Siberian tiger crosses 200-km stretch of Russian forest to meet former mate WION
A tiny organism is mysteriously repairing its DNA to defy death in Chernobyl India Today
Ancient inscription could rewrite history of Christianity north of Italy, archaeologists say CBS
Amb. Chas Freeman: The US Endgame in Syria and Ukraine (video) Dialogue Works, YouTube
Col. Larry Wilkerson: Will Israel’s Expansion Policies Trigger Catastrophic Consequences? (video) Dialogue Works, YouTube
Climate
Global warming can’t be ignored, Montana’s top court says, upholding landmark climate case AP
Carbon emissions from tourism are rising disproportionately fast The Economist
Syndemics
Biden administration places profits over lives, fueling the spread of H5N1 bird flu WSWS
China CDC Weekly: Infection Tracing and Virus Genomic Analysis of Two Cases of Human Infection with Avian Influenza A(H5N6) — Fujian Province, China Avian Flu Diary
Palestinians: Israel Demanding Release of 34 Hostages, 42-day Cease-fire in First Stage of Deal Haaretz
China?
China’s Benchmark Bond Yield Steadies After Central Bank Calls in ‘Aggressive’ Traders YiCai Global
Income of China’s rural residents soars over the past decade CGTN
Pricing for key chipmaking material hits 13-year high following Chinese export restrictions — China’s restrictions on Gallium exports hit hard Tom’s Hardware
Wang Zibo: China’s ‘wealth-flaunting’ influencer fined 13.3 million yuan for tax evasion Channel News Asia
New York man pleads guilty in Chinese ‘secret police station’ case Channel News Asia
A Chinese Internet Phrasebook Asterisk
Don’t Speak Chinese: Stigma and Fear in Cambodia’s Chinese Community The Diplomat
China and India agree on six-point consensus as they resume high-level border talks South China Morning Post
Myanmar
ASEAN Needs to Rethink Its Myanmar Strategy The Diplomat
The fighting peacock: Myanmar’s NLD on the front lines Frontier Myanmar
Yangon, Mandalay Deserted After Dark as Myanmar Junta Hunts for Conscripts The Irrawaddy
Africa
Macron lands in cyclone-hit Mayotte bringing food and health aid BBC
Syraqistan
Turkish FM denies Trump claim of ‘unfriendly takeover’ by Turkiye in Syria Al Jazeera
Turkey plans to run Syria through a parallel structure, according to secret plan Nordic Monitor
‘No Civilians. Everyone’s a Terrorist’: IDF Soldiers Expose Arbitrary Killings and Rampant Lawlessness in Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor Haaretz
Israeli curbs on Gaza water supplies are ‘acts of genocide’, rights agency says FT
The Balkan Scenario New Left Review
Lebanon and Syria: My Interview for L’Indipendente Craig Murray
Unplanned bank closures spark public outcry amid Iran’s gas crisis BNE Intellinews
New Not-So-Cold War
As Trump Turns Away From Ukraine, Even Supporters in Congress Rethink Aid NYT. The deck: “Reality has set in on Capitol Hill that with President-elect Donald J. Trump poised to take office, the era of U.S. military support for Ukraine is coming to an end.”
Zelenskyy: Ukraine lacks military strength to recover its Russian-occupied land VoA
NATO takes over coordination of military aid to Kyiv from US, source says Reuters
Russian Strategic Forces Chief Details New Hypersonic Weapons Programs: Assesses Prospects Against Latest NATO Missile Defences Military Watch
Zelenskyy rejects Putin’s call to downsize Ukraine’s Armed Forces: Strong, large army is best Ukrainska Pravda
Will Trump let Putin get Ukraine’s $26 trillion in gas and minerals? WaPo
South of the Border
Peru’s New Chinese Megaport Reveals a Refined Belt and Road Maritime Executive
Trump Transition
FT Person of the Year: Donald Trump FT
Trump urges Republicans to sink government spending bill, puts federal offices at risk of shutting down Anadolu Agency
Trump brings chaos back to Washington by attempting to kill bipartisan budget deal with Musk’s help AP
DOGE Can’t Do It All. Here’s What It Can Do. Politico
Trump demands renegotiations in bipartisan budget deal days before shutdown deadline PBS
GOP battle erupts over Social Security bill The Hill
A key Trump ally on immigration explains how mass deportations could work AP
Donald Trump’s pledges seep into Federal Reserve’s outlook FT
Realignment and Legitimacy
Political Investments (interview) Thomas Ferguson, Phenomenal World. Today’s must-read.
KYP 2024 statewide special convention The Kentuckian
Mystery Drones
‘Nothing nefarious’: Biden seeks to reassure US over drone mystery BBC. Commentary:
NEW: Michael Shellenberger has obtained a recording of the White House’s drone briefing for New Jersey mayors which included the FBI, DHS and FAA.
“The mayors are livid. One of them got up there and said, ‘I had two automobile-sized drones hovering over my house.’” pic.twitter.com/N4NHk0wHcX
— UAP James (@UAPJames) December 17, 2024
Radiation levels in New York spike as mysterious drones terrorize the Northeast Daily Mail. Hmm.
“We Are Getting Lasered”: Nearly a Dozen Planes Lasered Last Night During New Jersey Drone Panic 404 Media
Spook Country
DHS Says China, Russia, Iran, and Israel Are Spying on People in US with SS7 404 Media
Supply Chain
Guardians of the Rails: A Deep Dive into Railroad Crossing Safety (Part 1) Frederick R. Smith Speaks (MT).
Imperial Collapse Watch
How The U.S. Navy’s Cruiser Modernization Failed Naval News
Class Warfare
Amazon workers to strike in US during busy Christmas season Al Jazeera
2024 in Review: Strikes and Organizing Score Gains, but Storm Clouds Loom Labor Notes
Expropriate Them All! 3 Quarks Daily
The Economy Has Failed the American People, But It’s Taboo To Say Why Charles Hugh Smith, Of Two Minds
An Optimist’s Guide to a Chaotic World Bloomberg
Antidote du jour (Stormbringer76):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
