cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8117688

Archived version

The National Maritime Council (NMC) has strongly condemned a series of “aggressive and dangerous” actions by Chinese maritime forces against Philippine vessels, personnel, and local fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea throughout March.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the President-led council cited multiple incidents involving the China Coast Guard, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N), and Chinese maritime militia.

“These unlawful acts endanger lives, violate international law, and undermine regional peace and stability,” it said.

...

“These incidents occurred in areas where the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction,” the council added.

According to the NMC, Philippine operations in these areas were lawful and consistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and the 2016 arbitral award.

In contrast, China’s actions ran counter to international law and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

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Among the most serious incidents was one on March 7, when a Chinese naval vessel reportedly directed its fire-control radar at the Philippine Navy’s BRP Miguel Malvar near Escoda Shoal (Sabina Shoal) —an act the council described as a “threat of force.”

On March 17, Filipino fishermen operating near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) were allegedly harassed by Chinese vessels through dangerous maneuvers, sirens, and the deployment of rigid-hulled inflatable boats.

...

“The country also reiterates its call on China to withdraw and direct its vessels and maritime assets to cease and desist from illegal, provocative, and dangerous actions against Philippine vessels, and to stop activities that violate Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction; and to comply with its obligations under international law,” it added.

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cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8117356

Ordinary Iranians from various parts of Iran describe expanding strikes, economic pain and fear of repression.

...

We cannot give Setareh's real name or say what kind of work she does - no detail that might possibly identify her to the regime's secret police. But we can say that she is a young woman from Tehran who loved going to work, where she could meet her friends ... Now the nightly bombing has stolen her ability to sleep naturally. She lies awake worrying about the present, and the future ...

"We cannot afford even basic food. What's in our pockets does not match market prices... Iran has also been under sanctions for years, and the problems created by the Islamic Republic means that during this time we couldn't build any savings, at least enough to survive now or depend on something. To put it simply, the people I thought might have money to lend also don't have anything."

"I don't know how this massive wave of unemployment will be handled. There is no support system and the government will do nothing for all these unemployed people. I believe the real war will start if this war ends without any outcome." The outcome she wants is the end of the regime.

...

Archived version

The National Maritime Council (NMC) has strongly condemned a series of “aggressive and dangerous” actions by Chinese maritime forces against Philippine vessels, personnel, and local fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea throughout March.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the President-led council cited multiple incidents involving the China Coast Guard, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N), and Chinese maritime militia.

“These unlawful acts endanger lives, violate international law, and undermine regional peace and stability,” it said.

...

“These incidents occurred in areas where the Philippines has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction,” the council added.

According to the NMC, Philippine operations in these areas were lawful and consistent with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and the 2016 arbitral award.

In contrast, China’s actions ran counter to international law and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

...

Among the most serious incidents was one on March 7, when a Chinese naval vessel reportedly directed its fire-control radar at the Philippine Navy’s BRP Miguel Malvar near Escoda Shoal (Sabina Shoal) —an act the council described as a “threat of force.”

On March 17, Filipino fishermen operating near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) were allegedly harassed by Chinese vessels through dangerous maneuvers, sirens, and the deployment of rigid-hulled inflatable boats.

...

“The country also reiterates its call on China to withdraw and direct its vessels and maritime assets to cease and desist from illegal, provocative, and dangerous actions against Philippine vessels, and to stop activities that violate Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction; and to comply with its obligations under international law,” it added.

...

Ordinary Iranians from various parts of Iran describe expanding strikes, economic pain and fear of repression.

...

We cannot give Setareh's real name or say what kind of work she does - no detail that might possibly identify her to the regime's secret police. But we can say that she is a young woman from Tehran who loved going to work, where she could meet her friends ... Now the nightly bombing has stolen her ability to sleep naturally. She lies awake worrying about the present, and the future ...

"We cannot afford even basic food. What's in our pockets does not match market prices... Iran has also been under sanctions for years, and the problems created by the Islamic Republic means that during this time we couldn't build any savings, at least enough to survive now or depend on something. To put it simply, the people I thought might have money to lend also don't have anything."

"I don't know how this massive wave of unemployment will be handled. There is no support system and the government will do nothing for all these unemployed people. I believe the real war will start if this war ends without any outcome." The outcome she wants is the end of the regime.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/7994033

...

Iranians [fear] a stifling climate of censorship and intimidation — one that risks becoming even more repressive as the United States and Israel continue their strikes and threaten to intensify them unless Tehran admits military defeat.

Hundreds of people have been arrested, and the regime has launched a campaign to prosecute those accused of espionage or co-operating with anyone deemed part of Iran's opposition.

One Iranian [said] that residents are receiving text messages with headlines the government wants the public to read. While Iranian state media routinely shares images of missile alerts in Israel and damage from strikes, there is little official information about the destruction inside Iran after nearly four weeks of war.

"When you follow the state media, you get the feeling that Israel is being crushed, Trump is humiliated and so on," said a 27-year-old who had been living in Tehran but left during the war to stay with his father outside the capital.

"When you get the chance to see what Iran International [a London-based Persian-language news outlet] is saying, you feel the opposite," he wrote in a message over Telegram.

...

Like many others, [one Iranian] struggled to communicate with anyone outside Iran because of widespread internet blackouts. But after buying what he described as a very expensive VPN, he was able to send messages.

"I don't really know if it is going to end soon. I hope it will. The people are really concerned about their financial situation and whether they will be able to survive and for how long."

He wrote that the only people gathering in the streets these days are pro-government supporters, who sometimes chant and wave flags for hours each evening.

...

Regime 'aims to create fear and intimidation'

While Iranian state media is publishing footage of flag-waving rallies and what they say are missiles headed toward a U.S. aircraft carrier, they are also airing videos showing the arrests of those accused of working against the regime.

...

...

Iranians [fear] a stifling climate of censorship and intimidation — one that risks becoming even more repressive as the United States and Israel continue their strikes and threaten to intensify them unless Tehran admits military defeat.

Hundreds of people have been arrested, and the regime has launched a campaign to prosecute those accused of espionage or co-operating with anyone deemed part of Iran's opposition.

One Iranian [said] that residents are receiving text messages with headlines the government wants the public to read. While Iranian state media routinely shares images of missile alerts in Israel and damage from strikes, there is little official information about the destruction inside Iran after nearly four weeks of war.

"When you follow the state media, you get the feeling that Israel is being crushed, Trump is humiliated and so on," said a 27-year-old who had been living in Tehran but left during the war to stay with his father outside the capital.

"When you get the chance to see what Iran International [a London-based Persian-language news outlet] is saying, you feel the opposite," he wrote in a message over Telegram.

...

Like many others, [one Iranian] struggled to communicate with anyone outside Iran because of widespread internet blackouts. But after buying what he described as a very expensive VPN, he was able to send messages.

"I don't really know if it is going to end soon. I hope it will. The people are really concerned about their financial situation and whether they will be able to survive and for how long."

He wrote that the only people gathering in the streets these days are pro-government supporters, who sometimes chant and wave flags for hours each evening.

...

Regime 'aims to create fear and intimidation'

While Iranian state media is publishing footage of flag-waving rallies and what they say are missiles headed toward a U.S. aircraft carrier, they are also airing videos showing the arrests of those accused of working against the regime.

...

Archived version

• Western governments are systematically embedding critical minerals supply chain security into legislation, sovereign financing, and bilateral trade frameworks, creating a structural, not cyclical, repricing of ex-China mineral assets.
• China's dominance across rare earth processing (91%), nickel supply chains, graphite (75% of global processing), and cobalt refining (78%) represents a concentrated vulnerability that geopolitical friction is now forcing Western economies to address at speed.
• Policy-driven supply discipline, from Indonesia's 2026 RKAB quota cut to the DRC's cobalt export controls and China's rare earth export restrictions, is shifting commodity pricing from demand-pull dynamics to state-managed corridors, fundamentally altering how mining projects should be valued.
• The investment filter has narrowed: first-quartile all-in sustaining cost (AISC), processing route differentiation, permitting visibility, and jurisdictional alignment with Minerals Security Partnership countries now determine which development-stage projects attract institutional capital.
• Late-2026 Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) and construction starts across nickel, rare earths, graphite, and rutile represent the primary valuation inflection points investors should be tracking now.

...

Western governments are actively reshaping critical minerals markets through policy, financing, and supply controls, turning them from cyclical commodities into strategic assets. China’s dominance in processing, not just mining, has exposed a structural bottleneck that Western economies are now racing to address, creating a premium for ex-China, traceable supply.

As a result, only a narrow group of projects, those with low costs, integrated or partnered processing, strong permitting visibility, and alignment with Western jurisdictions, are attracting capital. Key assets like Crawford, Kabanga, and Kasiya, alongside infrastructure like Energy Fuels’ White Mesa Mill, sit at the center of this shift, with late-2026 Final Investment Decisions representing major valuation catalysts. The core takeaway: this is not a typical commodity cycle, but a policy-driven repricing where execution, integration, and geopolitics determine winners.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/7731699

Archived version

Days of tension grip the Mediterranean, where an environmental disaster looms. In the Sicily Channel, the Russian methane tanker Arctic Metagaz drifts helplessly: a 277-meter colossus carrying over 60,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and, according to reports, 900 tons of diesel fuel.

A genuine ticking time bomb that, if it were to explode, would cause a catastrophe. The vessel currently sits about 26 nautical miles from Linosa and roughly 39 from Lampedusa.

...

The Arctic Metagaz methane tanker, which departed February 24 from Murmansk, Russia, was struck in the Mediterranean by a series of explosions occurring between March 3 and 4. Maltese authorities intervened promptly to rescue the crew of about 30 people, but the damaged cargo vessel remained without control.

...

The Arctic Metagaz is reportedly part of the so-called “Russian shadow fleet,” a network of oil and methane tankers (operating through shell companies) used to transport Russian hydrocarbons while circumventing Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.

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As confirmed by Lampedusa and Linosa Mayor Filippo Mannino, the Italian Navy is monitoring the drifting cargo ship’s situation along with an anti-pollution vessel and a tugboat. Meanwhile, Maltese authorities have issued a navigation warning, recommending that vessels maintain at least a 5-mile distance from the drifting Arctic Metagaz.

In the event of a spill of 60,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and 900 tons of diesel fuel, the scenario would be dramatic for the Mediterranean ecosystem, already compromised by plastic pollution and global warming. It would be extremely difficult to truly contain the damage from an environmental disaster of this magnitude.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/7731699

Archived version

Days of tension grip the Mediterranean, where an environmental disaster looms. In the Sicily Channel, the Russian methane tanker Arctic Metagaz drifts helplessly: a 277-meter colossus carrying over 60,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and, according to reports, 900 tons of diesel fuel.

A genuine ticking time bomb that, if it were to explode, would cause a catastrophe. The vessel currently sits about 26 nautical miles from Linosa and roughly 39 from Lampedusa.

...

The Arctic Metagaz methane tanker, which departed February 24 from Murmansk, Russia, was struck in the Mediterranean by a series of explosions occurring between March 3 and 4. Maltese authorities intervened promptly to rescue the crew of about 30 people, but the damaged cargo vessel remained without control.

...

The Arctic Metagaz is reportedly part of the so-called “Russian shadow fleet,” a network of oil and methane tankers (operating through shell companies) used to transport Russian hydrocarbons while circumventing Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.

...

As confirmed by Lampedusa and Linosa Mayor Filippo Mannino, the Italian Navy is monitoring the drifting cargo ship’s situation along with an anti-pollution vessel and a tugboat. Meanwhile, Maltese authorities have issued a navigation warning, recommending that vessels maintain at least a 5-mile distance from the drifting Arctic Metagaz.

In the event of a spill of 60,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and 900 tons of diesel fuel, the scenario would be dramatic for the Mediterranean ecosystem, already compromised by plastic pollution and global warming. It would be extremely difficult to truly contain the damage from an environmental disaster of this magnitude.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/7708346

Archived version

Global arms trade is rising, driven largely by Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The report, Trends in international arms transfers 2025 (opens pdf), said global arms transfers rose 9.2 per cent over the past five years compared to the previous period.

Ukraine became the world’s top arms importer after Russia’s invasion four years ago, jumping to 9.7 per cent of global purchases, from 0.1 per cent.

Across Europe, arms imports more than tripled, with about half of those weapons coming from the U.S.

In Asia, India ranked second worldwide at 8.2 per cent in arms imports, fuelled by border tensions with China and Pakistan.

China is also a major exporter, sending more than half of its weapons to Pakistan while planning to increase its own military spending this year by about seven percent.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/7708346

Archived version

Global arms trade is rising, driven largely by Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The report, Trends in international arms transfers 2025 (opens pdf), said global arms transfers rose 9.2 per cent over the past five years compared to the previous period.

Ukraine became the world’s top arms importer after Russia’s invasion four years ago, jumping to 9.7 per cent of global purchases, from 0.1 per cent.

Across Europe, arms imports more than tripled, with about half of those weapons coming from the U.S.

In Asia, India ranked second worldwide at 8.2 per cent in arms imports, fuelled by border tensions with China and Pakistan.

China is also a major exporter, sending more than half of its weapons to Pakistan while planning to increase its own military spending this year by about seven percent.

...

Archived version

Global arms trade is rising, driven largely by Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The report, Trends in international arms transfers 2025 (opens pdf), said global arms transfers rose 9.2 per cent over the past five years compared to the previous period.

Ukraine became the world’s top arms importer after Russia’s invasion four years ago, jumping to 9.7 per cent of global purchases, from 0.1 per cent.

Across Europe, arms imports more than tripled, with about half of those weapons coming from the U.S.

In Asia, India ranked second worldwide at 8.2 per cent in arms imports, fuelled by border tensions with China and Pakistan.

China is also a major exporter, sending more than half of its weapons to Pakistan while planning to increase its own military spending this year by about seven percent.

...