Colors will look different during the April 8 solar eclipse. Here’s why Space.com
How to photograph total solar eclipse: Tips for amateur photographers FOX
How Medieval Chroniclers Interpreted Solar Eclipses & Other Celestial Events Madras Courier
Global supply of equities shrinks at fastest pace in decades and Private equity stakes unloaded at a discount as investors seek exits FT
Climate
No, AI Won’t Outsmart Our Climate Calamity The Tyee
New Seafloor Map Only 25% Done, with 6 Years to Go Eos
Undersea cables are the unseen backbone of the global internet The Conversation
Water
Cherish that hamburger. It cost a quarter of the Colorado River, according to researchers. Colorado Sun. Original.
China?
Biden and Xi discuss Taiwan, AI and fentanyl in a push to return to regular leader talks AP
Commentary: Navigating China’s influence and expanding role in Southeast Asia Channel News Asia
Chinese cities spark outcry with ban on joss paper sales and ‘feudal superstitions’ for Ching Ming Festival South China Morning Post
Myanmar
Myanmar militias revel after attempted drone attacks on junta’s stronghold capital Reuters
UN calls on governments to stop exports of jet fuel to Myanmar Channel News Asia
It’s official: Tokyo’s cherry blossoms are at full peak Asahi Shimbun
Commentary: What you need to know about the deadly strep infections spreading across Japan Channel News Asia
India
Inventing Hindu supremacy Aeon
Africa
Instability, extremism threaten coastal West African oil belt S&P Global
The lessons and legacy of Rwanda’s genocide FT
Syraqistan
Biden spoke sternly to Bibi:
Today, I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu to emphasize that strikes on aid workers and the humanitarian situation in Gaza are unacceptable.
Israel must implement steps to address civilian harm and the safety of workers – and work toward a ceasefire to bring hostages home. pic.twitter.com/c7yB0jwq06
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 4, 2024
Israel to open more aid routes to Gaza and increase deliveries after pressure from Biden NBC. Ah well, nevertheless:
Israeli army chief sacks 2 senior army commanders over killing of aid workers in Gaza Anadolu Agency
Austin Calls for ‘Rapid Increase’ of Aid Into Gaza Through All Crossings (press release) U.S. Department of Defense. “2,000,000 humanitarian aid meals per day” via the pier.
IDF carries out airstrikes on Hezbollah sites in south Lebanon Times of Israel
Will Hezbollah and the UAE overcome past problems? The New Arab
US May Revoke Houthi Terrorist Label If They Stop Red Sea Ship Attacks Bloomberg. So we lost another war? Granted, a small one. But nevertheless.
Meetings About Massacre indi.ca
McDonald’s to buy back Israeli restaurants after boycotts BBC
‘Ecocide in Gaza’: does scale of environmental destruction amount to a war crime? Guardian
European Disunion
Sea and Earth New Left Review. Decolonization — from conservatives.
The coming civil war on Europe’s Right UnHerd
Dear Old Blighty
Police investigate cyber honeytrap scandal after senior Tory admits giving MPs’ numbers to sex sting plotter he met on Grindr dating app after sending intimate pics of himself Daily Mail. Making The Thick Of It look tame….
That famous British sense of humor:
Dry, very dry.
New Not-So-Cold War
The true toll of the war in Ukraine is measured in bodies. This man brings them home, one at a time AP
Ukrainian women demand demobilisation of ‘exhausted’ loved ones The Times. The deck: “Thousands of wives, girlfriends and mothers of serving soldiers have taken to the streets to call for fresh recruits to replace soldiers who signed up at the start of the war.”
NATO intelligence casts doubt on likelihood of imminent large-scale Russian offensive Ukrainska Pravda
Russia detains three more people over concert shooting Reuters
Is Zelensky’s Legitimacy Really At Risk? Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Ukraine’s Zelensky hails diaspora, proposes dual citizenship Arab News
Blinken says Ukraine will eventually ‘become a member of NATO’ FOX
Western officials warn munition shortages could be catastrophic for Ukraine as US stalls on providing more aid CNN
NATO Weighs Taking Over U.S.-Led Group Directing Ukraine Military Aid NYT
Russia halved railway gasoline exports in March after fuel embargo Hellenic Shipping News
The Caribbean
Cuba says it has secured food rations after street protests over shortages France24
Stabilizing Haiti: A Guide for Policymakers Texas National Security Review
Global Elections
2024 Election to Watch: South Korea Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Biden Administration
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Darius Rochebin of LCI/TF1 U.S. Department of State
Baltimore’s Key Bridge Collapse
US Army Corps of Engineers plans to reopen Port of Baltimore by end of April after Key Bridge collapse FOX. The full channel by the end of May.
Baltimore rerouting not impacting broader ocean operations or rates so far: Freightos Analysis Container News
Digital Watch
Google Books Is Indexing AI-Generated Garbage 404 Media. Autocoprophagy.
An unending array of jailbreaking attacks could be the death of LLMs Marcus on AI
Turns out AI chatbots are way more persuasive than humans The Register
This tool makes AI models hallucinate cats to fight copyright infringement NBC
Big Mistake(s) (forthcoming) Florida Law Review. From the Abstract: “[T]this Article contends that the contract defense of mistake can be revitalized and adapted to the unique circumstances of user-platform interactions. Specifically, it explores the circumstances under which platform users should be permitted to void their contracts, sidestep provisions that limit access to justice, and seek restitution and other remedies for their data, time, and attention.”
Healthcare
How We Got Concussions So Wrong Slate
Zeitgeist Watch
Sick Cultures: When Belief Systems Turn Pathological Consortium News
Cthulhu Gazes Right Dark Futura
Existential Researchers Teach Rat To Run Forever Through Exitless Maze The Onion
Class Warfare
Middle Class Americans Are Acting More Like Lower Income Earners Morning Consult
Antimarket London Review of Books
Central bank independence as class war strategy Counterfire
Bradford pear trees are banned in a few states. More are looking to replace, eradicate them. USA Today
Making Old Orchards New Again Modern Farmer
Antidote du jour (via):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
