Image is of the Herðubreið tuya in northeast Iceland, formed when ice sheets covered Iceland thousands of years ago. It's not really relevant to the Grindavik situation but I think they look neat. The title also doesn't make much sense but I saw the pun and took it.
Off in Iceland, different kinds of tunnels are causing problems. Underneath the town of Grindavik in southwestern Iceland, not far from the capital of Reykjavik, tens of thousands of earthquakes are portending the movement of magma in tunnels underneath the peninsula, which could breach the surface and cause an eruption. The 4000 residents of the town have been evacuated as the magma has risen to less than a kilometer below the surface.^TRG^
Icelandic volcanism is pretty fascinating, with the country sitting on the mid-Atlantic ridge, the birthing line of new oceanic crustal rock running right down the Atlantic ocean for many thousands of kilometers, as well as a hotspot, an upwelling of mantle material of debated origin which also feeds otherwise-inexplicable volcanism in the middle of tectonic plates, like Yellowstone and Hawaii.
An additional factor here is the presence of glaciers. When a volcano erupts underneath a glacier, the melting water cools the lava rapidly, causing features usually seen in volcanoes that erupt under the sea like pillow basalts, but also unique features like tuyas, which are steep-sided but flat-topped volcanoes. The rapid melting of water can also cause glacial floods called jökulhlaups.
Icelandic volcanoes have had significant regional and even global impacts in the past. In 2010, the volcano Eyjafjallajökull, which was a volcano covered by an ice cap, erupted and the ash cloud spread across Europe, causing airline disruption for about a month which caused nearly $2 billion in total losses for airline companies - though this seems pretty quaint compared to the pandemic's impact on airlines in retrospect. Back in the 1780s, the Laki volcano killed a quarter of the Icelandic population due to sulphur dioxide causing massive crop failure and cattle death. This eruption's impacts spread to Europe and beyond, causing notable worldwide temperature drops and thus crop failures and may well have been a contributing factor to the outbreak of the French Revolution, which obviously heralded the death of the feudal order and the eventual primacy of capitalism in its place. That being said, any eruption at Grindavik is very probably not going to have any significant worldwide impacts - there are over a hundred volcanoes already in Iceland, and regular climate change is doing a great job at causing mayhem right now anyway. It's also still possible that there won't be an eruption at all, at least not in the short to medium term.
Friendly reminder: when commenting about a news event, especially something that just happened, please provide a source of some kind. While ideally this would be on nitter or archived, any source is preferable to none at all given.
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA daily-ish reports on Israel's destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news (and has automated posting when the person running it goes to sleep).
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.
Various sources that are covering the Ukraine conflict are also covering the one in Palestine, like Rybar.
The Country of the Week is Iceland! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.
This week's update is here!
Here is the map of the Ukraine conflict, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Links and Stuff
The bulletins site is down.
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Add to the above list if you can.
Resources For Understanding The War
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Telegram Channels
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
Pro-Russian
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
Last week's discussion post.
Part 2
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Taiwan’s economy inches upwards but misses target as AI tech demand fails to materialise^SCMP^
Heavy rains lash several states in south India^PD^
Indonesia’s EV Ambition May Be Underestimating Some Challenges. Relying On China Won’t Be Enough^CGS^
Japan begins 3rd round of contaminated water dumping amid international opposition^GT^
Japan detects above-limit radioactive cesium in locally grown mushroom^PD^
Grown in a landlocked prefecture, therefore unrelated to the wastewater releases.
China, Malaysia agree to further promote bilateral ties^CGTN^
Mongolia’s meat export dilemma^BNE^
China urges Myanmar to restore border stability as conflict between armed groups and junta intensifies^SCMP^
Nepal to supply relief materials to quake-hit areas;^CGTN^
Earthquake Leaves at Least 69 Dead in Western Nepal^TS^
Xi Jinping tells North Korean leader China can make ‘greater contribution’ to strengthen relations^SCMP^
Sri Lanka’s debt trap and the vultures^MR^
Africa:
Investors are unsettled as funding is drying up for Africa's startup ecosystem^RoW^
Saudi Arabia to sign deals worth over $500 mln with African nations: minister^CGTN^
How the Israel-Hamas war is destabilizing the Horn of Africa^RS^
Burkina Faso, Russia discuss military cooperation^AN^
A Billion Dollar Copper/Cobalt Mine is Up For Grabs in the DR Congo, Providing Rare Opening For the U.S. to Get in the Market^CGS^
UN says record 6.9 million people internally displaced in the DR Congo^AN^
Former Guinean leader Dadis Camara escapes from prison in a jailbreak^AN^
Africa’s First Non-Chinese Lithium Operation Gearing Up in Ghana^CGS^
Biden commits to making Kenya an investment beacon for Africa^Bilaterals^
Kenya Hosts China-Africa Investment Summit, Green Transition^TS^
Kenyan-Chinese Smartphone Assembly Plant Debuts^CGS^
Kenyan president defends his government's tough economic measures^AN^
Kenya concedes 'millions of hectares' to UAE firm in latest carbon offset deal^MEE^
Madagascar: Head of parliament lower house calls for suspension of Nov. 16 presidential election^AN^
UN peacekeepers leave Mali in a hurry and under fire^AN^
China sets sights on Morocco as North African nation becomes centre of EV revolution^SCMP^
Delays in Morocco’s post-earthquake reconstruction may hasten its rural youth exodus^ET^
Relief efforts two months after the earthquake in Morocco^AN^
Namibia: 1 Billion USD Investment to Enhance Public Health^TS^
Niger: military regime asks Togo to mediate^AN^
Somalia: IMF Agrees to 100-Mln-Usd Loan^TS^
Somalia floods kill 10, displace more than 113,000 a year after drought^AN^
South African president deploys army to tackle illegal mining^AN^
Sudan: Violent Clashes in the Capital and West of the Country^TS^
Tanzania set to ban raw lithium exports as of May 2024^BNE^
German president apologizes for colonial-era crimes in Tanzania^AN^
Uganda agrees petroleum importation deal with Bahrain firm^AN^
Lithium Sector Leads Big Increase in Chinese Investment into Zimbabwe^CGS^
Zimbabwean businesses welcome extension of multi-currency system til 2030^PD^
North America:
Food bank usage in Canada up one-third in a year as social crisis dramatically worsens^WSWS^
Moody's downgrades outlook on U.S. credit rating to 'negative'^CGTN^
US Sees Massive Retail Closures Amid Negative Economic Trends^TS^
Wolf Richter: Not Sure How Long It’ll Last: Spending on Factory Construction Does a Historic Spike, after Years of Going Nowhere^MC^
Commentators speculate that this is a mixture of inflation, uh, inflating the spike and that it's a little lower in real terms; the impact of the CHIPS Act; and also the EU shifting industry to the US, whether they want to or not.
After more than two decades on the decline, US infant death rate rose significantly in 2022^WSWS^
Why is there an epidemic crisis of congenital syphilis in the United States?^WSWS^
Cuts to humanities in US universities are a symptom of an inhumane age^OD^
80+ Organizations Urge Biden to Reject Inhumane Cuts to Critical Programs in Upcoming Spending Bills^CD^
UN Report Details Rampant US Human Rights Violations at Home and Abroad^SP^
Los Angeles Mayor Orders Residential Hotels to Be Opened for Temporary Shelter^SP^
Toxic Pesticides Are Sprayed Next to Thousands of US Schools^ICN^
Guantanamo: A Constitutional Debacle^AW^
Latin America:
200 years later, the Monroe Doctrine still haunts Central America^RNN^
EU-Mercosur: the European Union’s dirty plastic secret^Bilaterals^
Argentina makes payment to IMF in yuan^MP^
Milei not sure he would concede defeat^MP^
Price of fuel goes up in Argentine to secure supply^MP^
Gasoline supply must be normalized, or else... Massa warns^MP^
Brazil cuts basic interest rate to 12.25% per year^MP^
Record oil and gas output reported in Brazil^MP^
Brazil to become world's leading chicken meat exporter in 2024^MP^
Food production in Brazil is 74% of emissions, Climate Observatory study shows^BNE^
Winds are changing in Colombia: Petro the big loser in Sunday's governor and mayor elections^MP^
China-Colombia steer trade towards cattle, but will US have a cow as Beijing makes Latin American inroads?^SCMP^
Colombia to supply electricity to Ecuador to solve energy crisis^MP^
Cuban PM in China on tourism mission to help ease post-pandemic slump at home^SCMP^
Jamaica Will Give Priority to Mining Sector^TS^
Nicaragua Supports Venezuela's Referendum on Essequibo^TS^
Executive Vice President: Venezuela Was Deprived of a Significant Extension of Its Territory^TS^
Guyana asks The Hague court to stop Venezuelan referendum on the annexation of half of its territory^MP^
Killings of striking teachers in Panama fuel mass protests against major copper mine^WSWS^
Panama explodes with protests against Canadian copper mine^RNN^
Panama: President Announces Referendum on Mining Contract^TS^
Panama Canal drought emergency, ships booking slots cut to 25 per day and to 18 next February^MP^
Peruvian Parliament Prohibits Underage Marriage^TS^
War:
Palestine:
Genocide:
“Genocide” Joe is an Enemy of the People^RC^
The Proletarian Revolution and the Sheepdog Sanders^RC^
U.S. says it’s powerless to stop the genocide that it is directly funding and supplying^MR^
House passes Israel aid bill that is expected DOA in the Senate^RS^
German government increases arms deliveries to Israel tenfold^WSWS^
Death toll exceeds 10,000 in Israel-Hamas conflict^PD^
Israel bombs Gaza’s al-Maghazi, Bureij refugee camps^WSWS^
100 Israeli doctors call for Gaza hospitals to be bombed^MEE^
Israel Bombs Convoy of 30 Ambulances in Gaza^TS^
Biden wants arms deals with Israel to be done in complete secrecy^RNN^
Hezbollah's Nasrallah says regional war a 'realistic possibility'^MEE^
Israeli-US Ethnic Cleansing Plan To Salvage “New Middle East” Model^MPN^
Part 3
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Politics:
Israel declares most of humanity illegitimate and irrelevant^MR^
Western Propaganda Gets More Desperate as World Majority Sides with China and Russia Against the US over Gaza^NC^
22 House Dems join GOP in voting to censure Tlaib, only Palestinian-American in Congress^RNN^
Marine Le Pen's Far Right is Netanyahu-Washing Its Antisemitism^JB^
11 councillors quit UK Labour Party over leader's Gaza stance^PD^
Israeli Communists and others take peace protest ban to Supreme Court^PW^
Israel Is Cracking Down on Internal Dissent^JB^
Türkiye's president lashes out at West, Israel over Gaza conflict^PD^
South Africa accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza, recalls all diplomats^AN^
Palestinians Are Not Terrorists and Never Were: Algeria^TS^
Mexicans Reject the Genocide Perpetrated by Israel in Gaza^TS^
Divergent positions: Argentina backs Israel, then condemns attacks in Palestine^MP^
Honduras Recalls Its Ambassador to Israel for Consultations^TS^
Bolivia Breaks-off Diplomatic Relations with Israel for ‘Crimes against Humanity’^RS^
Chile recalls Ambassador to Israel as violence in Gaza grows^MP^
Iran’s Proposed Embargo Could Cause Chaos in Oil Markets; but it won't ever happen so whatever^NC^
Over half of businesses in Israel suffer severe revenue loss due to conflict: survey^PD^
Türkiye’s Middle Ground Position Becomes Untenable as US Intensifies Conflicts^NC^
Egypt Is Playing an Extremely High-Stakes Game in Gaza That Could End in Genocide^NC^
New York Times writer forced to resign after opposing Israeli genocide in Gaza^WSWS^
Protests:
Israeli war on Gaza sparks ‘largest mass mobilization of Jews in American history’^MR^
Jewish Americans hold a wave of protests, arrests across the country calling for ceasefire in Gaza — pledge more protests to come^CD^
'Not in our name’: Jewish collective occupies defence minister’s office over Gaza^GL^
Thousands of workers and youth participate in global protests against Gaza genocide^WSWS^
Mass protests in Malaysia against Gaza genocide^WSWS^
How is the Canadian labour movement responding to Israel’s attacks on Gaza?^CD^
Over 100,000 march on Washington, DC for a free Palestine, demanding ceasefire^RNN^
300,000 March in Washington, D.C. for Palestine^WSWS^
Pro-Palestine activists in Baltimore demand immediate ceasefire^RNN^
Mainstream media ignores massive civil disobedience for Palestine that shut down New York’s Grand Central Station^MR^
Despite Intimidation, Union Voices Get Louder for Ceasefire in Gaza^LN^
Pro-Palestine protesters 'shut-down' Oxford Circus^MEE^
Protests continue in New Zealand against genocide in Gaza, Labour MP booed off platform^WSWS^
Huge protests throughout the Asia-Pacific against the Gaza genocide^WSWS^
Economists for Palestine^MR^
Thousands of UK academics oppose government censorship of Palestinian solidarity^WSWS^
Brandeis and Columbia universities suspend pro-Palestinian student groups^WSWS^
Kyrgyzstan: Authorities sanction Palestine solidarity, while keeping lid on pro-Israel sentiment^EN^
The ‘other’ Palestine protesters quietly shutting down arms factories^OD^
Belgian port workers refuse to load weapons bound for Israel^PW^
As Blinken’s visit exposes Ankara’s complicity, Italian, Greek, Turkish unions call for industrial action to halt Israeli genocide^WSWS^
Oakland activists blockade port, delaying U.S. weapons cargo bound for Israel^PW^
Barcelona port workers refuse to ship arms to Israel^WSWS^
Activists block Boeing facility supplying bombs to Israel^MR^
Left Critique:
The Warsaw Ghetto and Gaza: Understanding History^RM^
ADL Data on Rise of Anti-Semitic Incidents Doesn’t Add Up; opposition to Gaza genocide is classified as "anti-semitic".^MPN^
Al-Aqsa Flood: Imperialism, Zionism and Reactionism in the 21st Century^MR^
Without Hamas, Gaza Would Still Not Be Free^SP^
China:
Australian critical minerals vital for US war plans against China^WSWS^
China tightens controls over rare earth exports, imports of key commodities including crude oil, iron ore^SCMP^
High-level China-US trade talks underscore the significance of healthy economic ties, dismiss 'decoupling'^GT^
US media outlet The China Project to close over lack of funds, showing challenges of ‘neutral path’ amid power rivalry^SCMP^
Biden, Xi set to pledge ban on AI in autonomous weapons like drones, nuclear warhead control^SCMP^
Don’t count on Xi Jinping-Joe Biden meeting to yield breakthroughs, provided it happens^SCMP^
EU threatens tougher stance on China as concerns over Beijing’s economic policies grow in build-up to summit^SCMP^
Chinese Shandong carrier strike group ‘sails through Taiwan Strait’ after western Pacific drills^SCMP^
Chinese warplane fired flares at Canadian chopper over South China Sea^SCMP^
Chinese navy tries to address pilot shortage by widening recruitment drive to postgraduates^SCMP^
China urges Philippines to stop violations of China's territorial sovereignty near Ren’ai Jiao^GT^
Philippines Fights ‘Pro-Beijing Narratives’ as South China Sea Spats Swell^CGS^
Philippines Drops Railway Funding Request from China Amid South China Sea Disputes^CGS^
US, Chinese diplomats meet in Beijing to discuss maritime issues including South China Sea^SCMP^
Australian imperialism alarmed by East Timor, China “strategic partnership”^WSWS^
Chinese, Japanese diplomats meet ahead of possible Xi-Kishida meeting at Apec summit^SCMP^
Japan prepares to deploy fighter jets to Australia on a rotational basis^WSWS^
Japan urged to ‘signal early’ it would be part of Taiwan’s defence in a war with Beijing^SCMP^
"You guys better be ready and excited to sacrifice yourself for Taiwan!"
Russia:
Ukraine SitRep: Assassinations, Election Talk, Language War^MoA^
Zelenskiy under mounting pressure as Ukraine's allies suggest ceasefire talks^BNE^
Zelensky: TIME may be on his side, but real time, isn't^RS^
Rob Urie: Biden Visits Hitler’s Bunker, Sends for a Decorator: Israel and Ukraine Edition^NC^
The New Electric War Campaign – How the Russian Army Will Select the Ukrainian Targets^NC^
Is this the beginning of the end of the war in Ukraine?^RS^
The walls are closing in.
EU-China summit slated for December as wary Brussels eyes firms flouting Russia sanctions^SCMP^
Putin Warns of Intensification of Sanctions Against Russia^TS^
EC to investigate Bulgaria for exploiting Russian oil sanctions loopholes that earned the Kremlin €1bn^BNE^
Serbia exporting dual-use goods to Russia despite pledge not to help bypass sanctions^BNE^
Part 4
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Labour:
After 112 years, there’s a permanent, onsite Triangle Shirtwaist Fire memorial^PW^
‘They’re making a huge mistake’: Master Lock workers speak out on plant closure^RNN^
Reports: Amazon an “industry leader” in workplace injuries, suffering^PW^
Four GM plants vote down UAW deal as momentum builds against sellout contract^WSWS^
Thousands of US pharmacy workers mount 3-day “pharmageddon” wildcat strike^WSWS^
Department of Labor investigates payroll “glitch,” which left tens of thousands of postal workers without paychecks^WSWS^
US Artists and Studios Reach Tentative Deal to End Strike^TS^
South Australian public school staff strike again for better wages and conditions^WSWS^
Australia: Newcastle steelworkers strike over pay and conditions^WSWS^
Hundreds of thousands of Quebec public sector workers stage walkouts after CAQ government reiterates demand for real wage cuts^WSWS^
Sri Lanka: Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers demand pay rises, oppose austerity measures^WSWS^
Left and Right:
New Syriza leader Kasselakis exposed as pro-capitalist, austerity supporting Reagan worshipper^WSWS^
Michael Roberts reviews Branco Milanovic's Visions of Inequality, particularly focussing on his treatment of Marx in the book and what he gets wrong (and, sometimes, right). Roberts also updates us on the global debt problem rising, both in developing countries and the United States.[^MR^](Debt distress) And finally, reviews a book recapping 50 years of dependency theory.^MR^
From Gaza and Cuba, they ask–are you human like us?: The Forty-Fifth Newsletter (2023).^MR^
A Democratic Socialist Looks Back on 50 Years in Leftist Activism^CA^
The rise of the modern imperial system^GL^
Degrowth and the Global South: remarks on the twin problem of structural interdependencies^DE^
Book of Xi Jinping's discourses on Chinese modernization published;^CGTN^ China’s Xi Jinping says Communist Party control too weak in rural areas, new book reveals^SCMP^ Western Left and the U.S.-China contradiction^MR^
LGBTQIA:
Content Warning - this section is not usually good news.
Nearly All LGBTQ+ Youth Exposed to Online Bullying: HRC Report^Advocate^
Idaho's Anti-Transgender School Restroom Law Blocked by Court^Advocate^
Energy:
Rooftop solar, an emerging solution to Bihar’s land shortage that’s stalling renewable progress^MB^
Michigan Poised to Join States Requiring 100 Percent Clean Electricity^ICN^
New Study Finds Overwhelming Evidence of Harms From Fracking^DS^
Oil and Gas Companies Spill Millions of Gallons of Wastewater in Texas^ICN^
Review suggests few oil and gas companies committed to renewable energy^AN^
Climate and Biodiversity:
Chinese-led study suggests extreme weather is helping invaders replace native animals globally^SCMP^
More funding needed for polar research as ice keeps melting^MP^
What the Melting of Antarctic Ice Shelves Means for the Planet^ICN^
Forests' 'catastrophic ecosystem collapse'^EC^
New Study Warns of an Imminent Spike of Planetary Warming and Deepens Divides Among Climate Scientists^ICN^
Drop in deforestation of Brazilian Amazon reported^MP^
Planned Fossil Fuel Production Vastly Exceeds the World’s Climate Goals, ‘Throwing Humanity’s Future Into Question’^ICN^
Tourism Industry Emissions Are Still Significant Worldwide^TS^
Revealed: ‘Greenwashing’ cruise ships burning diesel despite energy pledge^OD^
Shapiro Orders New Controls on the Oil and Gas Industry in Pennsylvania, Targeting Methane Emissions and Drilling Chemicals^ICN^
Basically nobody in Britain believes world leaders will act on promises made at the most important conference in human history^EC^
Deep Rifts at UN Loss and Damage Talks Cast a Shadow on Upcoming Climate Conference^ICN^
Similar to Mexico’s Hurricane Otis, Storm Ciarán Took Europe by Surprise^ICN^
Miscellaneous Analysis:
How Declining Sperm Counts Have Seeded A Crisis of American Individualism^CA^
Boarding Schools Probe Tells US History of Genocide^TS^
We Want Them Infected: The integration of pseudoscience into the US pandemic response^WSWS^
UK COVID Inquiry reveals how Johnson government planned mass murder^WSWS^
Boris Johnson said Covid was ‘nature’s way of dealing with old people’^OD^
Dipshittery and Cope:
Blow to Putin as Russia faces UK trial over $60bn Yukos oil battle^Biltarals^
DTEK energy company claims $ 267 million victory in The Hague against Russia over Crimea assets^Bilaterals^
The walls are closing in.
I Love My Trans Comrades!
72T has fallen off, missed shift key when trying to make the link smh my head