This lady offered the peacock food…
and it said thanks in a spectacular way pic.twitter.com/Ns6LfBfdtY
— Science girl (@sciencegirl) April 18, 2026
First close pair of supermassive black holes detected? TECHNOLOGY.ORG
An Ancient Mummy’s Tooth Could Rewrite Script of Scarlet Fever in the New World Nautilus
Hampshire College’s demise is yet another blow to creative, outside‑the‑box options in higher education The Conversation
The Most Dangerous Extremist Movement in America Has No Ideology The Cipher Brief
COVID-19/Pandemics
Answering big questions about the new flu and SARS-CoV-2 viral variants La Jolla Institute for Immunology
I developed Long COVID while practicing medicine. The system had no place for me. The Sick Times
Climate/Environment
Wildfires used to ‘go to sleep’ at night. Climate change is turning them into prime burning hours PHYS.ORG
Rising costs, environmental impact of SC nuclear bomb factory sparks rare tour The State
South of the Border
Can Cuba continue to hold off the US? GZERO
Mexico Country Profile Population and Demography Our World in Data
No election date yet in Venezuela as U.S. presses regime to allow Machado’s return Miami Herald
China?
Uniteee H1 robot even has a turbo sprint mode, running faster than real humans. This is impressive.
The robots are doing the final practices for the final official half-marathon tomorrow in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/rskH2ZJfZN
— Li Zexin 李泽欣 (@XH_Lee23) April 18, 2026
US-China moon race narrows to months as Beijing builds Satellite Town Cryptopolitan
The Malacca Gambit: How China Oil-Choke Strategy Could Backfire On Trump NDTV
China’s EV Companies Aren’t Just Making Great Cars. They’re Making Money Inside Evs
The Rare Earth Trap: How China Outmaneuvered the Entire Western Defense Industry OILPRICE.COM
India
Opposition accuses Narendra Modi government of using quotas as cover for redrawing electoral map The Guardian
Indian Refiners Settle Iran Oil Deals In Yuan? Centre Says ‘Nothing Wrong’ NDTV
On way to 4th largest, how India slipped to 6th rank The Times of India
Africa
War sends Africa debt costs spiraling Semafor
Pope lashes out at foreigners who exploit Africa BBC
Why Taxing Mobile Money Is Backfiring Across Africa Pan African Visions
European Disunion
Security News This Week: It Takes 2 Minutes to Hack the EU-s New Age-Verification App Wired
Spain, Slovenia, Ireland call on European Commission to debate suspending EU–Israel Association Agreement Andolu Agency
EU trade surplus with external world drops 60% in February Emirates News Agency
Old Blighty
Starmer’s weaponized incompetence Labour isn’t working — it’s shirking responsibilit UnHerd
More than half of UK voters support rejoining the EU, study finds The independent
Israel v. Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran
🔻 Israel has been forced to accept a temporary ceasefire following Hezbollah’s continued operations.Israel is expected to violate this ceasefire.✍️ P.S. Israel destroyed a public high school in Marwahin, southern Lebanon, during the war. pic.twitter.com/bFYAQMEXhS
— MASAF INTERNATIONAL 🌎 (@masaf_intl) April 17, 2026
Displaced Lebanese return as Israeli shelling violates ceasefire in south Al Jazeera
Bibi torched U.S. support for Israel for a generation
pic.twitter.com/LqTRsAOmADUnseen footage of a war crime and damage to #hospitals following #Israel and #USA airstrikes on #Iran. 26/03/01See the bravery of medical staff in saving patients’ lives’#Red_Crescent_Society
— toolbox87 (@toolbox87) April 18, 2026
The Bombs Have Slowed, But Israel Controls Every Aspect of Our Lives in Gaza Truthout
Turkey warns it could be Israel’s ‘next enemy’ as tensions escalate RFI
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine to ramp up ground drone procurement to 25,000 for frontline forces over next six months – photos Ukrainska Pravda
Moscow bombards Ukraine while Kyiv targets Russian oil facilities Euronews
Ukraine’s long-range strikes prompt new Russian threat against Europe Al Jazeera
Russian airstrikes cut power to 380,000 people in northern Ukraine TVP World
Big Brother Is Watching You Watch
5 worrisome privacy clauses hidden in smart home devices Fox News
Lawsuit filed against Flock Safety over privacy concerns WGME.com
Imperial Collapse Watch
U.S Navy Personnel Deployed On Warships In Middle East Report Stark Food Shortages Marine Insight
Enormous increase in LA homeless-encampment fires slows emergency response times — with deadly consequences Fox News
Trump 2.0
Pope Leo says it is ‘not in my interest at all’ to feud with Trump over Iran war NY Post
Trump signs order to speed review of psychedelics, including the controversial drug ibogaine CNBC
Trump claims on Iranian concessions trigger questions, rejections in Tehran Al Jazeera
Trump’s new budget signals the demise of ‘liberation day’ The Hill
Musk Matters
Elon Musk’s Mistaken Call for a ‘Universal High Income’ Reason
Elon Musk pushing forward with Terafab at ‘light speed’ — staff reaching out to various suppliers and are reportedly willing to pay a premium to gain priority Tom’s Hardware
Musk’s SpaceX is shaping up as the biggest IPO on record. It’s also bending the rules to do so The Conversation
Democrat Death Watch
Progressive Upset in New Jersey: Analilia Mejía Wins Big, Challenging Trump—and the Democratic Establishment Scheerpost
USA: The Winner at the DNC’s Latest Meeting? Israel, Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide In-Depth News
Immigration
Poll: Trump’s immigration message changed. Voters’ opinions have not. Politico
New ICE Arrest Statistics Shed Light on Who the Agency is Targeting in American Communities American Immigration Council
Our No Longer Free Press
Judge orders DOJ, DHS to stop censoring anti-ICE social media groups Washington Times
Presenting the facts; a student journalist’s perspective on censorship Ball State Daily News
Mr. Market Is Moody
The Iran war has shattered oil’s price compass The Arab Weekly
Get ready for a potential stock market crash The Motley Fool
How the Iran war could speed the decline of the US dollar Money Week
AI
Millions of Americans Are Talking to AI Instead of Going to the Doctor, and It’s Giving Them Horrendously Flawed Medical Advice Futurism
Anthropic mocks up Claude Design to draft fancy new pink slips for marketing teams The Register
All businesses face being targeted by hackers using AI tools doubling in power every four months, Technology Secretary warns Daily Mail
Age reversal is the tech world’s holy grail — can AI make it reality? NY Post
Creating Baby Geniuses to Thwart the AI Threat? (Yes, Really.) Mother Jones
The Bezzle
New York doctor admits exploiting the Covid pandemic to steal at least $24 million from insurers Syracuse.com
SEC charges Bitcoin Latinum founder over alleged $16M investor fraud Crypto Briefing
Guillotine Watch
The most expensive golf clubs in theworld. #belighte #fyp #Golf #LIVGolf #PGAChamp #PGATour #tigerwoold #justin #Euro2024 #usopenwomen #champion pic.twitter.com/YBQVhXRDeW
— Belighte (@Belightegolf) June 5, 2024
The most expensive golf club ever sold—fetching $181,000—is also the oldest verified: a Long-Nosed Putter from the 1700s, handcrafted by Andrew Dickson and marked with his personal stamp. pic.twitter.com/GTyJKKO6Lx
— Golfballing (@golfballingpod) June 4, 2025
Antidote du jour (via)
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here
Source:
www.nakedcapitalism.com
