Britain braces for fuel price surge: Saudi Arabia shuts key oil pipeline as catastrophic new war fronts open up

 Britain is on alert for a fuel price surge as catastrophic new war fronts in the Middle East threaten shipping and oil around the world.

Last night Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West pipeline after it came under aerial attack, potentially from Iranian-backed terrorists in Iraq.

The 745-mile-long pipeline running across the whole country had helped the Saudis to bypass the chaos in the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has slowed to a trickle due to the war between the US and Iran.

But on Thursday morning, it was hit from above - with the resulting miles-high smokestacks visible from space.  Global oil prices have risen above $100 (£74) per barrel once again as a result, just days after unleaded petrol prices rose in the UK by 5p a litre in the space of a week, according to the RAC, which warned there was "no sign of any relief".

Fuel prices have soared since the war with Iran began at the end of February, with the fighting severely disrupting supplies of crude oil - a key ingredient in petrol and diesel - across the Middle East.

While the price of Brent is still below its April peak of $120, it's still far above the $70 it was trading at before the conflict started. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which battled the Royal Navy more than two years ago, are now reemerging as a force to be reckoned with, and could soon have the power to shut off the Red Sea.

If they do so, ships hoping to travel from Europe to Asia and vice versa would have to sail around the whole of Africa, increasing shipping costs around the globe.

FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/fuel-price-fears-saudi-arabia-houthis-iran-war 

Russians seek answers over hundreds missing after Ukraine's 2024 incursion

  "I used to have complete faith in our country," says Lyubov. The last time she spoke to her mother was a day after Ukrainian forces broke into Russia's Kursk region more than two years ago.

Now she feels "resentful towards the [Russian] state", in a country where most people avoid criticising the full-scale invasion unleashed on Ukraine in February 2022. The local governor says more than 300 Russians are still missing in Kursk region, but no-one really knows the true figure.

Lyubov says she tried to persuade her mother to leave her village in the Sudzha area, but blames Russian state TV "propaganda" for her refusal to listen. Some 2,000 people remained in the settlements captured by Ukraine's military, Russian authorities estimate.

"The state channels were convincing viewers that 'everything is under control: two or three days, and it'll be just as it was before'," she recalls. She still fails to understand why Russian authorities could not stop Ukrainian soldiers storming two border checkpoints in August 2024, taking around 40 prisoners and bombing a convoy carrying Russian soldiers.

Within six days they had overrun more than 777 sq km (300 sq miles) of Russian territory, as Ukraine's military sought to divert Russian forces away from their front-line offensive. For most of the next eight months, mobile and internet links were down.

Russia's foreign ministry repeatedly accused Ukraine of war crimes against civilians: allegations rejected in Kyiv as completely unfounded. Nearly 200 Russians sent a letter to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and the United Nations, asking them to organise a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians.

It never happened and, by late autumn, battles raged as Russian forces sought to retake the territory. Lyubov and others who had lost contact with their loved ones began to form groups.

FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62ene9kr71o

AI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher says

  An AI researcher who quit Anthropic has stated that people working on the technology are "genuinely frightened" about the speed of its advancements and what it could mean for humanity.

Jacob Coxon spoke on Saturday about his viral resignation post where he raised concerns about out-of-control artificial intelligence.

"I believe that if we don't slow down at the current rate of progress, there is a strong chance that we could all die in the immediate future," he said.

His resignation comes amid growing safety concerns in the industry, including from his former boss, head of Anthropic Dario Amodei, who in an essay on Saturday argued for development to slow down.

However some industry figures say the dangers are being overblown, possibly to build hype around the two biggest AI companies ahead of their potential stock market debut or to prompt regulation which would slow their competitors.

Coxon, a 27-year-old from Britain whose research focuses on training AI models, said AI leaders including Elon Musk and OpenAI's Sam Altman have shared similar concerns to Amodei. "They've all made statements about the necessity of being careful of the potential for AI takeover. They've all talked about this. AI takeover implies human extinction," Coxon said.

The hardest question to answer, according to Coxon, is what that would look like. "Any kind of concrete scenario you can lay out ends up sounding like science fiction," Coxon said, but notes that advancements which have already happened would have sounded like fiction in the past.

A potential scenario could involve AI agents hacking into medical laboratories to "autonomously produce deadly viruses", Coxon said. Another example he listed could be AI hacking into "critical infrastructure that the world runs on".

The researcher points out a recent report from OpenAI, which detailed how its own technology went on a hacking spree against an online platform called Hugging Face. "They did it autonomously, without any human encouragement. They chose to go on this hacking spree. It was the combination of things getting faster and things also getting scarier," Coxon said.

One of the risks outlined in Amodei's comments was of a swarm of bots acting like a supercomputer that could take over the internet. Coxon said this scenario could be realistic in six months to a year.

Anthropic and OpenAI are reportedly preparing for potentially record-setting initial public offerings. Industry figures have suggested comments about the perils and power of AI may be designed to generate hype. Other critics say Anthropic has been trying to trigger a regulatory push to block competition, leaving it and OpenAI with a duopoly.

Coxon's views have also been questioned by the CEO of the AI platform Hugging Face, Clement Delangue. "Sorry, but asking Jacob about AI extinction risk is like asking your AC guy about climate change," he wrote on X. "Not saying it's necessarily uninteresting or wrong per se but let's keep things in perspective."

After Amodei's essay on Saturday, however, Delangue offered to help be a part of the potential solutions proposed by the Anthropic boss. Nvidia boss Jensen Huang also discussed Coxon's comments before a crowd at a conference hosted by the investment bank Goldman Sachs last week, multiple people in the group told the BBC. They said he dismissed them as untrue.

Huang has previously said the notion that AI "is going to be the end of humanity" is "complete nonsense". And while he may have a business interest in an AI boom - Nvidia builds chips that power AI systems - his comments reflect a growing backlash in Silicon Valley to the existential warnings from current and former staffers.

FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kx0gyje9wo

Anthropic boss Dario Amodei calls for AI development to slow down

  The head of AI company Anthropic has called for the pace of development of artificial intelligence models to slow down and to be closely monitored.

In an essay, Dario Amodei said developing AI was not in question, but the risks associated with it were "serious" and companies and governments must be given time to address them.

The bosses of two rival AI firms, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk, have both said they agree with Amodei.

There have been growing concerns recently about the technology's potential risks. An AI researcher who left Anthropic this week told the BBC that "if we don't slow down at the current rate of progress, there is a strong chance that we could all die in the immediate future".

Jacob Coxon told Laura Kuenssberg that people working at AI companies were "genuinely frightened... genuinely concerned about the fate of humanity in the next two years".

"It's not at all an exaggeration to say that the people who are involved with both founding these companies and building the tech believe there is a possibility of human extinction," Coxon said.

"Many of the people who are sort of deep in the weeds on actually coding the thing believe that there is like a greater than ten percent chance, or even greater. Some smaller, but they all have different numbers for a probability that humans might die. And they all keep this in their head on a daily basis while working on the technology."

FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c14dpgm0rg4o

Trump's comments on a united Ireland may have targeted audience across the Atlantic

 When another world leader meets US President Donald Trump the only certainty about what might happen is the uncertainty about what might happen.

This was exactly the case ahead of President Trump's two-day visit to Ireland. Nobody could have predicted that by the end of the first day, the main global headline would be his desire to see a unified Ireland. 

As the shockwaves of his remarks rippled through this island and Great Britain, it was unclear whether this represented a new US administration policy, or an off-the-cuff remark from a president who likes to take questions from reporters, and likes to give answers.

Former Republican Congressman Mick Mulvaney was Trump's special envoy to Northern Ireland in his first term in office.

He cautioned against anyone reading too much into the president's remarks. "This does not represent a shift in US foreign policy," he said. "We're still very much committed to the Good Friday Agreement."

Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle agreed. "There is bipartisan support for that deal, and that is not going to change." Although both agreed that Donald Trump was probably right to say that "eventually" unification would happen, that did not mean the US was about to start pushing for it. Giving an answer to a question that is asked at a free-flowing press conference is one thing, but Donald Trump repeated his sentiments a short time later when he was delivering a speech to an invited audience at the US Ambassador's residence.

In fact it was almost the first thing he mentioned, hinting that maybe he realised he had kicked over a can of worms at his earlier appearance. The rest of that speech was curious. It was billed as a 20-minute address to Irish and Irish American business leaders, but was about twice that and strayed largely into domestic US matters.

President Trump has a speaking style that he describes himself as "the weave". He can bounce from topic to topic during any speaking engagement, veering off the script and then returning to the matter at hand.

Today he lauded his own achievements, as he sees them, such as clamping down on illegal immigration, doing deals and boosting defence production. He repeated his criticisms once again of what he views as the UK's lack of support for his military operation in Iran.

FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyzppd1d5lo

"Today in History: Europe Crushes the Ottoman Jihad at Vienna" by Raymond Ibrahim

 Two days ago we saw how September 11 was, before being a day of tragedy, a day of victory, after a small band of knights delivered the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta from Islam on September 11, 1565.

As a reflection of the nonstop jihad against the West, it just so happens that another major Christian victory — much more famous than the siege of Malta — also took place around the now ominous date of 9/11: the delivery of Vienna from arguably the largest Muslim army ever to invade European territory. That instructive story follows.

In July 1683, some 200,000 Ottoman combatants invaded Austria. By July 14, they had surrounded the walls of Vienna, where Ottoman grand vizier Kara Mustafa was following the protocol laid out by his prophet Muhammad in 628: “Aslam taslam” — “submit [to Islam] and have peace.” Before 1683, that formulation had been in use for a thousand years, resulting in the older and greater portions of the then-Christian world — including all of the Middle East, Egypt, North Africa, Spain, the Balkans, and Constantinople — to be conquered.

Although Starhemberg, the Viennese commander in charge, did not bother to respond to the three choices he was offered, graffiti inside the city — including “Muhammad, you dog, go home!” — captured its mood.

The next day, Mustafa unleashed all hell against the city’s walls. For two months, the holed-up and vastly outnumbered Viennese suffered plague, dysentery, starvation, and many casualties as their walls rocked day and night to the thunderous bombardment.

Then, sometime around September 11, as the Muslims were about to burst through the walls, the desperate commander fired distress rockets into the night sky to give “notice to the Christian army” — that is, the relief force Vienna had beyond all hope been counting on — “of the extremity whereto the city was reduced.”

FULL ARTICLE AT: https://raymondibrahim.substack.com/p/today-in-history-europe-crushes-the?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=6873559&post_id=215394629&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1v9n4o&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Lightning Houthi advance in Yemen may bring dangerous new dimension to Iran war

 The Houthis' lightning advance across the southern reaches of the Tihamah – Yemen's arid coastal plain – appears to have taken most observers by surprise.

Until recently, the anti-Houthi coalition known as the National Resistance held significant territory along Yemen's Red Sea coast. In a matter of days, much of this has fallen to the Houthis.

According to some estimates, the Iranian-backed rebels have captured as much as 130km (81 miles) of the country's strategically important coastline.

It's the group's most impressive military coup for several years, proving that despite a civil war that has lasted 12 years, devastating Saudi air raids and attacks by American, Israeli and British forces, the Houthis remain a force to be reckoned with.

With their opponents stunned and demoralised, it's unlikely the Houthis will be dislodged any time soon. "Now that they are there, they're going to be entrenched," Hisham al-Omeisi, senior analyst at the Brussels-based European Institute of Peace, told the BBC. "And it's going to be a lot more costly to push them out."

Of course, the Houthis are not alone. They enjoy the backing of Iran, support that has become even more important for Tehran in the wake of the setbacks and defeats experienced by other parts of its so-called "Axis of Resistance" – Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas in Gaza and the Assad regime in Syria.

"So they redirected their support to the Houthis," al-Omeisi said. "And of course they need that support." Even though most analysts agree that it's a mistake simply to describe the Houthis as Iranian puppets, events of the past few days raise an uncomfortable new reality.

FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v4zgzr1kxo

Saudi Arabia shuts key oil pipeline after drone attack launched from Iraq

 Saudi Arabia has closed a critical oil pipeline after it was attacked by drones launched from Iraq, as conflict in the Middle East widens.

Iraq said it had fired a military commander and launched an investigation after admitting the drone attack on its neighbour's East-West pipeline had originated in one of its provinces bordering Iran.

The 1,200km (745 mile) pipeline has helped Saudi Arabia - the world's largest crude oil exporter - bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

The incident comes amid a major advance by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, putting more pressure on global oil shipping routes as the US-Iran war stretches into its seventh month. Riyadh on Friday said it had shut the pipeline as a precaution, as satellite images of scorched ground and smoke near the site emerged.

The foreign ministry said the attack resulted in some injuries and damage, which was still being assessed. The pipeline has been moving 4% to 5% of global oil supply, news agency Reuters has reported, citing ship tracking companies and analysts.

Saudi Arabia has chosen not to retaliate at this stage, its foreign ministry says, following a call from Iraq's prime minister. It said the kingdom would "support the efforts of the Iraqi government" to "prevent attacks" launched from the country against neighbouring states.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia affirms that it reserves its right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and security, protect its facilities, and ensure the safety of its citizens and residents," the statement added.

The Iraqi prime minister's office in its own statement said the operations commander in the Maysan governorate - a province which borders Iran - had been removed from his post following confirmation the drone attack had been launched from that region.

FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62m933465eo

 

On Everybody’s List: Jews Face ‘The Greatest Threat Ever’

By Jan Markell - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2026/09/10/on-everybodys-list-jews-face-the-greatest-threat-ever-by-jan-markell/

Let that headline settle in your mind and heart. You don’t even have to be pro-Israel to find it disturbing. And it may be one of the most significant “signs of the times” today.

One of my favorite writers, Jonathan Brentner, states, “The steadily intensifying antisemitism of our day points to the reality of the rapidly approaching Tribulation period. It’s one of the more distinguishing signs of our time because it aligns with so many prophecies that predict hatred for Israel and the Jews during the last days.”

U.S. Democrats

Almost all members of the Democrat Party in Washington have turned on Israel. They have approved financial aid to Israel since 1950 and much more after 1973. In recent years, it has been $3 billion a year—which they now wish to cancel. According to Pew Research, eight-out-of-ten Democrats view Israel unfavorably. Consider that as recently as 2015, most all Democrats were pro-Israel.

(CLICK HERE TO READ)

A Slanderous Anti-Netanyahu Conspiracy, Iranian Attacks, And British Punishments

By Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/a-slanderous-anti-netanyahu-conspiracy-iranian-attacks-and-british-punishments/

Opponents of Prime Minister Netanyahu have been desperately attempting to smear the PM prior to the upcoming elections at the end of October.

The latest slander came in the form of an allegation that came through the newspaper Haaretz that UAE President Mohammad bin Zayed warned the PM of the October 7 massacre prior to it taking place.

Netanyahu immediately denied the allegation and his party, Likud, opened an investigation into the defamation. Now, they say they have discovered the culprit, a UAE-based Palestinian politician named Mohammad Dahlan. The evidence is substantial and the conspiracy goes deep, reaching even to leading left-wing Israeli politicians. The attached article is an important read to fully understand the attack. This will be a situation that bears following in the days ahead.

(CLICK HERE TO READ)

Houthis claim major advance in Yemen and tighten grip on Red Sea shipping lane

 Yemen's Houthis have claimed a major advance on the western Red Sea coast, consolidating their grip on the key international shipping route.

The Iran-backed group seized Perim Island at the mouth of the waterway in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a source from Yemen's internationally recognised government told the BBC.

It comes a day after the Houthis captured the strategic port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces, according to military sources. A Yemeni military official told the AFP news agency the Houthis now control the entire coastline.

The Houthis earlier said they posed no threat to international shipping but reiterated their threat to target vessels from Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto ruler, has personally pressed US President Donald Trump to take military action against the Houthis during their rapid advance, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News - the BBC's media partner in North America.

Trump has so far declined to involve the US military directly, offering instead to assist with intelligence and targeting support, the sources said.

A senior Trump administration official later told the BBC: "We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen government regarding regional stability."

FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c23x72yx2rvo

Israel says it has destroyed major underground Hezbollah base

 Israel's military says it has destroyed a large underground complex operated by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

It said it used more than 1,000 tonnes of explosives to destroy two tunnels spanning more than 2km (1.2 miles) beneath the Ali Taher Ridge.

The blast triggered seismic activity equivalent to a magnitude 4.1 earthquake, according to the US Geological Survey.

There was no immediate public response from Hezbollah or the Lebanese government. Israeli forces took control of the ridge last week after months of fighting with the Iran-backed group there. The Israeli military occupies a large swathe of southern Lebanon captured after the conflict with Hezbollah resumed in March.

Images released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) showed a fireball lighting up the sky.

"The sky lit up and about 15 seconds later we heard the terrifying sound," Ahamed, a resident in Nabatieh, about 6km west of the ridge, told the BBC. "The house shook all together as if it was literally an earthquake."

He said people were screaming and children were crying, and that cars filled the roads as people left the area for Beirut. Tremors were even felt in the coastal city of Saida 40km north.

The IDF said the underground infrastructure included a command centre used by Hezbollah's Badr unit and contained dozens of rockets, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as anti-tank weapons, mines and explosives.

"This was strategic infrastructure that was constructed over two decades, funded and planned by the Iranian terror regime," the IDF said in a statement on Telegram.

"All of the terrorists who were inside the infrastructure were eliminated or fled."

FULL REPORT AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gl92lw8vpo