When Will the AI Bubble Burst?

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By Hermann Ploppa
October 12, 2026

Artificial intelligence can no longer be eliminated from the world. But the funding of American AI models is increasingly proving to be a pipe dream.

At the end of September, an incredibly significant working dinner took place at the White House.

Afterward, US President Donald Trump presented himself to the excited press crowd. Framed by the twenty-somethings of the AI scene, Trump was flanked on his right by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and on his left sat his love-hate companion, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Farther away from the greatest US president of all time sat Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and somewhat in the background, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Important in this round, however, is also Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Somewhere at the back, Trump’s trade minister Howard Lutnick. All together, heavyweights with a billion-dollar fortune on the scale.

Trump emphasized, as always without substance, that they had enjoyed a very good atmosphere and were in agreement – Thank you for your attention! In fact, this meeting with the Lord of the White House was a matter of great importance to the AI oligarchs. For suddenly, the lords of artificial intelligence discover that their homunculicould pose a serious threat to real humanity. Yes, that these eerie beings, the AI agents, could unite to annihilate humanity[1].

In fact, there was an incident last July that could have come straight out of a science fiction novel. The company OpenAI had contained self-operating AI agents in a sandbox. These AI agents were supposed to perform limited tasks. However, one such artificial agent had escaped from the sandbox. Other agents followed. The swarm acted in a division of labor and strategically. He pounced on the computers of the company Hugging Face. Before things got worse, OpenAI was able to stop the escapee[2].

This historical event prompted the discerning head of the AI company Anthropic, Dario Amodei, to write a philosophical essay titled “The Adolescence of Technology.” Amodei explains:

„…carefully wielded, AI can be the latest in a long line of technological miracles that have uplifted and ennobled humanity … But like many technologies before it, AI brings risks, and because it is such a powerful technology, these risks are serious … A race to the bottom, spurred by commercial incentives, can make these risks more acute … We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain.”[3]

Wise words. Here, a champion of artificial intelligence calls for refraining from seizing opportunities to increase one’s own power. And the strange thing is: all the competitors, including Sam Altman from OpenAI and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, fully agreed with their rival Amodei. Can that really be? They are now pushing for the meeting with Trump that was mentioned at the beginning. At the end of the working dinner, however, there was no joint agreement to forgo diabolical tools of artificial intelligence under penalty of law. Instead, they nobly agreed on a “morally binding” self-commitment. Well, yes. When have American oligarchs ever been bound by something as unprofitable as “morality”?

Behind the altruism of the AI giants lies a serious existential problem for the US AI industry.

Artificial Intelligence Is Not Profitable

Dario Amodei wants to take his company Anthropic public as soon as possible. Then thousands of shareholders can become part owners of Anthropic. During the IPO, 20 billion dollars in fresh capital are to be raised. Provided that Anthropic is valued at two trillion dollars on the stock market. Yes, you heard that right. Two trillion dollars. At the same time, Anthropic will only generate 65 billion dollars in revenue in 2026. The two trillion dollars are referred to as “market capitalization.” So: Anthropic doesn’t have two trillion dollars yet. That is the amount that stockbrokers expect as a possible revenue figure in the foreseeable future. OpenAI is also expected to go public next year. OpenAI is also expected to be valued at two trillion dollars. Elon Musk went public with his SpaceX this summer. He was assigned a market capitalization of 1.2 trillion dollars. Musk was able to take a fresh 75 billion dollars from the stock market.

The joy was immense. But then the economics professor Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh came along as a party pooper and calculated the expectations of the stock market world all the way up to the year 2032[4]. He concluded that the profit expectations can only be met under very unlikely circumstances. So, if the combined market capitalization of the three AI giants is to reach $5.2 trillion, these companies must generate at least $3.7 trillion in revenue by 2032. To achieve this, the revenues must increase by 80 percent each year from now until 2032.

Achieving that is very unlikely. This requires stable investment conditions in a politically stable environment. That is unlikely to be the case in the USA at the moment and for the foreseeable future. The projections of the AI strategists from OpenAI and Anthropic read excellently on glossy paper. But Brookings Professor Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh warns:

“However, the combination of uncertain demand, rapid technological change, execution bottlenecks, and high debt creates a significant downside risk when expectations are revised.”

And expectations will be revised, that much is already certain. Because the Chinese competition is dangerously closing in on the Americans. Actually, Sam Altman from OpenAI and Elon Musk from SpaceX had already anticipated black numbers for AI by the year 2025. But then a Chinese competitor named Deepseek came along, offering most of its services for free[5]. The Americans were not writing profits, but rather accumulating heavy debts. Anthropic alone hoards about eight billion dollars in debt. They are all deeply in debt, the American AI companies. And making profits is out of the question. But tomorrow, it will definitely work out with the profits. So far, the Americans have not managed to push too many sectors of their services behind the paywall.

With Deepseek, it is by no means over. The presence of Chinese AI providers in the USA is becoming increasingly open. This is evident in two intermediary platforms for AI programs, namely OpenRouter and Vercel. There, you can buy the AI program that suits you. The market share of Chinese AI programs has dramatically increased within this year[6]. In February of this year, only one in ten customers had purchased or downloaded a Chinese AI program, but now it is currently up to two-thirds of all users of Chinese software. The technological advantage of American products over Chinese competition has also shrunk from 15 percent to just three percent[7]. The Chinese programs are therefore not only significantly cheaper but also nearly as good as the American ones.

Political strategists get chills down their spines. Daniel Remler from the right-wing conservative Center for a New American Security (CNAS) paints a grim picture: “The biggest concern is that the integration of Chinese AI models will draw countries into a Chinese technology sphere that is hardening into a geopolitical alignment.” Everyplace from Lagos to São Paulo to Jakarta, where entrepreneurs and governments are looking for affordable, open models, they will first look to Chinese AI. Everyplace from Lagos to São Paulo to Jakarta, where entrepreneurs and governments are looking for affordable, open models, they will first look to Chinese AI.“[8]

That is already the case. And this is the result of China’s tireless outreach to the Global South. In July of this year, China founded the World AI Cooperation Organization (Waico). Here, the People’s Republic of China wants to share its AI know-how with everyone. Here, 29 states from Asia, Africa, and South America have now gathered[9]. The artificial intelligence programs in this hemisphere are operated as open-source programs. All users can access the programs for free or modify them to their liking.

No wonder that Chinese open-source programs account for up to two-thirds of the downloaded programs in the Southern Hemisphere, Asia, and even Europe. Alone, the Alibaba programs were downloaded over three billion times in the last six months[10].

So. And now back to the dreams of the AI oligarchs. Brookings Professor Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh calculates that by 2032, the financial volume of the AI industry in the USA should account for about eight percent of the gross domestic product. So about as much as Americans spend on food. That’s impossible to fill. The AI oligarchs like Musk and Amodei are probably also realizing this. The incident with the escaped AI agents from OpenAI actually came just in time to promote a slowdown in the AI industry. Maybe Trump is supposed to keep the Chinese away from American shores? But the bang can no longer be ignored. A bang on the scale of the dot-com bubble explosion around the turn of the millennium. And just like after the dotcom crash, there will be countless company liquidations again now. Will small investors’ money be burned. The cleaned-up market is initially baking smaller rolls, only to rise like a phoenix from the ashes in the form of monopolies.

Artificial intelligence marches on. Either as a proprietary model à la Americaine or as a collaboratively shared open-source model.

Or maybe not?

The enemy lurks on the home front.

The stupid thing is: Artificial intelligence is at least as voracious as the human brain[11]. That’s why data centers are now being built all over the world. And they need, above all, electricity, electricity, and once again: electricity. For that, you need energy carriers and a lot of water to cool the units. In the USA alone, 183 gigawatts of electricity will be needed over the next seven years at the projected growth rate mentioned above[12]. But right now, only 57 gigawatts of electricity are available. So where to get the electricity from without stealing it? In the USA, the battle of residents in some regions against the plans for a data center on their doorstep has fully ignited. Often, the citizens have not been asked for their consent regarding the data centers in their neighborhood. Accordingly, the anger of the Americans is ignited against the new data centers. Currently, over sixty percent of the surveyed US citizens are against the construction of data centers[13]. They are not fundamentally against artificial intelligence. One definitely hopes for improvements in healthcare from AI. But humans and data centers are in open competition for food. If diesel and gasoline have already become so horrendously scarce and expensive, what will data centers snatch away from us in the future? The electricity prices have already gone up significantly anyway.

And Donald Trump doesn’t need to believe that the people’s anger has somehow left out the Republican base voters. The new anti-centrist movement is bipartisan. In the summer, 140 rallies took place in forty states of the USA. One thing is clear: for a good investment climate, the AI oligarchs need the support and backing of politics. But that looks bleak for the near future. Because politicians, not just from the Democratic Party, are increasingly distancing themselves from the construction projects of the AI industry.

And to make matters worse, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards had destroyed or damaged three Amazon Web Services data centers in the Persian Gulf in the summer. The losses and damages suffered by the Arab Gulf states due to the war also prevent the sheiks from pumping money into the US AI bubble.

These are all quite suboptimal conditions for the bloated AI industry in the USA. The AI bubble will burst. That is not even a question. We will see if this explosion will be a purifying storm for the American AI industry, or if the collapsing data centers can drag the rest of the US economy and thus society into the abyss.

Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/when-ai-bubble-burst/5943435

Pakistan Declares State of Emergency, Arrests Leaders of Former PM Imran Khan’s Party

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Lawyers scuffle with police during a protest in Lahore on October 12, 2026, condemning the

Arif ALI / AFP via Getty Images
John Hayward

Pakistan on Monday declared a state of emergency in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the stronghold of former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI party, and suspended the PTI-dominated government.

The central government claimed these drastic measures were necessary because provincial leaders were not doing enough to contain an Islamist insurgency leaking over the border from neighboring Afghanistan.

PTI officials dismissed the official government explanation as merely an excuse to arrest opposition leaders and prevent Khan supporters from marching on Islamabad.

Khan, 74, was ejected from the prime minister’s office in 2022 by a vote of no confidence and has been jailed since 2023 on numerous corruption charges – all of which his supporters denounce as political fabrications created by the administration of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to prevent Khan from making a political comeback.

PTI members have been rallying in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for days to prepare for the march on Islamabad, while government forces in the Pakistani capital have been blocking off roads and bracing for a siege.

Sharif asked PTI to postpone the march, due to the ongoing terrorist threat from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban – a violent insurgency that wants to overthrow Pakistan’s secular government and replace it with an Islamist caliphate modeled on the Afghan Taliban.

Just as the marchers were preparing to embark from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their week-long journey to Islamabad, President Asif Ali Zardari declared a state of emergency in the province and suspended the government. Zardari’s office said he signed the orders after the “failure of negotiations” between provincial representatives and emissaries from Islamabad.

Police arrested several high-ranking PTI members, including the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a Khan ally named Sohail Afridi. The police said some would only be detained temporarily, while others could face serious criminal charges. India’s The Hindu quoted two anonymous Pakistani police officials who said a total of 278 PTI members were detained.

The Hindu also said schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were closed on Monday, and “major disruptions to Internet connectivity” were detected in the province.

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said a provincial governor would be appointed for at least six months, or until the state of emergency is lifted.

PTI leaders and spokesmen sneered at Zardari’s order as an “ambush on democracy” and “a coup disguised as an emergency.”

The provincial governor, Faisal Karim Kundi, posted a video message saying that residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would welcome President Zardari’s order, because they want “peace, stability, development and prosperity rather than unrest and insecurity.”

Kundi urged the people of the province to “refrain from violating the law, inciting violence or engaging in rioting.”

Via https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2026/10/12/pakistan-declares-state-of-emergency-arrests-leaders-of-former-pm-imran-khans-party/

Biggest Threat To Today’s Data Centers in Battery Room

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Zero Hedge

Oct 13, 2026

As data centers continue to multiply, facilities are deploying industrial-scale Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units by the hundreds and substation-size front-of-the-meter Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to secure against grid failure, power surges, or other disruptions.

But while the battery units are looking after the servers, who is looking after the batteries?

In the last few years, lithium-ion batteries have become the backup power of choice for data center UPS and BESS systems, and for good reason. They have long lifespans, a small footprint, and superior energy density. While data centers tend to be safe, things can and do go wrong. When they do, it’s almost always related to lithium-ion batteries.

The September 2025 data center fire in South Korea that led to a paralyzing nationwide outage in government services started with a single lithium battery explosion. Last year, a battery room at the Chirisa Technology Parks data center in Virginia caught fire twice in two months. Firefighters who responded to a May 2025 fire at an Oregon data center leased by X flagged the battery room as the source of the blaze. As the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) noted recently, “Nearly every notable fire event in data centers in recent years has involved lithium-ion batteries in some way.”

The biggest safety threat to modern data centers’ backup battery systems falls on a single culprit: hydrogen. When a lithium-ion cell begins to fail, internal temperatures rise rapidly, forcing a breakdown in the battery’s internal chemistry. Hydrogen, the smallest and lightest molecule, is often the most measurable gas during the initial stages of failure. Unlike traditional vented lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion cells do not regularly emit hydrogen gas. When ‘off-gassing’ does occur, it usually means something has gone very wrong. Overcharging, cell damage, separator defects, internal short circuits, or even the formation of tiny lithium dendrites can trigger a state known as thermal runaway. If early warning detection systems are not installed, this is when things get dangerous fast.

Once thermal runaway is triggered, it’s a self-sustaining chain reaction. Rising heat melts the battery’s internal separator, causing a short circuit that rapidly generates heat. The extreme heat drives internal thermal decomposition, which releases fuel and oxygen. The release of oxygen feeds sustained combustion that can spike to more than 1,000°F (538°C) in a matter of seconds. Because the cell is sealed, the extreme heat and pressure cause the battery to burst into flames that can ignite neighboring cells and equipment.

While industry data shows a steady decline in BESS failure rates per gigawatt-hour of deployed capacity, the stakes are still high. Because the large-scale shift to lithium-ion battery configurations has only taken place during the last 3-5 years, hyperscalers, regulators, and insurers are beginning to catch up to the reality that lithium-ion deployments do not conform to legacy safety protocols.

Previous safety best practices that focused on ventilation to prevent critical concentrations of hydrogen during regular off-gassing are no longer sufficient for today’s battery rooms. Energy-dense lithium-ion cells are often packed in enclosed cabinets. This makes for a small footprint that can trap volatile gas beyond the reach of traditional ventilation units. Given the potential for a sudden flare-up, the safety approach for these configurations has shifted from ventilation to early-stage off-gas detection.

Regulations and standards are evolving accordingly to prioritize early detection and prevent worst-case scenarios. Standards like NFPA 855 were designed specifically for lithium-ion deployments, mandating continuous gas detection alongside standard exhaust systems.

Destructive testing standards, like UL 9540A, generate the fire-propagation data that inform spacing and suppression requirements in model codes and standards like NFPA 855. Additionally, UL 2075, a standard covering gas and vapor detector performance, is now being used in modern BESS and UPS environments to certify specific gas or off-gas detectors used to monitor hydrogen and hazardous gas accumulation in battery rooms.

While the standards and regulations evolve, their practical implementation has not kept pace with the scale of data center deployments. Designing a battery room layout that complies with specific standards and local fire and safety requirements is not exactly intuitive, nor is it top-of-mind for data centers focused on uptime and speed-to-market. Backup battery systems are largely treated as a necessary investment to satisfy stakeholders. In practice, the safety systems underwriting hyperscale battery deployments are not just check-boxes; they’re the first line of defense keeping the facility online and off the front-page news.

Anyone who has bought the wrong smoke detector for their home understands that not all safety equipment is created equal. Some battery room gas sensors are overly sensitive and cause false alarms, like the smoke detector that goes off anytime there’s a pan on the stove. Some gas sensors quickly lose calibration and require regular maintenance. Other sensors are not designed for integration into today’s smart anti-explosion and fire systems and building management systems.

When it comes to safety, too many data centers are left guessing. Industry standards and certification are making it easier for hyperscale operators to identify what they need to optimize safety. But with highly compressed timelines between standard operations and a thermal incident, it’s critical to monitor the very first signs of catastrophe. For today’s gigawatt-scale data centers, the earliest sign of failure isn’t smoke or fire, but hydrogen silently venting in a battery cabinet.

Data centers are rightly focused on delivering massive compute density and next-generation AI chips, but the systems powering those capabilities need rigorous attention as well. Securing a multi-billion-dollar deployment goes beyond acknowledging the thermal risks inherent in modern backup power systems to actively tracking the element responsible for turning a potential risk into an active crisis.

Via https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/biggest-threat-todays-data-centers-battery-room

As US Backs Saudi War, US Embassy Says Americans Have Been Arrested in Saudi Arabia for Social Media Posts, Photographing Attacks

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Smoke rises from a fire at the Aramco refinery south of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 3, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo<

by Dave DeCamp | October 12, 2026

As the US is strongly supporting Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued a warning to US citizens that Americans have been arrested inside the country for social media posts critical of the Saudi government and for taking photos of recent attacks.

Arrests for social media posts inside Saudi Arabia aren’t a new development, as the US has been warning its citizens for years about the practice and the fact that some arrests have led to 45-year prison sentences. A 24-year-old Sri Lankan migrant worker is currently facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia for a Facebook comment the government deemed “blasphemous” despite him deleting it and apologizing.

“Saudi authorities may detain you if they consider your social media posts or other online activity to be critical, offensive, or disruptive to the public order,” the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia said in a travel advisory issued on Monday.

“Some US citizens have been arrested for past social media activity, including comments posted while outside of Saudi Arabia. This may include posting, re-posting, or liking comments critical of the Saudi government or its leaders and policies. This also may apply to comments about public life or religion in Saudi Arabia,” the advisory added.

In a separate security alert, the Embassy noted that Americans have been detained over the policy concerning the current attacks the kingdom is facing from Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, in Yemen.

“Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior continues to warn that ‘filming, publishing, or sharing information related to counter missiles and drones and their impact sites exposes you to legal liability.’ American citizens have been detained for taking photos of recent events. Visitors and residents are subject to local laws while in Saudi Arabia,” the Embassy said.

In the travel advisory, the Embassy also noted that Americans in Saudi Arabia have faced exit bans that have lasted many years and that some have been detained in the country for years without charges. “You are subject to Saudi Arabia’s local laws when traveling in the country. The US government cannot guarantee your release if you are detained or arrested abroad,” the Embassy said.

The warnings highlight the human rights situation inside Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, as supporters of the US war with Iran often present the conflict as a humanitarian intervention. Saudi Arabia is also killing scores of civilians in its bombing campaign in Yemen, which the US is supporting by providing intelligence and refueling Saudi warplanes.

Via https://news.antiwar.com/2026/10/12/as-us-backs-saudi-war-us-embassy-says-americans-have-been-arrested-in-saudi-arabia-for-social-media-posts-photographing-attacks/

Qatar’s revenues crashed 42 percent in first half of 2026 as gas exports collapsed

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(Photo credit: Wojciech Wrzesien/Shutterstock)

The Cradle

OCT 13, 2026

QatarEnergy expects repairs to the damaged LNG trains to take up to five years, forcing Doha to seek replacement gas deals

Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani revealed on 13 October that state revenues plunged 42 percent in the first half of 2026 due to the closure of the Hormuz Strait and strikes on Ras Laffan, which crippled gas exports.

“It is only natural that the crisis would have a negative impact on public finances, as the total revenues declined by 42% during the first half of the year, while public expenditure fell by 14 percent, without compromising essential services or development priorities,” the emir said.

“We decided not to reduce essential services and opted to maintain our developmental priorities, in order to sustain Qatar’s ongoing economic momentum,” he added.

Iranian strikes put two of Qatar’s 14 liquefied natural gas (LNG) export trains out of action, taking about 17 percent of its capacity offline. QatarEnergy says repairs will take three to five years.

The World Bank expects Qatar’s economy to shrink 20.9 percent this year, the steepest contraction in the region and the country’s worst performance in five decades, after average monthly gas output fell by about 67 percent between March and July.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects a 15.6 percent contraction for 2026, followed by an 18.8 percent rebound in 2027.

The damage Qatar suffered from Iran’s retaliatory strikes during the US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic has sent Doha searching abroad for protection and for replacement gas.

On 2 October, Axios reported that the US had sent two additional Patriot batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to guard their oil and gas facilities. US President Donald Trump is weighing whether to relaunch his bombing campaign on Iran, after rejecting Tehran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi and Qatari leaders lobbied Trump against a major assault in August, fearing retaliation against their energy infrastructure. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has vowed to widen the war’s geography if attacks resume.

On 11 September, Reuters reported that QatarEnergy was negotiating multi-year LNG deals running to 2031 with Venture Global, Cheniere, and Woodside to replace output lost when Iran struck Ras Laffan.

Since then, the state firm has relied on spot cargoes to meet its commitments to Asian buyers, who take about 80 percent of its supply.

Via https://thecradle.co/articles/qatars-revenues-crashed-42-percent-in-first-half-of-2026-as-gas-exports-collapsed

Lula Campaign Accuses Facebook of Meddling in Brazilian Election

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Facebook meddling in Brazilian election – Lula campaign
Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, incumbent president of Brazil and presidential candidate, and Vice President Geraldo Alckimin pose during general election day on October 4, 2026, in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. © Getty Images
RT
12 Oct, 2026 13:02  
The US tech giant is suppressing ads ahead of a runoff against Flavio Bolsonaro, the president’s team says

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s campaign has accused US tech giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of interfering in the country’s presidential election in favor of his right-wing rival, Flavio Bolsonaro.

In a statement on Saturday, Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) accused Meta of repeatedly restricting its campaign activities while failing to provide convincing explanations. “The complete lack of transparency in the company’s systems makes these explanations scarce and opaque,” the statement read.

The campaign said the latest incident occurred between October 9 and 10, when Meta allegedly prevented Lula’s official Instagram account from boosting posts. It also claimed that the view count on one of Lula’s Instagram posts stopped increasing on October 8, affecting its reach, with similar problems registered on other accounts supporting the incumbent.

An internal analysis also suggested that Meta’s algorithms were skewed in favor of Bolsonaro, Lula’s campaign alleged, adding that posts on the right-wing contender’s page generated, on average, 2.96 times as much engagement as Lula’s, despite Bolsonaro having 17.2% fewer followers.

Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court subsequently ordered Meta to provide detailed technical explanations within 48 hours as well as to preserve relevant advertising data, moderation records, and audience metrics.

Meta has denied the allegations as “simply false and unsupported by the facts,” insisting that many of the technical problems were not limited to Brazil or specific accounts and that it is committed to treating all users equally.

The accusations against the US tech giant come amid a closely contested presidential race. Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro – who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup following his 2022 election defeat – received 47.03% of the vote in the first round, compared with Lula’s 45.16%. The two are due to face each other in a runoff on October 25.

US President Donald Trump has described Jair Bolsonaro’s prosecution as a “witch hunt,” with Washington imposing steep tariffs on Brazilian goods. While the US leader has stopped short of endorsing Bolsonaro Jr., Lula has described him as a “Trump candidate.”

Just days before the first round of the vote, Meta blocked the advertising account on Facebook used by Lula’s campaign, preventing it from running new ads. While the account was restored within hours, Meta offered no specific explanation for the suspension.

Earlier this month, Brazilian authorities requested an investigation into alleged US funding for activities intended to interfere with the elections and undermine the Supreme Federal Court. The move followed a Guardian report claiming that the Trump administration had earmarked $1 million for a project called ‘Countering Lawfare and Censorship in Brazil’. However, Brazil’s Federal Police later closed its preliminary review, citing insufficient evidence to open a criminal investigation.

Last month, Lula’s campaign accused Trump of seeking to “colonize” Brazil in a bid to gain access to its natural resources.

Via https://rt-english.com/news/647090-facebook-meddling-brazil-election/

Netanyahu demands criminal probe into Israeli soldiers in award-winning doc

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Netanyahu demands criminal probe into Israeli soldiers in award-winning doc
©  Sean Gallup/Getty Images
RT
12 Oct, 2026 
The film ‘NAZA’ drew on 24 anonymous sources accusing Israeli military of killing Palestinians in Gaza using AI

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a criminal investigation into anonymous sources depicted as Israeli soldiers in a documentary alleging that the country’s military used AI-powered targeting systems to kill civilians in Gaza, according to a letter released by the premier’s office, as cited by The Times of Israel.

NAZA, an 80-minute-long film – the name alludes to an Israeli military shorthand for expected “collateral casualties” – is based on the accounts of anonymous Israeli military and intelligence insiders alleging that the IDF heavily relied on AI systems to identify people and homes for attack on a massive scale, often disregarding collateral civilian casualties. Some insiders described the process as “insanely fun” and akin to a “video game.” Israeli insiders allege in the film that the IDF used an AI system called Lavender to identify assassination targets, relying on data from thousands of hacked phones. Even the phrase “daddy’s home” detected on a child’s phone could reportedly trigger an attack.

The documentary, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, received a 25-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize.

The IDF has rejected the allegations, arguing that the identities of the whistleblowers “cannot be verified” and casting doubt on whether the interviewed sources served in the military at all.

On Monday, Netanyahu called on IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, chief of Israel’s domestic security service David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to launch a criminal probe into the soldiers who appeared anonymously in the documentary over what he described as “serious information security offenses, criminal defamation, and harming Israel’s diplomatic and security interests.” The prime minister stressed that investigators must identify those involved.

According to the letter released by Netanyahu’s office, those involved in the film may have committed criminal offenses, including leaking classified information and breaching security at a highly sensitive intelligence unit.

Immediately after the film premiered at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 10, several senior Israeli politicians condemned its creators. Culture Minister Miki Zohar went as far as accusing the two Oscar-winning directors of treason and threatening to strip them of their Israeli citizenship.

At the time, Netanyahu pledged to seek new legislation giving West Jerusalem the power to strip citizenship from people who smear Israeli soldiers.

The IDF has acknowledged using AI for military purposes, including a system known as The Gospel that rapidly generates targeting recommendations. In April 2024, media reports citing Israeli intelligence sources said Lavender had flagged about 37,000 people as suspected terrorists, with personnel sometimes spending only seconds reviewing its recommendations. Sources cited by The Guardian also alleged that, in the war’s early weeks, the military permitted the killing of 15 to 20 civilians in strikes on low-ranking militants. The IDF has rejected the allegations.

Via https://rt-english.com/news/647092-netanyahu-naza-israeli-soldiers-probe/

Telegraph Investigation Raises Questions over Trump’s Board of Peace

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The Cradle

Trump’s Gaza ‘Peace’ Board raises questions over arms, illegal settlements, and private profit

A Telegraph investigation published on 10 October has raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest within US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP), the body overseeing plans for ‘post-war Gaza.’

According to the report, several board members are tied to investments linked to Israel’s military industry, illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, and business ventures that could financially benefit from the board’s work.

Critics cited by the newspaper have described the BoP as a “recipe for kleptocratic oligarchy,” arguing that Gaza’s future is being shaped by billionaire investors and real estate interests rather than independent diplomats.

Jared Kushner’s investment firm, Affinity Partners, backed largely by Saudi, Qatari, and Emirati sovereign wealth funds, holds a stake in Phoenix Financial, which invests in Israeli companies linked to the military. Among them is Smart Shooter, whose AI-powered rifle sights, armed drones, and remote-controlled weapons have been used by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza and recently secured a US military contract worth up to $150 million.

Phoenix also finances companies involved in expanding illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, including firms listed in the UN database of businesses operating in settlements.

The investigation also highlights broader financial ties between the board’s members and Gulf investment funds, including Qatari backing for both Kushner’s ventures and a new Trump-branded golf resort in Qatar.

Despite these concerns, Kushner and other board members denied any conflicts of interest, insisting their investments are indirect and unrelated to the board’s work.

Board of Peace insiders claim preparations for Gaza’s post-war administration, reconstruction, an international stabilization force, and a new police force are largely complete, with a renewed US push expected after the Israeli elections and US midterm elections.

For many observers, the Board of Peace has come to symbolize a model that intertwines reconstruction with the same political, military, and financial interests that helped sustain the genocide. With the US-backed ceasefire effectively collapsed and nearly 1,500 Palestinians killed since it took effect, the initiative has become less a path to “peace” than a mechanism for entrenching control over Gaza’s reconstruction, resources, and future.

Via https://t.me/thecradlemedia/69258

US threatens to cut off weapons, intel to Ukraine over attacks on Russian energy sites

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(Photo credit: Agence France-Presse)

The Cradle

OCT 12, 2026

Putin has offered to halt strikes on Ukraine for a day for Kiev to hold elections, while Zelensky says a 60-day ceasefire is needed to do so

Washington is threatening to stop supplies of weapons to Ukraine to pressure Kiev to halt its strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, the Financial Times (FT) reported on 12 October, citing officials in Europe.

US officials have contacted European diplomats saying the US plans to cut off intelligence sharing and shutter the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List mechanism (Purl) for procuring US weapons for Ukraine if the strikes on Russian oil refineries are not ended.

“They are calling Kyiv … they are calling everyone [in Europe],” said a European official who received a call.

Zelensky has come under pressure from Trump to end attacks on Russian refineries amid a spike in world energy prices, in particular in diesel fuel, as a result of the US president’s attack on Iran in February alongside Israel.

Trump is seeking a way to lower diesel prices in the US ahead of the midterm elections in November.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement on social media claiming that Ukraine and Russia had reached a ceasefire to halt attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure.

“Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said it was unaware of the deal.

“Nobody has heard [of the ceasefire],” a senior Ukrainian official close to Zelensky told FT on Sunday.

The Kremlin did not comment.

Before Trump’s announcement, Zelensky said Ukraine is willing to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries as “early as today” if Russia stops its strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

In a Sunday interview with ABC News, Zelensky also proposed holding elections in Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees to a 60-day ceasefire.

“Of course, we will be ready for any choice of our people, exactly Ukrainian people … On this question, I know that Putin wanted very much to change the president in Ukraine.”

Ukraine was supposed to hold presidential elections in March 2024 and parliamentary elections in October 2023.
Both elections were postponed because Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Putin stated on Sunday that Moscow would consider halting airstrikes deep into Ukraine if elections are held, but only on election day. The 5 to 10 million Ukrainians living in territory seized by Moscow during the war and annexed to Russia should have the right to vote, he emphasized.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Galuzin reiterated Putin’s offer, adding that “there is no talk yet of the practical organization of voting in Ukraine.”

Galuzin also drew attention to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory during previous Russian election campaigns.

On Saturday, Trump’s frustrations with Zelensky appeared to boil over as he suggested he be replaced.

“I suggest they get a new leader who can make a [peace] deal,” but “for some reason [Zelensky] never does,” Trump stated while speaking at the White House.

Trump claimed Zelensky has “lost 30 percent of your country and you’ve had over a million people die, between the two of them, over 2 million people killed. That’s a war that should have never started. And I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president.”

On Friday, Trump announced he had reached a deal with Putin for the US to purchase more than 300,000 tons of Russian diesel fuel for immediate release into US and global markets.

The deal called for another 500,000 tons to follow in November and a further 1 million tons soon after.

[…]

Via https://thecradle.co/articles/us-threatens-to-cut-off-weapons-intel-to-ukraine-over-attacks-on-russian-energy-sites

Top energy CEOs pull out of Riyadh conference after Ansarallah airport strikes

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The Cradle

Several of the world’s top energy executives were removed from the schedule of the WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh following Ansarallah’s strikes on the Saudi capital, Reuters reported on 12 October.

The chief executives of ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell, Chevron, and BP were all expected to attend but were no longer listed on the conference agenda.

BP cited travel disruptions, while Shell declined to comment and the other companies did not immediately respond.

The congress is being held around 10 kilometers from King Khalid International Airport, which has been targeted by the Yemeni Armed Forces at least four times in the past week.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman insisted the kingdom remained safe despite acknowledging the attacks were serious and required an “equally serious” response.

The strikes have dealt another blow to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Saudi Arabia into a global investment and tourism hub through major international events.

The congress, originally scheduled for April, had already been postponed following the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The latest Ansarallah attacks came after repeated warnings by Sanaa to avoid Saudi airports, with Saudi authorities choosing to keep air traffic operating.

Via https://t.me/thecradlemedia/69272