “first global revolutionary” . . . Miranda knew President James Monroe, father of the Monroe Doctrine. Image: www.solidarity.co.nz

    Some of my fellow students at L’Université de Franche-Comté were South and Central Americans who had fled political persecution. Their stories were my first exposure to the concept of “death squads”.

    This was a time when El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua were drenched in blood as a pitiless struggle was waged by the US and the local military and financial elites on one side, and coalitions of workers, peasants, intellectuals, teachers and various progressives on the other.

    Repeated US interventions to support companies like United Fruit Company went hand in hand with brutal suppression of peasant workers. The CIA-backed coup that overthrew democratic progressive Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954 led to a war — the Guatemalan Genocide or The Silent Genocide — in which 200,000 were killed and tens of thousands more “disappeared” over the succeeding three decades. Amnesty International estimated 83 percent of those killed were indigenous Maya people.

    In 1980, while I was in France, Oscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, was gunned down mid-service by a killer working for El Salvador’s military dictatorship. A quarter of a million people braved the junta to attend his funeral.

    Romero’s fate was sealed when he appealed to US President Jimmy Carter to end aid to El Salvador’s military dictatorship.

    Death squads follow
    Whether we look at the Iran Contra scandal, Reagan’s funding of the infamous Honduran Battalion 316 or any of dozens of such organisations, the pattern is clear: where the US wishes to assert control via elites, death squads follow. The State Department and CIA spent decades building and evolving El Salvador’s National Security Agency. They helped compile lists of leftists, intellectuals and all sorts of people who were then eliminated by the regime’s death squads.

    While I was getting an education in history, literature and politics, tens of thousands were killed in Argentina by the US-backed Junta during the “Dirty War”. Similarly in Chile, from the US-promoted military takeover forward, being a social worker, teacher or trade unionist could be a fatal occupation.

    Sadly, as most people my age know, one could go on and on and on about US covert activity to destroy democratic movements and foster alliances with the most vicious oligarchs on the continent.  That is why I fear for Venezuela and I have zero confidence in any political leader who calls for US direct military and paramilitary (via CIA) action in her own country.

    For these reasons and more, I shuddered when I heard Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado praising Donald Trump and urging him to continue his pressure campaign, saying only Trump can “save Venezuela”.

    “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause,” she wrote in a post on X.

    Praising a man who is indiscriminately killing your own citizens is not, in my estimation, a good look for either a Nobel Peace laureate or a patriot. Francisco Miranda would roll in his grave.

    The price of freedom from foreign powers is often counted in millions of lives and centuries of struggle; it should not be given away lightly.

    The Maduro government has its fans and its detractors; both can mount solid arguments.

    One thing I believe is firmly in its favour, however, is that, for its many faults, it is a national project that seeks to resist dominance from foreign interests, foremost the US.  I will give the last word to Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez de Espinoza (28 March 1750–14 July 1816):

    “I have never believed that anything solid or stable can be built in a country, if absolute independence is not first achieved.”

    Eugene Doyle is a writer based in Wellington. He has written extensively on the Middle East, as well as peace and security issues in the Asia Pacific region, and he contributes to Asia Pacific Report. He hosts the public policy platform solidarity.co.nz

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Eugene Doyle: Venezuela and Trump’s war to save the Ancien Régime

    COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle

    “The Past is not dead; it is not even past.”

    William Faulkner was right: past events continue to inform and shape our world.  With powerful forces gathering to reassert US dominance over not just Venezuela but the entire Western hemisphere, the vexed issue of local elites, for example Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado and her backers, enlisting an imperial power in domestic broils, is again top of the agenda.

    Back in the 1980s I studied in France.  The most thrilling lecture of my university career was an outline of the significance of the Battle of Valmy, a crucial win for the young French Revolution.

    The lecture was given by the distinguished historian Antoine Casanova.

    One of the revolutionary generals that day in 1792 was a Venezuelan, Francisco de Miranda, who in time, returning to the Americas, would wrest power from imperial Spain and become leader of an independent Venezuela.

    Miranda knew Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and, of significance to this story, the father of the Monroe Doctrine, President James Monroe. Were he alive today he would again unsheathe his sword to fight King Donald Trump and all the forces of L’Ancien Régime.

    L’Ancien Régime — the “Old Order” — refers to the system of absolute monarchy, hereditary privilege, and rigid social hierarchy where a tiny elite owned everything while the masses owned little or nothing.

    In today’s world, given the concentration of power among the few in our countries, I extend the term Ancien Régime to capture the way the US, working in concert with local elites, is operating in ways that would be familiar to a Bourbon King or a British monarch.

    If they had such a thing as shame, the American elites should wince that their country, born out of an epic anti-colonial struggle, now plays the role of a Prussian army seeking to impose its will on another state.

    1792. La patrie en danger. The homeland is in peril.
    The monarchies of Europe had rallied their armies for an assault on France to destroy the Revolution that had swept from power not only King Louis XVI but the entire absolutist order of L’Ancien Régime.

    After a string of victories, the invaders swung their armies towards Paris, intent on snuffing out the revolution, to ensure the contagion did not infect the rest of Europe. Desperate, the French Assembly declared “La Patrie en danger” and called on patriotic citizens to rally to the flag.

    The two world orders clashed in a pivotal battle at Valmy, 200 km northeast of Paris on 20 September 1792.

    At Valmy, for the first time in history, the battle cry that General Miranda and others called out — and thousands of citizen soldiers answered — was “Vive la nation!”  “Long live the Nation! (not for a king, nor an emperor, nor a god).

    Confronting them on the field was the superpower of the day, the best armed, best drilled war machine in history: the Prussian Army, led by Prince Field Marshall Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand. As well as his Prussians, he commanded the army of the Holy Roman Empire and, significantly, L’Armée de Condé, led by King Louis XVI’s cousin and comprised of French royalist émigrés.

    To the citizen soldiers of France, this latter group were traitors to their country, men who put their privileges and their class ahead of the interests of their homeland. This is a theme relevant to discussions of Venezuela today.

    Things went badly for the republican French in the opening and the lines wavered.  The Venezuelan Miranda, history records, raced his charger up and down the lines, urging the troops to sing La Marseillaise, written earlier that year by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. We know it now as the French National Anthem. It is a stirring call to arms, a passionate appeal to fight the enemies of the nation.

    French First Republic
    Long story short, the French prevailed that day and France’s First Republic was declared in Paris two days later.  A witness to the battle was the German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who, by way of consolation — I would have thought a little rashly —  told some dejected Prussian officers, “Here and today, a new epoch in the history of the world has begun, and you can boast you were present at its birth.”

    Today Francisco Miranda’s name is among the 660 heroes of the Republic engraved on L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris. He has been called the “First Global Revolutionary”, having fought in the American War of Independence as well as his other exploits in Europe and Latin America.

    The first global revolutionary - Miranda
    The “first global revolutionary” . . . Miranda knew President James Monroe, father of the Monroe Doctrine. Image: www.solidarity.co.nz

    Some of my fellow students at L’Université de Franche-Comté were South and Central Americans who had fled political persecution. Their stories were my first exposure to the concept of “death squads”.

    This was a time when El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua were drenched in blood as a pitiless struggle was waged by the US and the local military and financial elites on one side, and coalitions of workers, peasants, intellectuals, teachers and various progressives on the other.

    Repeated US interventions to support companies like United Fruit Company went hand in hand with brutal suppression of peasant workers. The CIA-backed coup that overthrew democratic progressive Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954 led to a war — the Guatemalan Genocide or The Silent Genocide — in which 200,000 were killed and tens of thousands more “disappeared” over the succeeding three decades. Amnesty International estimated 83 percent of those killed were indigenous Maya people.

    In 1980, while I was in France, Oscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, was gunned down mid-service by a killer working for El Salvador’s military dictatorship. A quarter of a million people braved the junta to attend his funeral.

    Romero’s fate was sealed when he appealed to US President Jimmy Carter to end aid to El Salvador’s military dictatorship.

    Death squads follow
    Whether we look at the Iran Contra scandal, Reagan’s funding of the infamous Honduran Battalion 316 or any of dozens of such organisations, the pattern is clear: where the US wishes to assert control via elites, death squads follow. The State Department and CIA spent decades building and evolving El Salvador’s National Security Agency. They helped compile lists of leftists, intellectuals and all sorts of people who were then eliminated by the regime’s death squads.

    While I was getting an education in history, literature and politics, tens of thousands were killed in Argentina by the US-backed Junta during the “Dirty War”. Similarly in Chile, from the US-promoted military takeover forward, being a social worker, teacher or trade unionist could be a fatal occupation.

    Sadly, as most people my age know, one could go on and on and on about US covert activity to destroy democratic movements and foster alliances with the most vicious oligarchs on the continent.  That is why I fear for Venezuela and I have zero confidence in any political leader who calls for US direct military and paramilitary (via CIA) action in her own country.

    For these reasons and more, I shuddered when I heard Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Maria Corina Machado praising Donald Trump and urging him to continue his pressure campaign, saying only Trump can “save Venezuela”.

    “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause,” she wrote in a post on X.

    Praising a man who is indiscriminately killing your own citizens is not, in my estimation, a good look for either a Nobel Peace laureate or a patriot. Francisco Miranda would roll in his grave.

    The price of freedom from foreign powers is often counted in millions of lives and centuries of struggle; it should not be given away lightly.

    The Maduro government has its fans and its detractors; both can mount solid arguments.

    One thing I believe is firmly in its favour, however, is that, for its many faults, it is a national project that seeks to resist dominance from foreign interests, foremost the US.  I will give the last word to Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez de Espinoza (28 March 1750–14 July 1816):

    “I have never believed that anything solid or stable can be built in a country, if absolute independence is not first achieved.”

    Eugene Doyle is a writer based in Wellington. He has written extensively on the Middle East, as well as peace and security issues in the Asia Pacific region, and he contributes to Asia Pacific Report. He hosts the public policy platform solidarity.co.nz

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Israel’s genocide has also destroyed 80% of Gaza’s olive trees

    The month of October in Gaza is no longer associated with the sounds of harvesting and the smell of olives, as it was for decades. The olive trees that once stretched across thousands of dunams throughout Gaza are now silent, turned into dead land covered with traces of Israel’s bombing and military vehicles.

    Israel has erased the olive trees from Gaza

    Before the war, Gaza had around 50,000 dunams planted with olive trees, producing more than 35,000 tonnes of olives annually from over a million trees. But after two years of continuous aggression, the cultivated area has shrunk to only about 4,000 dunams, after about 75% of the trees were destroyed or burned, according to the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza.

    The halt in harvesting has led to the silence of the presses and the decline of agricultural activity, amid electricity and fuel shortages and the destruction of much of the agricultural infrastructure. The road to the fields is fraught with danger, and the presses, which were once economic and social centres, have been either destroyed or shut down.

    A farmer from Khan Yunis told the Canary:

    We used to start the day by picking olives and carrying them in baskets, singing to our land, but today I pass by the field and see nothing but ashes. No shade, no branches, no birds. Everything has changed.

    The harvest in Gaza was not just an economic activity, but a social and spiritual ritual. Everyone participated, young and old, men and women, making it a symbol of attachment to the land and memory. A farmer from Beit Hanoun told the Canary:

    Every olive tree has its own history. Some were planted by our grandfathers decades ago. Their destruction is like the death of a part of the family.

    Beyond its social and symbolic significance, olives are a vital source of income for thousands of families in Gaza, and small farmers depend on them to cover their daily living expenses.

    Knock-on effects

    With production declining and the vast majority of trees destroyed, the sector faces the risk of losing an entire generation of agricultural expertise, which could limit the ability to replant and develop production in the future. Agricultural experts warn that continued losses could transform olives from a sustainable economic resource into a threatened memory, making agricultural reconstruction, the introduction of modern techniques and support for farmers urgent priorities to ensure the continuation of this ancient national heritage.

    The eastern strip of the Strip stretches from Rafah in the south to Beit Hanoun in the north and comprises about 45% of Gaza’s agricultural land, or about 167,000 dunums distributed among vegetables, field crops and tree orchards. Today, the occupation controls about 45% of this land within what is known as the ‘Yellow Line,’ preventing farmers from accessing it and imposing severe restrictions on agricultural movement.

    The damage to harvests has been compounded by water and fertiliser shortages, the disruption of agricultural supplies due to the blockade, and the targeting of any movement near the border by snipers. The Palestinian Research Foundation (MAS) reports that agricultural production in the sector has declined by more than 80% over the past two years, with olives particularly affected due to their location in the eastern areas most vulnerable to bombing.

    An unprecedented challenge

    Gaza no longer celebrates the olive season, but mourns it. The presses are idle, and the branches that once reached for the sky now lie stretched out on the ash-covered ground, bearing witness to the destruction of olive trees, the loss of livelihood for thousands of families, and the shattering of part of the Strip’s agricultural memory.

    Today, the olive season in Gaza faces an unprecedented challenge.

    The fields that witnessed generations of resilience have been reduced to ashes, and the presses that were once bustling with life have fallen silent. What remains of the olive trees represents a faint hope for the continuation of a decades-old agricultural and cultural heritage, but it faces constant threats from restrictions, siege and destruction.

    Amidst this suffering, the biggest question remains: how will Gaza be able to preserve its agricultural and community heritage and ensure the livelihoods of thousands of families if the challenges continue without urgent intervention and sustained support to restore life to the fields and branches that once stretched towards the sky?

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Gaza desperately needs 300,000 tents before winter sets in

    The Network of Civil Society Organisations in the Gaza Strip has warned of a rapid deterioration in humanitarian conditions due to the Israeli occupation’s continued refusal to allow the entry of materials needed to rehabilitate the destroyed water networks. In a press statement, civil society organisations in Gaza said that most of the tents used to house displaced persons are no longer usable after months of displacement, noting that the Strip needs around 300,000 new tents before winter arrives.

    Gaza urgently needs tents

    With winter approaching, fears are mounting among tens of thousands of displaced families who lack tents suitable for shelter or protection from rain and cold. Many live under worn-out plastic sheets, while others rely on patched pieces of cloth that cannot withstand wind and storms. Families, especially children, women and older and disabled people, face the risk of severe cold and disease in the absence of heating, winter clothing and basic protective items.

    In this context, the Government Media Office in Gaza reported that the Israeli army committed 194 violations of the ceasefire agreement signed on 10 October.

    The director of the office, Ismail al-Thawabta, said that these violations included Israeli forces crossing the demarcation line, preventing the entry of medicines, medical supplies, tents and mobile homes, as well as continuing shelling, shooting and incursions into various areas of the Strip.

    Al-Thawabta pointed out that the agreement stipulates the delivery of more than 300,000 tents and mobile housing units to shelter displaced persons, at a time when some 288,000 families are living without stable shelter and are relying on the streets and public squares. He also estimated the extent of damage to Gaza’s civilian infrastructure at around 90%, with initial losses amounting to approximately $70 billion.

    Al-Thawabta accused Israel of deliberately exacerbating the humanitarian crisis by preventing more than 6,000 aid trucks from entering through the Rafah crossing, calling on the United States and international mediators to take action to ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement and lift restrictions on aid.

    A deliberate humanitarian crisis

    Despite the cessation of direct confrontations, the population continues to face severe shortages of food, water and medicine, amid ongoing displacement and rising hunger rates. Palestinian data indicate that the conflict that erupted on 7 October 2023 has resulted in more than 238,000 deaths and injuries, in addition to thousands of missing persons and widespread destruction of infrastructure.

    Palestinian and international bodies have accused Israel of committing grave violations during the war, while Israel says its operations targeted armed factions in the Strip.

    As appeals for urgent shelter supplies continue, displaced people in Gaza are preparing for a harsh winter with empty hands and hearts heavy with fear, waiting for a tent that will give them a minimum of security and the simple human right to survive.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Sami: the child whom Israel did not allow to grow up

    In one of Gaza’s quiet neighbourhoods, there was a child who ran through the alleys every morning, carrying his small school bag as if it contained the whole world. His name was Sami Bilal Abu Youssef, an eight-year-old boy, pure as the dawn, who loved life as much as a bird loves its wings.

    Sami knew little about war. He only knew his little toys, his drawing book, the plate of beans waiting for him after school, and his mother’s smile.

    He was preoccupied with things that adults did not understand very well: how to make his paper aeroplane fly higher, how to become a famous footballer, and how to bring his friends together to resolve their differences, which is why everyone called him ‘the chosen one’.

    At his Malaysian Quranic school, he would read quietly, stumbling occasionally, which made his teacher laugh and ask him to repeat it, which he did with the confidence of a child who believed the future belonged to him.

    His teacher always told him, ‘You will grow up to be a great person, Sami,’ but Sami did not grow up. Israel did not give him the chance to do so. Israel killed him.

    The moment childhood ended

    On a cold evening in January 2024, there were no fireworks in Gaza, no celebrations, no noise from children playing in the neighbourhood. Only the bombing spoke.

    In a matter of minutes, Sami’s house was reduced to dust. His room, his clothes, his little ball, and even the smile that always preceded his footsteps disappeared. Sami was martyred, along with his brother Mohammed and his cousins Obida and Manna. Their souls left at once, as if the sky had opened a door to short dreams that were not meant to be written to the end.

    In the neighbourhood, children still talk about him.

    His friend, who used to sit next to him in school, still keeps his seat empty in class. The teacher keeps his little notebook and his faltering words as he memorised a new surah. And his mother… she holds his clothes in her hands at night and waits for a voice that will never return.

    Sami was not just a child who was martyred.

    He was a short, sweet story, a small promise of a song, and proof that childhood in Gaza is not given in full — it is snatched away before it is complete.

    Every time his story is told… Sami comes back a little.

    There are thousands of children like Sami, but each one has a name, a face, a laugh, a little sketchbook, and a dream that was waiting to grow up.

    When we tell his story today, we give him back a little of the life that time did not allow him to live, and we remind the world that childhood has a right to grow, to dream, and not to be bombed before its wings are fully formed.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Hundreds attend protest in Northern Ireland calling for the removal of ‘Israel’ junket minister

    Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MLA Paul Givan remains under pressure to resign following his disgraceful trip to the genocidal apartheid regime of so-called ‘Israel’. At a rally on Saturday, November 1, organised by People Before Profit (PBP), a crowd of over 300 assembled at the gates of Belfast City Hall to express their disgust at an education minister travelling to a fake state whose speciality is the mass murder of children.

    Givan’s trip effectively amounted to him being paid by the Zionist entity to work for it for several days, and possibly beyond, as he has voiced effusive praise for its terrorism since returning. Speaking at Stormont, the Netanyahu pawn performed as if operated by remote control from West Jerusalem, saying:

    Israel rightly responded, mobilised the IDF and to them we say thank you to the men and women of the Israeli Defence Forces. Israel and the rest of the world owe them a debt of gratitude for the work that they have carried out. Decimated Hamas, terrorists like Sawari [sic], gone and facing judgment in eternity.

    Possible 680,000 dead at Israel’s hand not enough for incoherent Givan

    Not satisfied with the possibly 680,000 killed by the Israeli Genocide Forces (IGF), Givan seems intent on inventing a fictional murder of someone called ‘Sawari’. This may be a reference to Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ Gaza Strip commander until his murder by IGF forces on 16 October 2024, but the less time spent trying to divine the contents of Givan’s largely empty head, the better. His comments echo those of genocidaire Friedrich Merz, who occasionally takes time off from praising Zionist butchers in order to serve as chancellor of perpetual murder-land Germany. In June 2025, Merz also heaped praise on the sadists and rapists of the IGF by saying, in reference to Zionist attacks on Iran:

    This is dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us.

    Givan, who argued his trip to ‘Israel’ was a “fact-finding mission”, continued on his new brown-nosing mission by heaping praise on Jabba the Hutt‘s less attractive twin:

    Thank you Mr Trump for Operation Midnight Hammer in destroying their nuclear facilities.

    There is no concrete evidence these facilities were actually destroyed, nor that the IGF have achieved any meaningful long-term strategic victories in their unhinged rampages around West Asia.

    While in the pseudo-state, the Lagan Valley Assembly member took in trips to a holocaust memorial, the areas attacked by Hamas on 7 October 2023, and a school in East Jerusalem that turned out to be in occupied territory. Fretting over that seems a little moot, given everywhere he visited is the result of a 100 year+ land theft project, and was likely just another additional means of trolling his opponents, probably the actual purpose of the trip. Givan clearly learned something from his junket to stolen land, however, as he switched to the standard Zionist operating procedure of cry-bullying upon his return:

    Cretinous education minister wallows in self-pity

    Over the past week, I have been vilified by those who have sought to call into question my character and my commitment to the people of Northern Ireland. The very same people among whom, today in Belfast, were shouting the antisemitic chant “From the river to the sea.
    Sinn Féin, People Before Profit, the SDLP, and Alliance are fooling no one. We can all see right through this smokescreen.
    I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been in touch with messages of support. I will continue to represent the people of Lagan Valley and Northern Ireland with the same energy and enthusiasm that I have always brought to public life.

    In the same way the overt untruth “your call is important to us – please hold” means “we couldn’t give a shit about your call – piss off”, “I will continue to represent the people of Lagan Valley and Northern Ireland with… energy and enthusiasm” can be safely translated as “I would rather swan around on holiday with ethno-supremacists than do any actual work for my constituents”.

    Several of the parties listed by Givan were in attendance at Saturday’s rally. PBP MLA Gerry Carroll firstly enumerated the DUP man’s failings as education minister, from underpaid teachers and classroom assistants, often on temporary contracts; to a uniform bill that forbids girls from wearing trousers; and attacks on trans people. He went on to describe getting:

    …hundreds of emails of constituents who are appalled at what he’s done [in going to ‘Israel’].

    ‘Get Givan out’ – though the prospects are slim

    He concluded:

    Hound him out of office to say that no minister in the north, no minister north or south should be allowed to be an advocate, to be a stooge for Israel.

    Today has been a good start on that. But let’s keep that up because if we can get him out of office, we can set a shot in the arm for Palestinians. It will be a key…powerful moment of solidarity.

    Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Deputy Lord Mayor Paul Doherty weighed in on the obscene timing of Givan’s junket:

    While thousands of Palestinian children were being killed, while families were digging their sons and daughters from rubble, while schools were being blown apart, Paul Givan and his cronies took it upon themselves to visit Israel.

    Over 95% of schools in Gaza have been destroyed. The cronies referred to by Doherty are Steve Aiken, finance spokesperson for Ulster Unionist Party (UUP); Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) deputy leader Ron McDowell; and DUP MP Sammy Wilson.

    Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey focused on holding the rogue minister to account:

    We will look at all options to hold this minister to account. This also includes Sinn Féin’s support of the motion of no confidence in the minister that’s being tabled on Monday morning. And I, along with all Sinn Féin MLAs, will be proudly putting our names to that motion.

    Focus on the real issue – material complicity in Zionist crimes

    The no confidence motion has almost zero chance of passing, with it requiring strong support from both nationalist and unionist parties. DUP leader Gavin Robinson has voiced unequivocal support for Givan, saying:

    Paul Givan is going nowhere. Unionists will not be bullied by the whims of the Pan-Republican front. I choose who serves as a DUP Minister and whatever about the faux outrage and petty politicking, Paul has my full support.

    “Pan-anti-genocide front” would be more accurate, but Robinson’s sectarian framing hints at the cosy settlement the scandal may settle into. The unionist parties get to rile up their base with unashamed Zionist support and green vs orange framing, while those opposing them get to flash some pro-Palestine credentials without having to offer any form of material shift on the more difficult questions.

    The no confidence motion is certainly welcome symbolically, excessive posturing around it in the absence of concrete steps on Six Counties participation in Zionist atrocities is meaningless. The focus must continue to be on ending Aldergrove’s use for military flights to the criminal entity squatting on historic Palestine, terminating all production of F-35 components, a complete halting of all diplomatic relations, and a total cessation of trade with so-called ‘Israel’.

    Obnoxious as Givan’s trip is, it’s hard to shame the shameless, particularly if the entire visit was simply a premeditated political calculation. Bringing irredeemable DUP cretins to heel for infrequent tasteless escapades is a Sisyphean task; let’s concentrate on the more tractable issues which involve us feeding the Zionist war machine on a daily basis.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Robert Freeman

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Trump is secretly rebuilding a US base in the Caribbean in another move against Venezuela

    US President Donald Trump has refused to confirm he’ll strike Venezuela as the clock runs out on his 60 day war powers. And as an aircraft carrier group heads to the Caribbean, old bases are being reopened and rebuilt.

    A major open source investigation by Reuters shows how the abandoned Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico is being fixed up. Runways are being repaired and a military ‘tent city’ has even sprung up. Located on the eastern coast of the island the re-opening suggests a sustained presence is being planned.

    The base was shuttered two decades ago. And the military seems to be building out facilities in the nearby US Virgin Islands too.

    Trump plays it coy

    Speaking on 60 Minutes on 2 November, Trump was careful not to commit – but suggested Venezuelan leader Maduro’s days were numbered:

    Either way, the signs of a major militarisation in Puerto Rico are clear from satellite imagery. Tents have sprung up on the old naval station in the shadow of a parked heavy transport plane:

    And major upgrades on one runway have seen vegetation cut back and tarmac fixed:

    Reuters reported “crews are upgrading taxiways with improvements that analysts say would enable use by fighter jets as well as cargo planes”.

    A former US Marine Corp colonel told the publication changes  “were consistent with preparations for an increase in landings and takeoffs of military aircraft”.

    Other images from Roosevelt Roads show fighter jets and Osprey aircraft have present at the facility:

    Locally sourced images purport to show new radar equipment as St Croix airfield in the Virgin Islands:

    Legalities and strategy in the Caribbean

    The Americans have spent the last two months hitting what they call ‘narco-terrorist’ boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Trump and defence sectary Pete Hegseth say they are in a war akin to the fight against Al Qaeda. Trump has also threatened land based strikes and openly admitted he’s deployed the Central Intelligence Agency.

    A new CNN timeline claims 64 people have been killed in 15 strikes. The Pentagon has admitted it has no idea who it is killing.

    Most experts reject the government’s claims and question the legal basis of the strikes. Many also argue the military strikes and escalation are about regime change in oil-rich Venezuela, which is not a major drug-producing country.

    According to the legal thinktank Just Security, the US president has 60 days from commencing a military operation before he must ask for a vote on military action from congress:

    In other words, even when a president is acting under his or her constitutional authority to use force, the statute requires that the operations terminate after 60 days if Congress has not yet approved of the operations.

    Today, 3 November, is final day of the notional 60 day limit.

    Imperial realignment?

    The idea of war against Venezuela is not popular in the US. A YouGov polls says only 15% would back it:

    However, that refers to an outright invasion. Libya-style airstrikes seem a more likely option. And rebuilds of key regional airfields seem to align with that idea. Additionally, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group is being sent back from Europe to the Caribbean. The Ford is the US navy’s flagship and largest warship in the world:

    Trump administration’s have always combined staying tight-lipped with moments of spectacle where they pull back the curtain on the workings of power. Less remarked upon currently is the sense that the US is realigning itself globally.

    Part of this, some argue, is about the US accepting it must share global power with China, while reasserting itself in what it considers its own backyard: south and central America. The precise nature of that calculation – and who the cost will fall on – will become clearer in the coming months.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Joe Glenton

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • UNICEF: over a million children in Gaza urgently need water and food

    Tess Ingram, spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that more than one million children in the Gaza Strip are still in urgent need of water and food. Meanwhile, 650,000 children need to return to school, while thousands go to bed hungry every night.

    UNICEF: one million children in Gaza need water

    In an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, Ingram added that the ceasefire, which came into effect on 10 October 2025 between Hamas and Israel, is ‘good news’ in terms of stopping the daily bombardment, but ‘not enough to ensure a normal life for children or provide safe drinking water for families.’

    She explained that water and healthcare infrastructure had been severely damaged by Israel’s genocide, making access to basic services extremely difficult, and that the amount of humanitarian aid that had entered the sector after the ceasefire ‘remains below the required level,’ noting that a rapid and large influx of aid is necessary to prevent children from dying of malnutrition, disease or hypothermia.

    Ingram called on the Israeli authorities to open all crossings into Gaza to ensure that humanitarian support can effectively reach all deprived areas.

    She stressed that the ceasefire had not completely changed the lives of children, noting their continued daily suffering, the shortage of medicines and doctors in hospitals, the impact on the education system, and the delayed return of 650,000 children to school.

    Ingram concluded by saying that the international community’s failure to take advantage of the ceasefire to save children and prevent their suffering is ‘heartbreaking,’ calling for global efforts to help Gaza’s children recover from the two-year humanitarian disaster, which has killed more than 68,000 people, injured more than 170,000, destroyed about 90% of civilian infrastructure, and caused an estimated $70 billion in economic losses.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Trump literally parties with billionaires while 26 million Americans go hungry

    Millions of Americans who rely on food stamps will go hungry as the US government shutdown hits the one-month mark. Meanwhile, instead of rallying to support his people, Donald Trump partied in Mar-a-Lago at a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party with his rich friends and donors.

    Gone in a SNAP while Trump parties

    Around 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides financial assistance to those on low incomes. SNAP is what people more commonly know as “food stamps”, but the payment is actually put on a debit-style card.

    It’s the biggest food assistance program in America, with around one in eight Americans receiving around $6 (£4.50) per day per person. It’s estimated that 83% of households receiving the benefit including children, older or disabled people – and that almost three quarters of recipients are on or below the poverty line.

    However, on 10 October the USDA announced that due to the ongoing shutdown it would have “insufficient funds” to provide people with their vital SNAP payments for November, so the program was paused on 1 November.

    According to Code for America, a non-profit which works with the government to improve access to safety net programs, three million people were set to receive their SNAP benefits on 1 November. The payment is spread out throughout the month, with payments happening every five days. By 10 November, 26 million Americans will have missed out on their payment if this continues.

    Roaring 20s party while people starve. Really?

    And while many Americans spent the weekend worrying how they would feed their families, their president was having a whale of a time at a Great Gatsy “a little party never killed nobody”-themed Halloween party surrounded by flapper girls and his billionaire mates.

    Democrats criticised this crass display of wealth, with California congressman Ro Khanna tweeting:

    Trump hosts a Gatsby party for billionaires while SNAP benefits expire for 41 million Americans today. Tax the rich. Feed hungry Americans. 

    While Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy put it best with:

    The way he rubs his inhumanity in America’s face never ceases to stun me.

    Meanwhile Governor of California Gavin Newsom tweeted:

    Donald Trump hosted a Great Gatsby party while SNAP benefits were about to disappear for 42 million Americans. He does not give a damn about you.

    Trump: name-calling and blaming democrats and immigrants, of course

    Instead of offering assurance that Trump was going to help starving Americans, White House spokesperson Anne Kelly preferred to name-call and blame immigrants to the Independent:

    President Trump has consistently called on them to do the right thing and reopen the government, which they could do at any time. Unfortunately, Gavin Newscum, Chuck Schumer, and Congressional Democrats would rather push health care for illegal immigrants than save American citizens from suffering

    While judges are ruling that Trump is illegally blocking funding and ordering him to release funding, he’s being his usual helpful and caring self – by asking them to “clarify” how to fund the program, as if that isn’t his literal fucking job.

    Trump said on Truth Social:

    I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT

    If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will be an honour to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay

    A little party never killed nobody. Or did it?

    As this weekend’s display shows, Trump literally would rather being partying than supporting vulnerable Americans to be able to feed their families – but hey, a little party never killed nobody, did it? Unless you’re a starving American, that is.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Rachel Charlton-Dailey

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Trump literally parties with billionaires while 26 million Americans go hungry

    Millions of Americans who rely on food stamps will go hungry as the US government shutdown hits the one-month mark. Meanwhile, instead of rallying to support his people, Donald Trump partied in Mar-a-Lago at a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party with his rich friends and donors.

    Gone in a SNAP while Trump parties

    Around 42 million Americans rely on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides financial assistance to those on low incomes. SNAP is what people more commonly know as “food stamps”, but the payment is actually put on a debit-style card.

    It’s the biggest food assistance program in America, with around one in eight Americans receiving around $6 (£4.50) per day per person. It’s estimated that 83% of households receiving the benefit including children, older or disabled people – and that almost three quarters of recipients are on or below the poverty line.

    However, on 10 October the USDA announced that due to the ongoing shutdown it would have “insufficient funds” to provide people with their vital SNAP payments for November, so the program was paused on 1 November.

    According to Code for America, a non-profit which works with the government to improve access to safety net programs, three million people were set to receive their SNAP benefits on 1 November. The payment is spread out throughout the month, with payments happening every five days. By 10 November, 26 million Americans will have missed out on their payment if this continues.

    Roaring 20s party while people starve. Really?

    And while many Americans spent the weekend worrying how they would feed their families, their president was having a whale of a time at a Great Gatsy “a little party never killed nobody”-themed Halloween party surrounded by flapper girls and his billionaire mates.

    Democrats criticised this crass display of wealth, with California congressman Ro Khanna tweeting:

    Trump hosts a Gatsby party for billionaires while SNAP benefits expire for 41 million Americans today. Tax the rich. Feed hungry Americans. 

    While Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy put it best with:

    The way he rubs his inhumanity in America’s face never ceases to stun me.

    Meanwhile Governor of California Gavin Newsom tweeted:

    Donald Trump hosted a Great Gatsby party while SNAP benefits were about to disappear for 42 million Americans. He does not give a damn about you.

    Trump: name-calling and blaming democrats and immigrants, of course

    Instead of offering assurance that Trump was going to help starving Americans, White House spokesperson Anne Kelly preferred to name-call and blame immigrants to the Independent:

    President Trump has consistently called on them to do the right thing and reopen the government, which they could do at any time. Unfortunately, Gavin Newscum, Chuck Schumer, and Congressional Democrats would rather push health care for illegal immigrants than save American citizens from suffering

    While judges are ruling that Trump is illegally blocking funding and ordering him to release funding, he’s being his usual helpful and caring self – by asking them to “clarify” how to fund the program, as if that isn’t his literal fucking job.

    Trump said on Truth Social:

    I do NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT

    If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will be an honour to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay

    A little party never killed nobody. Or did it?

    As this weekend’s display shows, Trump literally would rather being partying than supporting vulnerable Americans to be able to feed their families – but hey, a little party never killed nobody, did it? Unless you’re a starving American, that is.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Rachel Charlton-Dailey

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Far-right Israelis carry out shocking violence against a Palestinian family

    Content warning: this article contains scenes of graphic violence which some readers may find distressing

    Last week, illegal Zionist Israeli settlers terrorised Mahmoud Al-Daghamin and his family, hospitalising his children, killing livestock, and vandalising his property:

    Israeli settlers on a vicious rampage

    Al-Daghamin, who is from the occupied West Bank town of as-Samu, south of Hebron, told the Canary:

    I was attacked by settlers who stormed my home, smashing the windows and the main door. Pepper gas was sprayed heavily inside the house, and two gas grenades were thrown inside, resulting in severe injury to the children as there is an infant who is six months old.

    All family members suffered the effects of gas inhalation, but the children ended up in the hospital. He says they are back at home, although they are still receiving treatment.

    After attacking Al- Daghamin’s house, the Israeli settlers went next door to his sheep pens. They killed 10 sheep, by hitting their heads with large stones and sticks, and also stabbing them with knives:

    Then the settlers moved to the hay bales, that are used for feeding the sheep, setting them alight, before destroying his car:

    Al-Daghamin and his family live only 500 metres from the illegal settlement of Susya. He says Israeli settler attacks on the community of as-Samu are becoming more violent and more frequent, and vast areas of Palestinian land have been seized from the village:

    These attacks occur on an almost daily basis. With these settlers living next to us, my children can’t sleep at night because of fear, having witnessed firsthand all the horrific acts committed against us by them. Some of my sheep, which survived, are still suffering from the effects of the stabbing and injuries. Losing those sheep they slaughtered, means losing a part of us, as they were the sole source of income for my family.

    Although Al-Daghamin says he has filed a complaint with the police, it is unlikely there will be any action taken against those who carried out the vicious attack against him and his family.

    On Saturday 1 November it was reported that 11 people were injured in settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, protected by the Israeli occupation forces who were at the scene. Last night, in a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said medical teams at Rafidia Bovernmental Hospital in Nablus treated eight Palestinians for injuries resulting from:

    Attacks by settlers and the occupying forces, who beat the Palestinian residents in the towns of Tel, Burin and Sebastia.

    All injuries were reported as stable.

    Not an isolated incident

    All settlements and Israeli settlers are illegal under international law, but this makes no difference. Instead, the Israeli occupation government funds and arms settlers, while its military protects and supports these criminals, often working in close coordination with them to terrorise Palestinian communities.

    In the first half of 2025 alone, there were 757 settler attacks in the occupied West Bank that resulted in casualties or property damage, a 13% increase compared with the same period last year.

    According to Israeli NGO Peace Now, there have also been 84 new settler outposts over the last year compared to 49 the year before.

    This marks a rapid escalation compared to the yearly average of eight outposts in the past decade. These outposts, which often start off as no more than a single settlers’ caravan, are one of the main ways settlers steal land from Palestinians. They entrench Israeli occupation dominance and control, while displacing Palestinians and further fragmenting the occupied territory.

    Featured image and additional images supplied

    By Charlie Jaay

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Not enough known about seafloor to begin mining, says Cook Is scientist

    By Caleb Fotheringham and Tiana Haxton, RNZ Pacific journalists

    Not enough is yet known about the seafloor to decide if deep sea mining can start in the Cook Islands, says an ocean scientist with the government authority in charge of seabed minerals.

    The Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) returned last week from a 21-day deep-sea research expedition on board the United States exploration vessel EV Nautilus.

    The trip was also funded by the United States and supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).


    The Nautilus in the Cook Islands.             Video: RNZ Pacific

    High-resolution imagery and data were collected in a bid to better understand what lives on the seafloor.

    SBMA knowledge management officer Dr John Parianos said the findings would guide decisions about seabed mining.

    “One day someone will have to make a decision about what to do and it’s clear today we don’t know enough to make a decision,” Parianos said.

    On its return, EV Nautilus was confronted by a group of Greenpeace Pacific protest kayakers holding signs that read: “Don’t mine the moana”.

    One of the protesters, Louisa Castledine told RNZ Pacific she was conscious both NOAA and Nautilus had a reputation for being “environmentally friendly” but was concerned about research being “weaponised”.

    “This research is being used to help enable and guide decision making towards deep-sea mining,” said Castledine, who is the spokesperson for Ocean Ancestors.

    “It’s the guise in which this research is being used, and it’s who sent them is the challenge, because who sent them is quite clear on their intent in mining.

    In August, the US and the Cook Islands agreed to work closer in the area of seabed minerals to “advance scientific research and the responsible development of seabed mineral resources”.

    It came off the back of the Cook Islands signing a five-year agreement with China to cooperate in exploring and researching seabed minerals.

    In 2023, the first ever high resolution Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) footage was obtained for the nodule fields at the bottom of the Cook Islands seafloor. A ROV is a scientific/work platform that is lowered from a boat all the way to the seabed. There is no-one on board, which makes them very safe and simpler to operate, according to SBMA.
    In 2023, the first ever high resolution Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) footage was obtained for the nodule fields at the bottom of the Cook Islands seafloor. Image: Screengrab/YouTube/Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority/RNZ Pacific

    Jocelyn Trainer, a geopolitical analyst with Terra Global Insights, said both countries were interested in the metals to enhance military capabilities but it was not the primary market.

    “Volumes are greater for other industries such as the renewable energy sectors and in China there’s huge demand for electric vehicles.”

    Trainer said China was ahead of the US in obtaining critical minerals through land mining and mineral processing.

    “The US is seeming to choose to start with the supply side of things, get the minerals, and then perhaps work up the knowledge of production and refining.”

    Castledine said the region was in the middle of a “geopolitical storm” with the US and China vying for control over deep-sea minerals.

    “The USA is building their military might within the Pacific and this is one of those ways in which their reach is moving more into the Pacific and more specifically into Cook Islands waters.”

    The Nautilus expedition focused on discovery and the chance to test new deep-sea technology.

    Expedition lead Renato Kane said bad weather threatened the mission. However, it cleared up in time to send their ROVs down.

    “We’ve had six really successful dives to the sea floor. We’re diving these vehicles down to over 5000 meters depth and the length of these dives were on average, about 30 hours each.

    “So we’ve got a lot of high definition video footage for scientific observation on the sea floor.”

    Central to the expedition’s success was the testing of a new, ultra-high-resolution camera, the MxD SeaCam, designed for deep-sea research at depths of up to 7000 metres.

    The camera combines a compact broadcast camera with custom-built titanium housing to capture 4K images with remarkable clarity.

    A large Corallimorpharia. Although it looks like an anemone, there are closely related to corals.
    A large Corallimorpharia . . . although it looks like an anemone, it is closely related to corals. Image: Supplied/Ocean Exploration Trust/RNZ Pacific

    Dr John Parianos said it was some of the best footage ever recorded several kilometres below the surface.

    He said footage would help create the Cook Islands first public catalogue of deep-sea life.

    “We’ve benefited from probably the highest resolution images ever taken at these depths in the whole world ever,” he said.

    “We need to make a catalogue of the types of life in the Cook Islands seabed so that researchers in the future can reference it. Having such high-quality images means that the catalogue will be even better quality than what exists internationally today.”

    Tanga Morris, who was responsible for logging data of both biological and geological discoveries on the expedition, said she was in awe of the various life forms they observed.

    “One of the main ones that’s quite dominant down in the deep sea would be deep-sea sponges. We’ve seen them in different species, morphotypes, and sizes, even a whole garden of them.”

    A glass sponge from class Hexactinellida on a stalked anemone.
    A glass sponge from class Hexactinellida on a stalked anemone. Image: Ocean Exploration Trust/RNZ Pacific

    Other creatures found were sea stars, anemones, octopi and eels — some of which have possibly never been seen before.

    “A few people have asked questions like, ‘have you guys spotted any unidentified species?’ And I think we have come across a few, but then it will take a while to really be sure.

    “But if so, what a great milestone it is for us to acknowledge that within our Cook Island waters.”

    An unknown species of Casper octopus.
    An unknown species of Casper octopus. Image: Ocean Exploration Trust/RNZ Pacific

    Dr Antony Vavia, a senior research fellow at Te Puna Vai Marama, the Cook Islands Centre for Research, said the opportunity to go onboard and study deep-sea organisms firsthand was an eye-opening experience.

    “Everything that I’ve seen down there has been a bit of a wow for me. [I’m] just amazed at how much life is down there. I was talking to my former supervisor, and he described us as the ‘astronauts of the sea’.”

    A notable feature of the EV Nautilus was its 24/7 online livestream.

    He said people from around the world tuned in during dives to see the deep-sea discoveries for themselves.

    “Being able to show what our ROV — what is ROV, the little Hercules, is seeing in real time, and so having the wholesome thought that we’re not on this exploration journey alone.

    “But the fact that we can broadcast it to anyone that is interested and invested in learning more about our deep sea environments is incredibly rewarding, because you feel like you’re pulling in others to be a part of this discovery.”

    Dr Vavia who is also a lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, said many schools and university groups had got involved, broadcasting the deep-sea right into their classrooms.

    “The opportunities to reach out to schools from a primary school level all the way up to university has been a great opportunity to showcase the science that we’re doing here, and hopefully to inspire younger generations and those that are already in the pursuit of careers in marine science or doing work on board research vessels such as the EV Nautilus.”

    The EV Nautilus crew said this element of the voyage helped to answer the public’s questions on what life is found on the seabed.

    A brisingid sea star resting on a rock.
    A brisingid sea star resting on a rock. Image: Ocean Exploration Trust/RNZ Pacific

    Crew member and journalist Madison Dapcevich said they hoped their passion inspired future scientists.

    “Something that’s really great about Nautilus is we do have this like childlike wonder. We do get really excited about sponges, which most people are not that excited about.

    “And then it’s also a great pathway for early career professionals. So we do have an internship and fellowship programme, and those applications are open right now through to the end of the year.”

    The teams findings that will form their first public catalogue of deep-sea life will be a foundation for future research and one day, the difficult decisions about what lies beneath.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Israel has been caught disguising bombs as toys to kill Palestinian children

    On one of the streets of Gaza that Israel’s army left only days ago, eight-year-old Adam was sifting through the rubble of what used to be his home, searching for his old toy.

    He didn’t know that among the stones, death was waiting for children like him.

    He spotted something that looked like a toy — a small bear, its colour faded as if it had survived a great fire. Adam smiled shyly and reached out his hand.

    Then came the explosion.

    No one in the neighbourhood understood what had happened at first, until his mother’s screams tore through the silence the tanks had left behind.

    ‘It’s not a toy…’ said the paramedic who carried what was left of the child to hospital. ‘This was supposed to be a day of life — but the occupation leaves death behind even after it leaves.’

    Gaza’s children face “bombs disguised as toys”

    At what’s left of Al-Shifa Hospital, Dr Munir Al-Barsh — Director General of Gaza’s Ministry of Health — raised his voice after seeing the children arrive. Some had lost their arms. Others had lost their legs.

    Their faces were stripped of their childhood.

    Al-Barsh’s words were heavy with horror:

    The occupation wasn’t satisfied with destroying homes; it left bombs disguised as toys, boxes, and household items — killing children even as they played.

    Among the twisted metal beds, six-year-old Layan clings to her father’s hand. Her other hand is gone.

    She points with the one she has left to a small bag beside the bed — filled with new toys donated by volunteers.

    Childhood buried under rubble thanks to Israel

    The reality is too much for any child to grasp. Here, words like ‘rubble’, ‘danger’, and ‘explosives’ are no longer the vocabulary of soldiers and journalists — they’ve become part of the language of childhood, learned before letters and numbers.

    Civil defence workers move through the ruins with trembling hearts — not out of fear for themselves, but for the children who might already be there, driven by dreams rather than survival.

    One rescuer, carefully lifting a strange object, said:

    The hardest thing we face isn’t the explosives — it’s the children’s questions when they ask, “Can we play here?”

    In Gaza, playing has become a risk. A doll can mean death. Curiosity has become a crime whose only punishment is innocence itself.

    Here, the world buries children twice — once under the rubble, and once again in its silent memory.

    This is a war that kills laughter and turns childhood into a minefield.

    A systematic tactic

    Field evidence and testimonies from doctors, paramedics, and eyewitnesses suggest this isn’t the random aftermath of indiscriminate warfare. It’s a systematic tactic — Israel designed it to sow fear and inflict the maximum number of casualties among children and civilians.

    Leaving explosives disguised as dolls, toys, and household items in civilian areas is a deliberate act. It’s a crime under international humanitarian law — one that demands an immediate global investigation and accountability for those who planned it.

    In a world that can see the truth but refuses to act, the crime multiplies.

    The pain isn’t just from a small device exploding — it’s from the collapse of the moral order itself, when play becomes a trap, children become targets, and innocence becomes a weapon for sending bloody messages.

    30 years later, Israel is still doing it

    This horrific tactic isn’t new. Israel used the same terror in South Lebanon in 1990s, scattering cluster bombs disguised as toys across villages — killing and maiming countless children long after its forces withdrew.

    Watch, at minute 25:30, as Lebanese journalist Mohamad Kleit recounts the same horror to Democracy Now!

    Lebanese musician Marcel Khalife immortalised the trauma of that era in his haunting song Tifl wa Tayara (Child and Aeroplane). It tells the story of a child who saw an airplane dropping toys on his village. He gathers his friends, excited to share the ‘wonderful’ news. The children run towards the toys — and the village lights up light a firework.

    Three decades later, the same cruelty has returned — the same toys, the same victims, and the same shameless, heartless criminal.

    Israel is a terror state.

    Featured image via the Canary

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • RSF expresses ‘regret’ over new Israeli Supreme Court delay on Gaza media access

    Pacific Media Watch

    The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it “regrets” the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to grant the Tel Aviv government 30 days to respond to a petition to allow journalists access to the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire.

    RSF said in a statement it believes the blockade on access — in place for more than two years — remains illegal, unjustifiable and contrary to the public’s fundamental right to news and information, and should be lifted at once.

    During a hearing before the Supreme Court on October 23 — in which RSF participated as an interested party having contributed an amicus brief in the petition by the Jerusalem-based Foreign Press Association (FPA) — the Israeli government acknowledged that the ceasefire constituted a significant change in circumstances justifying a review of its policy on journalists’ access.

    The court ordered the Israeli government to present a clear position on its blockade in light of the new circumstances but granted it another 30 days to do this, despite the urgency of the situation and although the Israeli government had already benefited from six postponements since the start of these proceedings.

    “If the blockade preventing journalists from entering Gaza was already illegal and seriously violated the fundamental right to information of the Palestinian, Israeli, and international public, it is now totally unjustifiable,” said RSF director-general Thibaut Bruttin.

    “RSF deplores the Supreme Court’s decision to give the Israeli government 30 days to reach this obvious conclusion, and calls on the Israeli government to open Gaza’s borders to journalists immediately and without conditions.”

    Israel has closed off Gaza and denied external journalists’ independent access to the besieged territory since 7 October 2023.

    To counter this ban, RSF has joined the FPA’s petition for the Gaza Strip’s borders to be opened to independent entry by journalists, and filed an amicus brief with the Israeli Supreme Court on October 15 that was designed to help the judges understand the FPA’s position.

    Who killed Shireen?
    Meanwhile, an investigation into Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s assassination reveals new evidence and cover-ups by Israeli and US governments.

    This major investigative documentary examines the facts surrounding the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Akleh, as she was reporting in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, in May 2022.


    Palestine: Who killed Shireen?         Video: Al Jazeera

    It sets out to discover who killed her — and after months of painstaking research, succeeds in identifying the Israeli sniper who pulled the trigger.

    Eleven Al Jazeera journalists have been killed by the Israeli military among at least 248 Gaza media workers slain by the IDF, reports Anadolu Ajansı,

    A UN spokesman on Friday marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists yesterday with a reminder of the dangers faced by journalists worldwide — particularly in the Gaza Strip.

    “Nearly nine out of 10 journalists killings remain unresolved. Gaza has been the deadliest place for journalists in any conflict,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman to the UN secretary-general, told reporters.

    Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “independent, impartial” investigations into the killings of journalists, emphasising that “impunity is an assault on press freedom and a threat to democracy itself,” Dujarric said.

    “When journalists are silenced, we all lose our voice,” he said.

    Pacific Media Watch collaborates with Reporters Without Borders.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • RSF expresses ‘regret’ over new Israeli Supreme Court delay on Gaza media access

    Pacific Media Watch

    The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says it “regrets” the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to grant the Tel Aviv government 30 days to respond to a petition to allow journalists access to the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire.

    RSF said in a statement it believes the blockade on access — in place for more than two years — remains illegal, unjustifiable and contrary to the public’s fundamental right to news and information, and should be lifted at once.

    During a hearing before the Supreme Court on October 23 — in which RSF participated as an interested party having contributed an amicus brief in the petition by the Jerusalem-based Foreign Press Association (FPA) — the Israeli government acknowledged that the ceasefire constituted a significant change in circumstances justifying a review of its policy on journalists’ access.

    The court ordered the Israeli government to present a clear position on its blockade in light of the new circumstances but granted it another 30 days to do this, despite the urgency of the situation and although the Israeli government had already benefited from six postponements since the start of these proceedings.

    “If the blockade preventing journalists from entering Gaza was already illegal and seriously violated the fundamental right to information of the Palestinian, Israeli, and international public, it is now totally unjustifiable,” said RSF director-general Thibaut Bruttin.

    “RSF deplores the Supreme Court’s decision to give the Israeli government 30 days to reach this obvious conclusion, and calls on the Israeli government to open Gaza’s borders to journalists immediately and without conditions.”

    Israel has closed off Gaza and denied external journalists’ independent access to the besieged territory since 7 October 2023.

    To counter this ban, RSF has joined the FPA’s petition for the Gaza Strip’s borders to be opened to independent entry by journalists, and filed an amicus brief with the Israeli Supreme Court on October 15 that was designed to help the judges understand the FPA’s position.

    Who killed Shireen?
    Meanwhile, an investigation into Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s assassination reveals new evidence and cover-ups by Israeli and US governments.

    This major investigative documentary examines the facts surrounding the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Akleh, as she was reporting in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, in May 2022.


    Palestine: Who killed Shireen?         Video: Al Jazeera

    It sets out to discover who killed her — and after months of painstaking research, succeeds in identifying the Israeli sniper who pulled the trigger.

    Eleven Al Jazeera journalists have been killed by the Israeli military among at least 248 Gaza media workers slain by the IDF, reports Anadolu Ajansı,

    A UN spokesman on Friday marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists yesterday with a reminder of the dangers faced by journalists worldwide — particularly in the Gaza Strip.

    “Nearly nine out of 10 journalists killings remain unresolved. Gaza has been the deadliest place for journalists in any conflict,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman to the UN secretary-general, told reporters.

    Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “independent, impartial” investigations into the killings of journalists, emphasising that “impunity is an assault on press freedom and a threat to democracy itself,” Dujarric said.

    “When journalists are silenced, we all lose our voice,” he said.

    Pacific Media Watch collaborates with Reporters Without Borders.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Nobel Peace Prize winning opposition leader claims Hamas is operating in Venezuela

    Fresh off winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is eyeing up the Nobel Literature Prize. In aid of that, she concocted the following narrative:


    Oh dear.

    Is it too late to bring Juan Guaidó back?


    Venezuela: Regime change, here we come

    If you’re a casual follower of the news, you likely know two things about Venezuela:

    • America doesn’t like their government.
    • They have a shit tonne of oil.

    If you’ve thought about it for two seconds, you’ve no doubt concluded these things are connected.

    Venezuela are once again back in the Western news cycle because Trump has been threatening military action against them. Now, add to that the fact that the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize. As a result, she’s giving interviews and teaching us all so much about her country.

    As Drop Site highlighted:

    Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado welcomes U.S. airstrikes on Venezuela and the extrajudicial killing of Venezuelans at sea, insisting the strikes “are about saving lives.” Speaking to Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain, she also claims that Hamas, the Palestinian armed resistance group, is now located in Venezuela.

    Hamas are in Caracas?

    The Venezuelan capital?

    Aren’t Hamas… otherwise engaged?


    Machado claimed Hezbollah are there too — Hezbollah being the paramilitary wing of a Lebanese political party. This is surprising, we must admit, because Hezbollah also have a lot going on:


    Is Venezuela some sort of holiday resort for designated terrorists?

    As Drop Site highlighted, Machado additionally claimed that Venezuelan president Maduro rigged the 2020 US elections:

    The Nobel Peace Prize winner openly backs U.S. military escalation against Venezuela, including land strikes if necessary, calling escalation “the only way to force Maduro to understand that it’s time to go.”

    This Nobel prize winner loves the smell of peace in the morning.

    Rinse and repeat

    Once again, Western powers have thrown their support behind a freak in their efforts to steal wealth and resources from a developing nation.

    We have to stop doing this.

    Seriously.

    We have to stop doing this.

    Featured image via Mishal Husain Show / khamenei.fr

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Poll: 67% of Israelis think the US is calling the shots in Gaza — not their own government

    A new Israel poll from Israeli Channel 12 has revealed that most Israelis don’t believe their own government is in charge of the ongoing assault on Gaza — they think Washington is.

    The survey, carried out by the Madgam Research Institute, found that 67% of Israelis say the United States is the main decision-maker in the war, despite the so-called ceasefire that came into effect on 10 October 2025. Only 24% think Tel Aviv is leading operations, while the remaining 9% were undecided.

    Israel poll: ‘American tutelage’

    The Israel poll showed that 69% of Israelis believe their country is under “American tutelage” — with nearly a quarter “strongly agreeing” with that description. Just 8% had no opinion.

    In other words, the majority of Israelis appear to accept that their supposedly sovereign government is taking orders from Washington — a striking admission as Israel continues its genocidal campaign in Gaza.

    Fears of another political assassination

    The survey also found widespread anxiety over the potential for political violence. Two-thirds of respondents said they fear a repeat of the 1995 assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin by right-wing extremist Yigal Amir. The timing of the poll — just before the 30th anniversary of Rabin’s murder during a peace rally — makes that fear all the more telling.

    The Haredi conscription row

    The poll also touched on the escalating battle over the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription law. More than half of respondents (51%) supported stripping voting rights from religious people who refuse military service, compared with 42% opposed.

    The Haredim have been protesting ever since the Supreme Court’s June 2024 ruling ordering them to enlist and ending state funding for yeshivas that refuse to comply. Meanwhile, the opposition accuses Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to push through new legislation that would exempt the Haredim altogether — a move aimed at winning back the religious parties that quit his coalition but are now waiting to return once the exemption passes.

    Featured image via REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Exclusive: Israel still blocking 75% of Gaza aid despite ceasefire

    On Friday, Gaza’s Government Media Office released a report exposing the grim reality behind the so-called ceasefire. Between 10 and 31 October, only a fraction of the promised humanitarian aid has been allowed into the besieged Strip — a clear sign that Israel is still throttling Gaza’s lifeline.

    Gaza aid

    According to the report, a total of 3,203 trucks entered Gaza during that period — just 24% of the agreed daily quantity. Of these, 639 were commercial trucks and 2,564 carried humanitarian aid, including 84 trucks of diesel and 31 carrying cooking gas.

    The daily average of trucks entering Gaza was 145, far below the 600 per day stipulated in the ceasefire terms. When it comes to fuel — the resource most vital for hospitals, bakeries, and water stations — the situation is even worse. Israel allowed in only 115 of the 1,100 agreed fuel trucks — barely 10% of what it promised.

    The report emphasised that this delay demonstrates the continuation of a policy of deliberate restriction and disruption of vital energy supplies, holding the occupation responsible for the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than 2.4 million people are suffering. Hospitals teeter on the brink of collapse, and famine looms just one blocked flour truck away.

    The statement places full responsibility on the Israeli occupation for the worsening humanitarian catastrophe, calling it an intentional continuation of collective punishment under the guise of “security control.”

    The Government Media Office urged the international community — and particularly the guarantor states of the ceasefire, including the United States — to intervene immediately and compel Israel to allow unrestricted humanitarian access. Anything less, it said, would make those governments complicit in Gaza’s ongoing suffocation.

    Featured image via WFP

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Blackface — what attention-hungry right-wing racists do for clicks

    Because Elon Musk has all but eliminated moderation on Twitter, people can be as racist as they like on there. This means there are now thousands of low-level influencers who are desperately vying for attention by out racism-ing one another. Predictably, as a result, this has led to the return of blackface:


    Happy Halloween

    The first influencer we’re looking at is Lilly Gaddis. In the video below, she isn’t just wearing blackface either; she’s also giving a Hitler salute:

    While we’re no theologians, we can say with 100% certainty that everyone who wrote or appeared in the Bible would think this woman is an absolute waste of life, from God right down to the Serpent.

    Next up is Derek Blighe. According to the Irish Times, Blighe is an “anti-immigration activist”:

    The ‘joke’ he’s making is that he’s dressed as a politician who once did blackface:

    This is probably a very funny joke if you’re thick as shit.

    Irish poster Ciara suggested Blighe is trying to reach an American audience, because the ‘Irish parliament’ is actually called the ‘Oireachtas’.


    There was also this thing:

    Grimly, people have accused ‘Empathchan’ of much worse than blackface, although there isn’t any substantial reporting on that, because she’s a Z-list internet try-hard.

    If you enjoy wasting your time, you can look her up on Twitter.

    We guarantee you’ll regret doing so.

    Brittany Venti

    A more confusing example of this phenomenon is Brittany Venti, who’s a long-time shit-poster with ties to the far right:


    We say ‘more confusing’, because Venti is herself mixed race. This is probably why she had to try harder than Gaddis by throwing additional stereotypes into the mix. Not to be outdone, she also did some Hitler stuff:

    Venti has described her costume as ‘satire’:

    My costume wasn’t just random -it has lore and built up of drama with the black community especially over the past month.

    It is quite literally on brand for me to do black face as it is a continuation of a running satirical bit about how the black community is extremely racist to mulattos for their skin color.

    It’s just really funny how I’m not “Allowed” to do black face, YET they’re “Allowed” to harass mulattos for being a quote “black mom biracial” calling me every name in the book and even insulting my dead parents.

    But it’s the end of the world if I make fun of it or say “Nigga” -despite being black.

    One user online described Gaddis and Venti as ‘pick me’s’, which is a term for women who seek to impress men by putting down other women:

    In Venti’s case, it comes across like she’s a pick me at the expense of other non-whites rather than women.

    Desperation

    Are people really this desperate for attention?

    Ordinarily, we’d never recommend that people use ChatGPT as a friend substitute, but AI psychosis couldn’t make these people any weirder. We don’t want to go overboard and suggest it might make them normal, but still — it might at least keep them off the public internet.

    Featured image via Twitter (where else would you see this shit?)

     

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Rebuilding Gaza begins in the classroom and with dignity

    ANALYSIS: By Sultan Barakat and Alison Phipps

    It has been more than two weeks since world leaders gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh and declared, once again, that the path to peace in the Middle East had been found. As with previous such declarations, the Palestinians, the people who must live that peace, were left out.

    Today, Israel holds the fragile ceasefire hostage while the world is fixated on the search for the remaining bodies of its dead captives.

    There is no talk of the Palestinian right to search for and honour their own dead, to mourn publicly the loss.

    The idea of reconstruction is dangled before the residents of Gaza. Those who call for it from abroad seem to envision just clearing rubble, pouring concrete, and rehabilitating infrastructure.

    There is no talk of rebuilding people — restoring their institutions, dignity, and sense of belonging.

    But this is what Palestinians need. True reconstruction must focus on the people of Gaza and it must begin not with cement but with the restoration of classrooms and learning.

    It must begin with young people who have survived the unthinkable and still dare to dream. Without them — without Palestinian educators and students at the centre — no rebuilding effort can endure.

    Reconstruction without exclusion
    The plans for governance and reconstruction of Gaza currently circulating are excluding those Palestinians most affected by the genocide. Many aspects of these plans are designed to control rather than empower — to install new overseers instead of nurturing local leadership.

    They prioritise Israel’s security over Palestinian wellbeing and self-determination.

    We have seen what such exclusion leads to in the Palestinian context: dependency, frustration and despair.

    As scholars who have worked for years alongside Palestinian academics and students, we have also seen the central role education plays in Palestinian society.

    That is why we believe that reconstruction has to start with education, including higher education. And that process has to include and be led by the Palestinians themselves. Palestinian educators, academics and students have already demonstrated they have the strength to persevere and rebuild.

    Gaza’s universities, for example, have been models of resilience. Even as their campuses were razed to the ground, professors and scholars continued to teach and research in makeshift shelters, tents, and public squares — sustaining international partnerships and giving purpose to the most vital part of society: young people.

    In Gaza, universities are not only places of study; they are sanctuaries of thought, compassion, solidarity and continuity — the fragile infrastructure of imagination.

    Without them, who will train the doctors, nurses, teachers, architects, lawyers, and engineers that Gaza needs? Who will provide safe spaces for dialogue, reflection, and decision-making — the foundations of any functioning society?

    We know that there can be no viable future for Palestinians without strong educational and cultural institutions that rebuild confidence, restore dignity and sustain hope.

    Solidarity, not paternalism
    Over the past two years, something remarkable has happened. University campuses across the world — from the United States to South Africa, from Europe to Latin America — have become sites of moral awakening.

    Students and professors have stood together against the genocide in Gaza, demanding an end to the war and calling for justice and accountability. Their sit-ins, vigils and encampments have reminded us that universities are not only places of learning but crucibles of conscience.

    This global uprising within education was not merely symbolic; it was a reassertion of what scholarship is about. When students risk disciplinary action to defend life and dignity, they remind us that knowledge divorced from humanity is meaningless.

    The solidarity they have demonstrated must set the tone for how institutions of higher education approach engagement with and the rebuilding of Gaza’s universities.

    The world’s universities must listen, collaborate and commit for the long term. They can build partnerships with Gaza’s institutions, share expertise, support research and help reconstruct the intellectual infrastructure of a society. Fellowships, joint projects, remote teaching and open digital resources are small steps that can make a vast difference.

    Initiatives like those of Friends of Palestinian Universities (formally Fobzu), the University of Glasgow and HBKU’s summits, and the Qatar Foundation’s Education Above All already show what sustained cooperation can achieve. Now that spirit of solidarity must expand — grounded in respect and dignity and guided by Palestinian leaders.

    The global academic community has a moral duty to stand with Gaza, but solidarity must not slide into paternalism. Reconstruction should not be a charitable gesture; it should be an act of justice.

    The Palestinian higher education sector does not need a Western blueprint or a consultant’s template. It needs partnerships that listen and respond, that build capacity on Palestinian terms.

    It needs trusted relationships for the long term.

    Research that saves lives
    Reconstruction is never just technical; it is moral. A new political ecology must grow from within Gaza itself, shaped by experience rather than imported models. The slow, generational work of education is the only path that can lead out from the endless cycles of destruction.

    The challenges ahead demand scientific, medical and legal ingenuity. For example, asbestos from destroyed buildings now contaminates Gaza’s air, threatening an epidemic of lung cancer.

    That danger alone requires urgent research collaboration and knowledge-sharing. It needs time to think and consider, conferences, meetings, exchanges of scholarships — the lifeblood of normal scholarly activity.

    Then there is the chaos of property ownership and inheritance in a place that has been bulldozed by a genocidal army. Lawyers and social scientists will be needed to address this crisis and restore ownership, resolve disputes and document destruction for future justice.

    There are also the myriad war crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people. Forensic archaeologists, linguists, psychologists and journalists will help people process grief, preserve memory and articulate loss in their own words.

    Every discipline has a role to play. Education ties them together, transforming knowledge into survival — and survival into hope.

    Preserving memory
    As Gaza tries to move on from the genocide, it must also have space to mourn and preserve memory, for peace without truth becomes amnesia. There can be no renewal without grief, no reconciliation without naming loss.

    Every ruined home, every vanished family deserves to be documented, acknowledged and remembered as part of Gaza’s history, not erased in the name of expedience. Through this difficult process, new methodologies of care will inevitably come into being. The acts of remembering are a cornerstone of justice.

    Education can help here, too — through literature, art, history, and faith — by giving form to sorrow and turning it into the soil from which resilience grows. Here, the fragile and devasted landscape of Gaza, the more-than-human-world can also be healed through education, and only then we will have on the land once again, “all that makes life worth living”, to use a verse from Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

    Rebuilding Gaza will, of course, require cranes and engineers. But more than that, it will require teachers, students and scholars who know how to learn and how to practise skilfully. The work of peace begins not with cement mixers but with curiosity, compassion and courage.

    Even amid the rubble, and the ashlaa’, the strewn body parts of the staff and students we have lost to the violence, Gaza’s universities remain alive. They are the keepers of its memory and the makers of its future — the proof that learning itself is an act of resistance, and that education is and must remain the first step towards sustainable peace.

    Sultan Barakat is professor in public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, honorary professor at the University of York, and a member of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute ICMD Expert Reference Group. Alison Phipps is UNESCO Chair for refugee integration through education, languages and arts at the University of Glasgow. This article was first published by Al Jazeera.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Britain’s act of ‘colonial arrogance’ created living injustice for Palestinians, says PSNA

    Asia Pacific Report

    Today marks 108 years since the 1917 Balfour Declaration and New Zealand pro-Palestinian protest groups have condemned this infamous date in rallies across the country.

    “Britain promised a land that wasn’t theirs to give,” said Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) co-chair Maher Nazzal.

    “That single act of colonial arrogance set in motion more than a century of displacement, occupation, and suffering for the Palestinian people.

    “For Palestinians, the Balfour Declaration is not history; it’s a living injustice that continues today.

    “It’s time for truth and accountability,” Nazzal declared in a post today.

    “It’s time for the world, including Aotearoa New Zealand, to stand firmly for justice, equality, and the right of Palestinians to live free on their land.”

    Reporting on the Auckland rally and march yesterday, Bruce King said Janfrie Wakim, a longtime stalwart of pro-Palestine activism in Aotearoa New Zealand, had criticised the Balfour Declaration that had promised Palestine as a Jewish state.

    ‘Mendacious, deceitful’
    She quoted the late British journalist and Middle East expert Robert Fisk calling it “the most mendacious, deceitful and hypocritical document in British history”.

    Opposition Labour MP and shadow attorney-general Vanushi Walters outlined discussions over sanctions legislation against Israel in preparation for the party winning next year’s general election.

    The opposition Labour Party currently leads in most opinion polls.

    The Balfour Declaration on 2 November 1917
    The infamous Balfour Declaration by Britain’s Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour in a letter to Lord Rothschild on 2 November 1917. Image: MN screenshot APR

    Greens MP Ricardo Menéndez protested against the NZ government having signed a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this year.

    This week, the rebel RSF (Rapid Support Forces) fighters that the UAE is accused of backing overran the city of El Fasher, capital of Darfur in Sudan, and carried out massacres of civilians, reports the United Nations.

    Al Jazeera reports the Balfour Declaration (Balfour’s “promise” in Arabic) turned the Zionist aim of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine into a reality when Britain publicly pledged to establish “a national home for the Jewish people” there.

    The pledge is generally viewed as one of the main catalysts of the Nakba — the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948 – and the brutality that the emerging Zionist state of Israel inflicted on the Palestinian people.

    It is regarded as one of the most controversial and criticised documents in the modern history of the Arab world and has puzzled historians for decades.

    Israel has waged a two-year war on the besieged enclave of Gaza killing more than 68,000 people, including 20,000 children. Israel has killed more than 200 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire began on October 10.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Parihaka the focus for global IPRA peace conference in Aotearoa

    By Heather Devere of Asia Pacific Media Network

    November 5 marks the day that has been set aside to acknowledge Parihaka and the courageous and peaceful resistance of the people against the armed militia that invaded their village in 1881.

    This year, Parihaka will be the focus of an international conference held in New Plymouth Ngā Motu on November 5 – 8.

    Entitled Peace, Resistance and Reconciliation Te Ronga i Tau, Te Riri i Tū, Te Ringa i Kotuia, this is 30th biannual conference of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) formed in 1964.

    THE 30TH BIENNIAL IPRA CONFERENCE 2025

    This is the first time that an IPRA conference has been held in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the first time it has had the theme of “Indigenous peacebuilding”.

    The conference will begin with a pōwhiri and hāngī at Ōwae Marae, the traditional home of the Te Atiawa iwi, one of the Taranaki tribes that has a close association with Parihaka.

    Tribal leaders such as Wharehoka Wano, Ruakere Hond, Puna-Wano Bryant, and Tonga Karena from Parihaka will be among the welcoming speakers at the marae.

    Other keynote speakers for the conference will include Rosa Moiwend, an independent researcher and human rights activist from West Papua; Professor Asmi Wood, who works on constitutional rights for Aboriginal people; Akilah Jaramoji, a Caribbean Human Rights Activist; Bettina Washington, a Wampanoag Elder working with Indigenous Sharing Circles; Vivian Camacho with her knowledge of ancestral Indigenous health practices in Boliva and Professor Kevin Clements from the Toda Institute.

    Throughout the five-day conference, academic papers will be presented related to both Indigenous and general issues on peace and conflict.

    Some of those deal with resistance by women through the music of steelpan in Trinidad and Tobago; collaborative Indigenous research from Turtle Island and the Philippines towards building peace; disarmament and peace education in Aotearoa; cultural violence experienced by minority women in Thailand; permaculture and peace in Myanmar; resistance and peacebuilding of Kankaumo Indigenous people in Colombia; intercultural dialogue for peace in Nigeria; Aboriginal Australian and Tsalagi principles of balance and harmony; the resistance of Roma people through art; auto-ethnographical poetry by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities around the world; and community-led peacebuilding in Melanesia.

    Plenary panels include nuclear justice and African negotiations of peace and social justice through non-violent pathways.

    Professor Kelli Te Maihāroa (Waitaha, Ngāti Rārua Ātiawa, Taranaki, Tainui Waikato) of the Otago Polytechnic Te Kura Matatini ki Ōtakou, is the co-general secretariate for Asia Pacific Peace Research Association and co-chair of the IPRA conference, along with Professor Matt Mayer who is co-secretary-general of IPRA.

    Dr Heather Devere is chair of the Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN) and one of the organisers of the IPRA conference.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Elon Musk has somehow managed to out-cringe himself

    Elon Musk.

    At this point, you don’t need to say more than that to make people cringe, and yet we will say more, because Musk has once again outdone himself:

    Elon Musk: Brain genius

    The video above comes from his latest conversation with Joe Rogan. That conversation goes a little like this:

    Elon Musk: I was a hero of the left, it’s fair to say.

    Joe Rogan: It was a thing. If you drove a Tesla, it showed that you were environmentally conscious, and you were on the right side.

    Elon Musk: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I’m still the same human. I didn’t, like, have a brain transplant between, you know, since, in like three years ago, you know.

    While Musk hasn’t had a brain transplant, his political positions are wildly at odds with how he presented himself a few years ago. For instance, although he still thinks of himself as a ‘centrist’, he supports far-right activists like Tommy Robinson:


    Musk supports Robinson so much that he literally paid for his recent legal defence.

    Another thing to note is that while Musk has the same brain, that brain clearly isn’t doing so well. This is easy to see when you compare older interviews to videos from this year:

    Is this the result of his alleged drug use?

    We don’t know, but it’s certainly evidence he’s not half the man he used to be.

    The interview continued as follows:

    Joe Rogan: That’s my favourite bumper sticker that people put on Teslas now: ‘I bought this before Elon went crazy’.

    After some waffle, Musk demonstrated his inability to string a sentence together:

    Elon Musk: But the bumper sticker should read, there should be an addendum to the bumper sticker. It’s like, I bought this car before Elon turned crazy. Actually, now I realise he’s not crazy, and I’ve seen the light. 

    Elon, you literally did a fucking Nazi salute — what light do you think people are seeing?

    Gestures aside, he also ran the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — an endeavour, which resulted in abject failure. Despite this very public humiliation, Reform want to import DOGE to the UK:

    After he left office, Musk was literally the “least popular public figure in America“. He hasn’t done anything to reverse that, but he probably thinks otherwise because he’s holed up on Twitter — his very own Hitler bunker — a website which is algorithmically designed to promote people who suck up to him:

    Loser

    At the end of his latest interview, Musk said:

    Yeah, that old saying where it’s really easy to fool somebody, but it’s almost impossible to convince someone that they were fooled.

    There’s another saying Musk should look to instead, which is this:

    You can fool all of the people some of the time, and you can fool Joe Rogan all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.

    Musk became too famous for his grift, and now he’s fooling no one besides the suck ups.

    Featured image via Joe Rogan

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Fox News is reporting on racist AI videos as if they’re real

    Fox News has run a report covering a series of AI-generated videos:


    This isn’t a sign of what’s to come in future; this is a sign that outlets are abandoning any notion of objective journalism right now.

    Fox News’ slopaganda

    At the end of September, OpenAI released the Sora 2 video generator. While the app doesn’t always achieve photo realism, some of the videos it creates are disturbingly lifelike. This means people can now generate ‘deepfakes’ at the click of a button.

    The Fox News article is still live despite people screaming ‘THIS ISN’T REAL’ at them. In the piece, Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi writes:

    SNAP beneficiaries have expressed outrage on social media over the government shutdown that could affect their grocery benefits starting next month, and some are even threatening to ransack stores if food stamp payments don’t go through starting Nov. 1.

    “It is the taxpayer’s responsibility to take care of my kids,” one emotional mother said in a video posted online. “It is the taxpayer’s job to pay for my kids to eat and for my kids to be taken care of.”

    The same woman also complained about how none of her TikTok followers had sent her money, warning she would block anyone who viewed her videos without sending cash.

    “Because of the government shutdown, now I can’t get my SNAPs for next month,” another user shared on social media.

    The user went on to ask how she was supposed to feed her seven children.

    “I have seven different baby daddies and none of ‘em no good for me,” she said.

    The videos mostly feature Black women who are speaking as if they’re in a racist cartoon from the 1920s. As the Fox article notes, one of those reacting to the videos is right-wing commentator Brett Cooper:


    The question now is this: are Fox News writers too stupid to pick up on the signs of AI, or do they simply not care?

    Deepfakes

    People are highlighting that this situation was all very predictable:


    In the video above, TikToker Jeremy Carrasco says:

    This is AI. Here’s how we know and why it matters.

    It’s made by Impossible_ASMR1, who – after eight failed slop posts and a three-month break – decided that Sora could finally make their dream content – videos of black women trying to use [Electronic Benefit Transfer] in places it’s not accepted.

    True creativity unleashed by AI.

    The shutdown created an opportunity to have them yell at the camera, but it’s not until the whole family’s back there, that the full racist stereotype is fulfilled. This is rage bait, and will get angry commenters who – when they learn it’s AI – will say, ‘oh, but it’s true anyway’. Which of course it’s not, and that’s cope for being played.

    They were so played they didn’t notice the kid missing half an arm while the other kids are frozen in place for no reason, and these down here are warping together. They were too focused on this fake AI person cramming in a script that they used three other times for their other fake AI people.

    Decline of the times

    The EU has already regulated AI, making it mandatory that:

    Content that is either generated or modified with the help of AI – images, audio or video files (for example deepfakes) – need to be clearly labelled as AI generated so that users are aware when they come across such content.

    The problem is, what happens when they don’t?

    While there are no perfect solutions, Fox News can and should pay people to check that the content they’re reporting on is real. After all, if they can afford to settle a $750m defamation lawsuit, they can afford to do basic fact checking.

    Featured image via Jeremy Carrasco (TikTok)

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • RFK Jr. backtracks on ‘tylenol causes autism’ claim

    In September, Donald Trump and his health secretary RFK Jr announced that Tylenol (a.k.a. paracetamol) causes autism. The claim was incredibly dubious from the get-go, with critics pointing out that there was no real evidence. Now, RFK Jr. has admitted his rank incompetence by announcing what we all knew a month ago:


    The backtrack

    As Rachel Charlton-Dailey reported for the Canary in September:

    the Trump administration’s wild claims are already being debunked, with the makers of Tylenol sounding furious. Kenvue, the company that makes Tylenol, strongly disputed the White House’s claims in a statement:

    “Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy.”

    It continued:

    “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”

    Drug companies are far from the most trustworthy bunch, they’re nowhere near as dubious as RFK Jr. As such. It was no surprise to see him stating the following:

    The causative association between Tylenol given in pregnancy and the perinatal period is not sufficient to say it definitely causes autism, but it is very suggestive. And it’s suggestive in animal studies and core blood studies and observational studies from nation to nation. And so there should be a cautious approach to it.

    And that’s why our message to patients, to mothers, to people who are pregnant, and to the mothers of young children is to consult your physician. And we have asked physicians to minimise the use to one that’s absolutely necessary.

    He might have to backtrack from ‘very suggestive’ next month too, since that’s still a dubious claim.

    That aside, people reacted as you’d expect:

    Courting trouble

    A day before RFK Jr. backtracked, the state of Texas launched a lawsuit against Kenvue on the grounds that they were deceiving customers by not declaring the risk of autism. Before this, it was speculated that Kenvue would take legal action against the White House given the hit to its shares. As such, people now believe RFK Jr. has received word that Kenvue could be set to make a move:


    While this is just speculation, it’s increasingly hard to see how Kenvue can avoid taking some sort of action.

    From RFK Jr’s position, even if they don’t sue him, the Texas legal case will potentially lead to a verdict in which it’s confirmed paracetamol doesn’t cause autism. Should this happen, it would be a no-brainer to go after RFK Jr. next — especially if it’s a few years down the line and they no longer have to worry about backlash from Trump.

    Who could have guessed RFK Jr. has no capacity to think before he acts?


    Featured image via ABC News

    By Willem Moore

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Inside the Gaza bodies handover: evidence of torture, execution, and desecration

    The Director General of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Munir al-Barsh, said that the bodies of the 30 martyrs received by the ministry on Friday were “the most difficult and most damaged” of all those recently handed over by the Israeli occupation. In Gaza, bodies are a common sight — but this was different.

    In a press statement on Saturday, al-Barsh explained that Israeli forces delivered most of the bodies in a state of near-complete decomposition, while others were nothing but bones. Many had lost their facial features entirely — the result, he said, of torture and long burial under the sand.

    He added that the occupation “tortured and executed the owners of these bodies, then buried them and later exhumed them for handover,” which caused the melting and severe disfigurement of their tissues.

    Al-Barsh noted that some bodies still wore torn clothes and shoes — details that may help families identify their loved ones, despite the near impossibility of the task. Many bore visible signs of gunfire, brutal abuse, and even being run over by tanks.

    He confirmed that the Ministry of Health would follow its usual procedures in such cases, allowing the families of the martyrs to view and attempt to identify the bodies before burial.

    The health official revealed that of the 255 bodies received since the ceasefire agreement took effect, families have been able to identify only 75 martyrs. Authorities have already buried the remaining 120 unidentified victims

    On Friday, the Israeli occupation army handed over the bodies of 30 martyrs as part of the fifth batch of the exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance — still without providing any official list of names.

    Featured image via Wikimedia Commons

    By Alaa Shamali

    This post was originally published on Canary.

  • Weaponising media – National Press Club and its arms industry sponsors

    More than a quarter of Australia’s National Press Club sponsors are part of the global arms industry or working on its behalf. Michelle Fahy reports.

    ANALYSIS: By Michelle Fahy

    The National Press Club of Australia lists 81 corporate sponsors on its website. Of those, 10 are multinational weapons manufacturers or military services corporations, and another eleven provide services to the arms industry, including consultants KPMG, Accenture, Deloitte and EY.

    They include the world’s two biggest weapons makers, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon (RTX); British giant BAE Systems; France’s largest weapons-maker, Thales; and US weapons corporation Leidos — all of which are in the global top 20.

    BAE Systems, which is the largest contractor to the Department of Defence, received $2 billion from Australian taxpayers last year.

    In 2023, those five corporations alone were responsible for almost a quarter of total weapons sales ($973 billion) by the world’s top 100 weapons companies that year.

    Last year, UN experts named Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, RTX (Raytheon) and eight other multinationals in a statement, warning them that they risked being found in violation of international law for their continued supply of weapons, parts, components and ammunition to Israeli forces.

    The experts called on the corporations to immediately end weapons transfers to Israel.

    None has done so.

    Another of the club’s sponsors, Thales, is being investigated by four countries for widespread criminal activity in three separate corruption probes. In a fourth, long-running corruption case in South Africa, the country’s former president, Jacob Zuma, is now in court, alongside Thales, being tried on 16 charges of racketeering, fraud, corruption and money laundering in connection with arms deals his government did with Thales.

    Global expert Andrew Feinstein has documented his extensive research into the arms industry. He told Undue Influence that wherever the arms trade operates, it “increases corruption and undermines democracy, good governance, transparency, and the rule of law, while, ironically, making us less safe”.

    Undue Influence asked the Press Club’s CEO, Maurice Reilly, what written policies or guidelines were in place that addressed the suitability and selection of corporations proposing to become Press Club sponsors.

    Reilly responded: “The board are informed monthly about . . . proposals and have the right to refuse any application.”

    National Press Club
    The National Press Club, established by journalists in 1963, is an iconic Australian institution. It is best known for its weekly luncheon addresses, televised on the ABC, covering issues of national importance, after which the speaker is questioned by journalists.

    The club’s board has 10 directors led by Tom Connell, political host and reporter at Sky News, who was elected president in February following the resignation of the ABC’s Laura Tingle.

    The other board members are current and former mainstream media journalists, as well as at least two board members who have jobs that involve lobbying.

    Long-term board member Steve Lewis works as a senior adviser for lobbying firm SEC Newgate, which itself is a Press Club sponsor and also has as clients the Press Club’s two largest sponsors: Westpac and Telstra.

    SEC Newgate has previously acted for several Press Club sponsors, including Serco (one of the arms industry multinationals listed below), BHP, Macquarie Bank, Tattarang, and Spirits & Cocktails Australia Inc.

    Gemma Daley joined the board a year ago, having started with Ai Group as its head of media and government affairs four months earlier. Daley had worked for Nationals’ leader David Littleproud, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and former treasurer Joe Hockey, and, before that, for media outlets The Financial Review and Bloomberg.

    Ai Group has a significant defence focus and promotes itself as “the peak national representative body for the Australian defence industry”. The group has established a Defence Council and, in 2017, appointed a former assistant secretary of the Defence Department, Kate Louis, to lead it.

    The co-chairs of its Defence Council are senior arms industry executives. One of them, Paul Chase, is CEO of Leidos Australia, a Press Club sponsor.

    Conflicts of interest
    Undue Influence asked Daley for comment on several aspects related to her position on the board, including whether she has had to declare any conflicts of interest to date. She responded: “Thanks for the inquiry. I have forwarded this through to Maurice Reilly. Have a good day.”

    Given the potential for conflicts of interest to arise, as happens on any board, Undue Influence had already asked the Press Club CEO what written policies or guidelines existed to ensure the appropriate management of conflicts of interest by board members and staff. Reilly responded:

    “The club has a directors’ conflict register which is updated when required. Each meeting, board members and management are asked if they have conflicts of interest with the meeting agenda. We have a standard corporate practice that where a director has a conflict on an agenda item they excuse themselves from the meeting and take no [part] in any discussion or any decision.”

    MWM is neither alleging nor implying inappropriate or illegal behaviour by anyone named in this article.

    Selling access
    While Reilly declined to disclose the club’s sponsorship arrangements with Westpac and Telstra, citing “commercial in confidence” reasons, The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this year that Westpac paid $3 million in 2015 to replace NAB as the Press Club’s principal sponsor.

    The SMH article, “Westpac centre stage at post-budget bash”, on Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ National Press Club address in the Great Hall of Parliament House in late March, added:

    “(Westpac) . . .  gets more than its money’s worth in terms of access. New-ish chief executive Anthony Miller got the most coveted seat in the house, between Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese . . .  Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles were also on the front tables.

    “Westpac occupied prime real estate in the Great Hall, with guests on its tables including Treasury Secretary Steven Kennedy, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet boss Glyn Davis, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Housing Minister Clare O’Neil and Labor national secretary and campaign mastermind Paul Erickson…

    “Communications Minister Michelle Rowland was on the Telstra table.”

    Reilly told Undue Influence that all the other corporate sponsors pay $25,000 a year, with a few paying extra as partners in the club’s journalism awards.

    The 21 arms industry and related sponsors, therefore, contribute an annual $525,000 to the Press Club’s coffers. This is 23 percent of the $2.26 million revenue it earns from “membership, sponsorship and broadcasting”, the club’s largest revenue line for the 2024 financial year.

    “The National Press Club of Australia proudly partners with organisations that share our commitment to quality, independent journalism,” says the club’s website.

    Sponsors’ right to speak?
    In response to Undue Influence’s questions about the club’s cancellation of a planned address by the internationally acclaimed journalist Chris Hedges, Reilly stated that: “For the avoidance of doubt, sponsors do not receive any rights to speak at the club, nor are they able to influence decisions on speakers.”

    "Friends and colleagues, with few exceptions, are in exile, dead or, in most cases, have disappeared"
    Acclaimed journalist and Middle East expert Chris Hedges  . . . the National Press Club cancelled a planned speech by him, reportedly under pressure.  Image: The Chris Hedges Report

    Sponsors may not be granted a right to speak, but they are sometimes invited to speak, with their status as sponsors not always disclosed to audiences.

    When the club’s second largest sponsor, Telstra, spoke on September 10, both Club president Tom Connell and Telstra CEO Vicki Brady noted the corporation’s longstanding sponsorship.

    Compare this with two addresses given by $25,000 corporate sponsors — Kurt Campbell (former US deputy secretary of state, now co-founder and chair of The Asia Group), who gave an address on September 7; and Mike Johnson, CEO of Australian Industry and Defence Network (AIDN), who gave an address on October 15. Neither the Press Club nor the speakers disclosed the companies’ sponsorship of the Press Club.

    The club also promotes additional benefits of corporate sponsorship, including “Brand association with inclusion on our prestigious ‘Corporate Partners’ board and recognition on the National Press Club of Australia website”.

    The club also promises corporate sponsors that they will receive “priority seating and brand positioning” at its weekly luncheon addresses.

    Profiting from genocide
    In July, Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, issued a report explaining how the corporate sector had become complicit with the State of Israel in conducting the genocide.

    Albanese highlighted Lockheed Martin and the F-35 programme, which has 1650 companies worldwide in its supply chain. More than 75 of those companies are Australian.

    Her report also noted that arms-making multinationals depend on legal, auditing and consulting firms to facilitate export and import transactions to supply Israel with weapons.

    Four of the world’s largest accounting, audit and consulting firms — all of which have arms industry corporations as clients — are sponsors of the Press Club: KPMG, Accenture, Deloitte and EY. Until recently, PwC counted among them.

    EY (Ernst & Young) has been Lockheed Martin’s auditor since 1994. EY is also one of two auditors used by Thales, and has been for 22 years. Deloitte has been BAE Systems’ auditor since 2018. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) — a Press Club sponsor until 2024 — has been Raytheon’s auditor since 1947.

    Lockheed Martin’s supply to Israel of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets and C-130 Hercules transport planes, and their parts and components, along with Hellfire missiles and other munitions, has directly facilitated Israel’s genocide.

    Raytheon’s (RTX) supply of guided missiles, bombs, and other advanced weaponry and defence systems, like the Iron Dome interceptors, also directly supports Israel’s military capability.

    In England, BAE Systems builds the rear fuselage of every F-35, with the horizontal and vertical tails and other crucial components manufactured in its UK and Australian facilities. It also supplies the Israeli military with munitions, missile launching kits and armoured vehicles, while BAE technologies are integrated into Israel’s drones and warships.

    Thales supplies Israel’s military with vital components, including drone transponders. Australian Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen colleagues were murdered by an Israeli Hermes drone, which contained Thales’ transponders. Yet, echoing Australia, France claims its military exports to Israel are non-lethal.

    Michelle Fahy is an independent Australian writer and researcher, specialising in the examination of connections between the weapons industry and government. She writes for various independent publications and on Substack on Undueinfluence.substack.com  This article was first published on Undueinfluence and Michael West Media and is republished by Asia Pacific Report with the author’s permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • Weaponising media – National Press Club and its arms industry sponsors

    More than a quarter of Australia’s National Press Club sponsors are part of the global arms industry or working on its behalf. Michelle Fahy reports.

    ANALYSIS: By Michelle Fahy

    The National Press Club of Australia lists 81 corporate sponsors on its website. Of those, 10 are multinational weapons manufacturers or military services corporations, and another eleven provide services to the arms industry, including consultants KPMG, Accenture, Deloitte and EY.

    They include the world’s two biggest weapons makers, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon (RTX); British giant BAE Systems; France’s largest weapons-maker, Thales; and US weapons corporation Leidos — all of which are in the global top 20.

    BAE Systems, which is the largest contractor to the Department of Defence, received $2 billion from Australian taxpayers last year.

    In 2023, those five corporations alone were responsible for almost a quarter of total weapons sales ($973 billion) by the world’s top 100 weapons companies that year.

    Last year, UN experts named Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, RTX (Raytheon) and eight other multinationals in a statement, warning them that they risked being found in violation of international law for their continued supply of weapons, parts, components and ammunition to Israeli forces.

    The experts called on the corporations to immediately end weapons transfers to Israel.

    None has done so.

    Another of the club’s sponsors, Thales, is being investigated by four countries for widespread criminal activity in three separate corruption probes. In a fourth, long-running corruption case in South Africa, the country’s former president, Jacob Zuma, is now in court, alongside Thales, being tried on 16 charges of racketeering, fraud, corruption and money laundering in connection with arms deals his government did with Thales.

    Global expert Andrew Feinstein has documented his extensive research into the arms industry. He told Undue Influence that wherever the arms trade operates, it “increases corruption and undermines democracy, good governance, transparency, and the rule of law, while, ironically, making us less safe”.

    Undue Influence asked the Press Club’s CEO, Maurice Reilly, what written policies or guidelines were in place that addressed the suitability and selection of corporations proposing to become Press Club sponsors.

    Reilly responded: “The board are informed monthly about . . . proposals and have the right to refuse any application.”

    National Press Club
    The National Press Club, established by journalists in 1963, is an iconic Australian institution. It is best known for its weekly luncheon addresses, televised on the ABC, covering issues of national importance, after which the speaker is questioned by journalists.

    The club’s board has 10 directors led by Tom Connell, political host and reporter at Sky News, who was elected president in February following the resignation of the ABC’s Laura Tingle.

    The other board members are current and former mainstream media journalists, as well as at least two board members who have jobs that involve lobbying.

    Long-term board member Steve Lewis works as a senior adviser for lobbying firm SEC Newgate, which itself is a Press Club sponsor and also has as clients the Press Club’s two largest sponsors: Westpac and Telstra.

    SEC Newgate has previously acted for several Press Club sponsors, including Serco (one of the arms industry multinationals listed below), BHP, Macquarie Bank, Tattarang, and Spirits & Cocktails Australia Inc.

    Gemma Daley joined the board a year ago, having started with Ai Group as its head of media and government affairs four months earlier. Daley had worked for Nationals’ leader David Littleproud, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and former treasurer Joe Hockey, and, before that, for media outlets The Financial Review and Bloomberg.

    Ai Group has a significant defence focus and promotes itself as “the peak national representative body for the Australian defence industry”. The group has established a Defence Council and, in 2017, appointed a former assistant secretary of the Defence Department, Kate Louis, to lead it.

    The co-chairs of its Defence Council are senior arms industry executives. One of them, Paul Chase, is CEO of Leidos Australia, a Press Club sponsor.

    Conflicts of interest
    Undue Influence asked Daley for comment on several aspects related to her position on the board, including whether she has had to declare any conflicts of interest to date. She responded: “Thanks for the inquiry. I have forwarded this through to Maurice Reilly. Have a good day.”

    Given the potential for conflicts of interest to arise, as happens on any board, Undue Influence had already asked the Press Club CEO what written policies or guidelines existed to ensure the appropriate management of conflicts of interest by board members and staff. Reilly responded:

    “The club has a directors’ conflict register which is updated when required. Each meeting, board members and management are asked if they have conflicts of interest with the meeting agenda. We have a standard corporate practice that where a director has a conflict on an agenda item they excuse themselves from the meeting and take no [part] in any discussion or any decision.”

    MWM is neither alleging nor implying inappropriate or illegal behaviour by anyone named in this article.

    Selling access
    While Reilly declined to disclose the club’s sponsorship arrangements with Westpac and Telstra, citing “commercial in confidence” reasons, The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this year that Westpac paid $3 million in 2015 to replace NAB as the Press Club’s principal sponsor.

    The SMH article, “Westpac centre stage at post-budget bash”, on Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ National Press Club address in the Great Hall of Parliament House in late March, added:

    “(Westpac) . . .  gets more than its money’s worth in terms of access. New-ish chief executive Anthony Miller got the most coveted seat in the house, between Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese . . .  Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles were also on the front tables.

    “Westpac occupied prime real estate in the Great Hall, with guests on its tables including Treasury Secretary Steven Kennedy, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet boss Glyn Davis, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Housing Minister Clare O’Neil and Labor national secretary and campaign mastermind Paul Erickson…

    “Communications Minister Michelle Rowland was on the Telstra table.”

    Reilly told Undue Influence that all the other corporate sponsors pay $25,000 a year, with a few paying extra as partners in the club’s journalism awards.

    The 21 arms industry and related sponsors, therefore, contribute an annual $525,000 to the Press Club’s coffers. This is 23 percent of the $2.26 million revenue it earns from “membership, sponsorship and broadcasting”, the club’s largest revenue line for the 2024 financial year.

    “The National Press Club of Australia proudly partners with organisations that share our commitment to quality, independent journalism,” says the club’s website.

    Sponsors’ right to speak?
    In response to Undue Influence’s questions about the club’s cancellation of a planned address by the internationally acclaimed journalist Chris Hedges, Reilly stated that: “For the avoidance of doubt, sponsors do not receive any rights to speak at the club, nor are they able to influence decisions on speakers.”

    "Friends and colleagues, with few exceptions, are in exile, dead or, in most cases, have disappeared"
    Acclaimed journalist and Middle East expert Chris Hedges  . . . the National Press Club cancelled a planned speech by him, reportedly under pressure.  Image: The Chris Hedges Report

    Sponsors may not be granted a right to speak, but they are sometimes invited to speak, with their status as sponsors not always disclosed to audiences.

    When the club’s second largest sponsor, Telstra, spoke on September 10, both Club president Tom Connell and Telstra CEO Vicki Brady noted the corporation’s longstanding sponsorship.

    Compare this with two addresses given by $25,000 corporate sponsors — Kurt Campbell (former US deputy secretary of state, now co-founder and chair of The Asia Group), who gave an address on September 7; and Mike Johnson, CEO of Australian Industry and Defence Network (AIDN), who gave an address on October 15. Neither the Press Club nor the speakers disclosed the companies’ sponsorship of the Press Club.

    The club also promotes additional benefits of corporate sponsorship, including “Brand association with inclusion on our prestigious ‘Corporate Partners’ board and recognition on the National Press Club of Australia website”.

    The club also promises corporate sponsors that they will receive “priority seating and brand positioning” at its weekly luncheon addresses.

    Profiting from genocide
    In July, Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, issued a report explaining how the corporate sector had become complicit with the State of Israel in conducting the genocide.

    Albanese highlighted Lockheed Martin and the F-35 programme, which has 1650 companies worldwide in its supply chain. More than 75 of those companies are Australian.

    Her report also noted that arms-making multinationals depend on legal, auditing and consulting firms to facilitate export and import transactions to supply Israel with weapons.

    Four of the world’s largest accounting, audit and consulting firms — all of which have arms industry corporations as clients — are sponsors of the Press Club: KPMG, Accenture, Deloitte and EY. Until recently, PwC counted among them.

    EY (Ernst & Young) has been Lockheed Martin’s auditor since 1994. EY is also one of two auditors used by Thales, and has been for 22 years. Deloitte has been BAE Systems’ auditor since 2018. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) — a Press Club sponsor until 2024 — has been Raytheon’s auditor since 1947.

    Lockheed Martin’s supply to Israel of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets and C-130 Hercules transport planes, and their parts and components, along with Hellfire missiles and other munitions, has directly facilitated Israel’s genocide.

    Raytheon’s (RTX) supply of guided missiles, bombs, and other advanced weaponry and defence systems, like the Iron Dome interceptors, also directly supports Israel’s military capability.

    In England, BAE Systems builds the rear fuselage of every F-35, with the horizontal and vertical tails and other crucial components manufactured in its UK and Australian facilities. It also supplies the Israeli military with munitions, missile launching kits and armoured vehicles, while BAE technologies are integrated into Israel’s drones and warships.

    Thales supplies Israel’s military with vital components, including drone transponders. Australian Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen colleagues were murdered by an Israeli Hermes drone, which contained Thales’ transponders. Yet, echoing Australia, France claims its military exports to Israel are non-lethal.

    Michelle Fahy is an independent Australian writer and researcher, specialising in the examination of connections between the weapons industry and government. She writes for various independent publications and on Substack on Undueinfluence.substack.com  This article was first published on Undueinfluence and Michael West Media and is republished by Asia Pacific Report with the author’s permission.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • ‘Extraordinarily destabilising decision’ – Trump denounced over call to immediately resume nuclear tests

    Democracy Now!

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: We begin today’s Democracy Now! show looking at US-China relations and President Trump’s threat to resume nuclear weapons testing.

    President Trump and President Xi Jinping met in South Korea and agreed to a one-year trade truce, but the trade deal was overshadowed by Trump’s announcement that the US would resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time since 1992.

    Just before his meeting with Xi, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Because of other countries testing programmes, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”

    AMY GOODMAN: It’s unclear what President Trump was referring to. Russia and China have not tested a nuclear weapon in decades; North Korea last tested one in 2017. Trump spoke briefly with reporters after his meeting with Xi, flying back to the United States.

    PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It had to do with others. They seem to all be nuclear testing.

    REPORTER 1: Russia?

    PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don’t do testing, and we’ve halted it years — many years ago.

    But with others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also.

    REPORTER 1: Did Israel — did Israel —

    REPORTER 2: Any details around the testing, sir? Like where, when?

    PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We will be — it’ll be announced. You know, we have test sites. It’ll be announced.

    AMY GOODMAN: Trump’s threat to resume nuclear tests comes just months before the last major nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia expires. The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, expires February of next year.

    We go right now to Dr Ira Helfand. He’s an expert on the medical consequences of nuclear war, former president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. He also serves on the steering committee of the Back from the Brink campaign. He’s today joining us from Winnipeg, Canada, where he’s speaking at the 5th Youth Nuclear Peace Summit.

    Dr Helfand, welcome back to Democracy Now! You must have been shocked last night when, just before the certainly globally touted meeting between Trump and Xi, Trump sent out on social media that he’s going to begin testing nuclear weapons, comparing it, saying that we have to test them on an equal basis, referring to countries like Russia and China.

    Can you explain what he is talking about? They, like the United States, haven’t tested nuclear weapons in decades.

    DR IRA HELFAND: Good morning, Amy.

    Actually, I can’t explain what he’s talking about, because it doesn’t make any sense. As you pointed out, Russia and China have not tested nuclear weapons for decades. And I think the most important thing right now is that the White House has got to clarify what President Trump is talking about.

    If we really are going to resume explosive nuclear testing, this is an extraordinarily destabilising decision, and one which will increase even more the already great danger that we have of stumbling into a nuclear conflict. But they need to clarify this, because, as you pointed out, the statement doesn’t make sense in terms of what’s actually happening in the world.

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Dr Helfand, what would these tests entail, were this to actually occur the way that Trump has said?

    DR IRA HELFAND: Well, again, it’s not clear what he’s talking about. If he’s — if he is speaking about resuming explosive nuclear testing, presumably this would not be in the atmosphere, which is prohibited by a treaty which the United States did sign and ratify in 1963, but it would be underground nuclear explosions. And the principal danger there, I think, is political.

    This will undoubtedly trigger response by other countries that have nuclear weapons, and dramatically accelerate the already very dangerous arms race that the world finds itself in today.

    The one, perhaps, value of this statement is that it helps to draw attention to the fact that the nuclear problem has not gone away, as so many of us would like to believe. We are facing the gravest danger of nuclear war that has existed on the planet since the end of the Cold War, and possibly worse than it was during the Cold War.

    And this comes at a time when the best science we have shows that even a very limited nuclear war, one that might take place between India and Pakistan, has the potential to trigger a global famine that could kill a quarter of the human race in two years.

    We have to recognise that reality, and we need to change our nuclear policy so that it is no longer based on the idea that nuclear weapons make us safe, but that it recognises the fact that nuclear weapons are the greatest threat to our safety.

    And for citizens in the United States in particular, I think this means doing things like are advocated by the Back from the Brink campaign, calling on the United States to stop this tit-for-tat exchange of threats with our nuclear adversaries and to enter into negotiations with all eight of the nuclear-armed states for a verifiable, enforceable agreement that will allow them to eliminate their nuclear arsenals according to an agreed-upon timetable, and so they can all join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at some point when they have completed this task.

    This idea is dismissed sometimes as being unrealistic. I think what’s unrealistic is the belief that we can continue to maintain these enormous nuclear arsenals and expect that nothing is going to go wrong.

    We’ve been lucky over and over again. This year alone, five of the nine countries which have nuclear weapons have been engaged in active military conflict. India and Pakistan were fighting each other. That could easily have escalated into a nuclear war between them, which could have had devastating consequences for the entire planet.

    And we keep dodging bullets, and we keep acting as though that’s going to keep happening. It isn’t. Our luck is going to run out at some point, and we have to recognise that. We have to recognise the only way to guarantee our safety is to get rid of these weapons once and for all.

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: Dr Helfand, before we conclude, just about the timing of Trump’s comment, which came just days after Russia said it had successfully tested a nuclear-armed missile, which it said could penetrate US defences.

    Do you think Trump was responding to that, without perhaps understanding that there was a difference between that and carrying out explosive nuclear tests?

    DR IRA HELFAND: It’s certainly possible, and the timing suggests that may be what’s happening. But again, the White House needs to clarify this statement, because, as it stands, it was an explicit instruction to begin testing at the test sites, which suggests nuclear explosive testing.

    I suspect that is not what the president meant, but at this point, who knows?

    AMY GOODMAN: Right. It was nuclear-capable, not nuclear-armed. And finally, I mean, he’s talking about doing this immediately, instructing what he called the War Department, the Department of War.

    Isn’t the Energy Department in charge of the nuclear stockpile? And aren’t scores of nuclear scientists now furloughed during the government shutdown? Who is maintaining this very dangerous stockpile?

    DR IRA HELFAND: That was another striking inconsistency in that statement. It is not the Pentagon, which he referred to as the Department of War, that would be conducting nuclear testing if it recurs. It is, Amy, as you suggested, it’s the Department of Energy that is responsible for this activity.

    So, again, another area in which the statement is just confusing, puzzling and needs clarification. And I think, you know, this is a really urgent matter, because, as it stands, the statement itself is destabilising.

    It raises tension. It creates further problems. And we don’t need that anymore. We need to —

    AMY GOODMAN: And opens the door for other countries, is that right, to test nuclear weapons?

    DR IRA HELFAND: Well, absolutely. And that would be — you know, there would be absolutely nothing the US could do that would more undermine our security at this point with regards to nuclear weapons than to resume testing. It would give a green light to many other countries to resume testing, as well, and lead to markedly increased instability in the global situation.

    AMY GOODMAN: Dr Ira Helfand, we thank you so much for being with us, former president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, won the Nobel Peace Prize, PSR, in 1985, serving on the steering committee of the Back from the Brink campaign, joining us, interestingly, from Winnipeg, Canada, where he is speaking at the 5th Youth Nuclear Peace Summit.

    The original content of this programme on 30 October 2025 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States Licence.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.

  • ‘Extraordinarily destabilising decision’ – Trump denounced over call to immediately resume nuclear tests

    Democracy Now!

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: We begin today’s Democracy Now! show looking at US-China relations and President Trump’s threat to resume nuclear weapons testing.

    President Trump and President Xi Jinping met in South Korea and agreed to a one-year trade truce, but the trade deal was overshadowed by Trump’s announcement that the US would resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time since 1992.

    Just before his meeting with Xi, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Because of other countries testing programmes, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”

    AMY GOODMAN: It’s unclear what President Trump was referring to. Russia and China have not tested a nuclear weapon in decades; North Korea last tested one in 2017. Trump spoke briefly with reporters after his meeting with Xi, flying back to the United States.

    PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It had to do with others. They seem to all be nuclear testing.

    REPORTER 1: Russia?

    PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don’t do testing, and we’ve halted it years — many years ago.

    But with others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also.

    REPORTER 1: Did Israel — did Israel —

    REPORTER 2: Any details around the testing, sir? Like where, when?

    PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We will be — it’ll be announced. You know, we have test sites. It’ll be announced.

    AMY GOODMAN: Trump’s threat to resume nuclear tests comes just months before the last major nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia expires. The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, expires February of next year.

    We go right now to Dr Ira Helfand. He’s an expert on the medical consequences of nuclear war, former president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. He also serves on the steering committee of the Back from the Brink campaign. He’s today joining us from Winnipeg, Canada, where he’s speaking at the 5th Youth Nuclear Peace Summit.

    Dr Helfand, welcome back to Democracy Now! You must have been shocked last night when, just before the certainly globally touted meeting between Trump and Xi, Trump sent out on social media that he’s going to begin testing nuclear weapons, comparing it, saying that we have to test them on an equal basis, referring to countries like Russia and China.

    Can you explain what he is talking about? They, like the United States, haven’t tested nuclear weapons in decades.

    DR IRA HELFAND: Good morning, Amy.

    Actually, I can’t explain what he’s talking about, because it doesn’t make any sense. As you pointed out, Russia and China have not tested nuclear weapons for decades. And I think the most important thing right now is that the White House has got to clarify what President Trump is talking about.

    If we really are going to resume explosive nuclear testing, this is an extraordinarily destabilising decision, and one which will increase even more the already great danger that we have of stumbling into a nuclear conflict. But they need to clarify this, because, as you pointed out, the statement doesn’t make sense in terms of what’s actually happening in the world.

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Dr Helfand, what would these tests entail, were this to actually occur the way that Trump has said?

    DR IRA HELFAND: Well, again, it’s not clear what he’s talking about. If he’s — if he is speaking about resuming explosive nuclear testing, presumably this would not be in the atmosphere, which is prohibited by a treaty which the United States did sign and ratify in 1963, but it would be underground nuclear explosions. And the principal danger there, I think, is political.

    This will undoubtedly trigger response by other countries that have nuclear weapons, and dramatically accelerate the already very dangerous arms race that the world finds itself in today.

    The one, perhaps, value of this statement is that it helps to draw attention to the fact that the nuclear problem has not gone away, as so many of us would like to believe. We are facing the gravest danger of nuclear war that has existed on the planet since the end of the Cold War, and possibly worse than it was during the Cold War.

    And this comes at a time when the best science we have shows that even a very limited nuclear war, one that might take place between India and Pakistan, has the potential to trigger a global famine that could kill a quarter of the human race in two years.

    We have to recognise that reality, and we need to change our nuclear policy so that it is no longer based on the idea that nuclear weapons make us safe, but that it recognises the fact that nuclear weapons are the greatest threat to our safety.

    And for citizens in the United States in particular, I think this means doing things like are advocated by the Back from the Brink campaign, calling on the United States to stop this tit-for-tat exchange of threats with our nuclear adversaries and to enter into negotiations with all eight of the nuclear-armed states for a verifiable, enforceable agreement that will allow them to eliminate their nuclear arsenals according to an agreed-upon timetable, and so they can all join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at some point when they have completed this task.

    This idea is dismissed sometimes as being unrealistic. I think what’s unrealistic is the belief that we can continue to maintain these enormous nuclear arsenals and expect that nothing is going to go wrong.

    We’ve been lucky over and over again. This year alone, five of the nine countries which have nuclear weapons have been engaged in active military conflict. India and Pakistan were fighting each other. That could easily have escalated into a nuclear war between them, which could have had devastating consequences for the entire planet.

    And we keep dodging bullets, and we keep acting as though that’s going to keep happening. It isn’t. Our luck is going to run out at some point, and we have to recognise that. We have to recognise the only way to guarantee our safety is to get rid of these weapons once and for all.

    NERMEEN SHAIKH: Dr Helfand, before we conclude, just about the timing of Trump’s comment, which came just days after Russia said it had successfully tested a nuclear-armed missile, which it said could penetrate US defences.

    Do you think Trump was responding to that, without perhaps understanding that there was a difference between that and carrying out explosive nuclear tests?

    DR IRA HELFAND: It’s certainly possible, and the timing suggests that may be what’s happening. But again, the White House needs to clarify this statement, because, as it stands, it was an explicit instruction to begin testing at the test sites, which suggests nuclear explosive testing.

    I suspect that is not what the president meant, but at this point, who knows?

    AMY GOODMAN: Right. It was nuclear-capable, not nuclear-armed. And finally, I mean, he’s talking about doing this immediately, instructing what he called the War Department, the Department of War.

    Isn’t the Energy Department in charge of the nuclear stockpile? And aren’t scores of nuclear scientists now furloughed during the government shutdown? Who is maintaining this very dangerous stockpile?

    DR IRA HELFAND: That was another striking inconsistency in that statement. It is not the Pentagon, which he referred to as the Department of War, that would be conducting nuclear testing if it recurs. It is, Amy, as you suggested, it’s the Department of Energy that is responsible for this activity.

    So, again, another area in which the statement is just confusing, puzzling and needs clarification. And I think, you know, this is a really urgent matter, because, as it stands, the statement itself is destabilising.

    It raises tension. It creates further problems. And we don’t need that anymore. We need to —

    AMY GOODMAN: And opens the door for other countries, is that right, to test nuclear weapons?

    DR IRA HELFAND: Well, absolutely. And that would be — you know, there would be absolutely nothing the US could do that would more undermine our security at this point with regards to nuclear weapons than to resume testing. It would give a green light to many other countries to resume testing, as well, and lead to markedly increased instability in the global situation.

    AMY GOODMAN: Dr Ira Helfand, we thank you so much for being with us, former president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, won the Nobel Peace Prize, PSR, in 1985, serving on the steering committee of the Back from the Brink campaign, joining us, interestingly, from Winnipeg, Canada, where he is speaking at the 5th Youth Nuclear Peace Summit.

    The original content of this programme on 30 October 2025 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States Licence.

    This post was originally published on Asia Pacific Report.