This is edition 2025/182 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Hi all,
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. Duplicity in the Modern World
Michael Bassett
- 🌍 The world has entered an era of deception where few things are straightforward, most clearly seen in authoritarian regimes.
- ⚔️ Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine violated the UN Charter’s rule against one sovereign state invading another.
- 🪖 Russia’s UN veto shielded it from international action, unlike in 1950 when North Korea’s invasion led to the Korean War.
- 📢 Putin has placed Russia on a war footing, telling citizens to fear “Western terrorists” while branding Ukraine’s defenders as aggressors.
- 🧠 Many of Russia’s brightest have fled; over 100,000 troops are dead, and its economy now ranks around 11th globally, reliant on oil exports.
- ⚖️ Putin faces an ICC arrest warrant but is driven by a mission to restore Soviet-era borders with support from the Russian Orthodox Church.
- 😔 Global condemnation has been weak, and Russia’s aggression continues to threaten European security.
- 🇺🇸 Donald Trump, a Putin admirer, mirrors this authoritarian style, vowing to use the military against his political opponents.
- 🔫 His claims about Democrat-run cities being lawless are exaggerated; crime is widespread due to guns and drugs across the US.
- 💢 Trump’s resentment over losing the 2020 election fuels his “payback” agenda, counting on loyalty from his Supreme Court appointees.
- ⚖️ A federal judge called Trump’s National Guard actions “untethered to the facts,” raising questions about judicial independence and integrity.
- 🇳🇿 In New Zealand, duplicity also thrives — the Green Party’s rhetoric has shifted from environmentalism to class struggle and militant activism.
- ✊ Leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s gestures and the party’s focus on Gaza reflect a radical turn that incites destructive behaviour among supporters.
- 🕊 Once-stable global norms and agreements, like Ukraine’s 1990s security guarantees, now seem fragile and unenforced.
- 📱 Social media platforms and partisan mainstream media amplify division and short-term emotion over thoughtful reflection.
- 🧭 The world must rediscover moral clarity — to weigh the long-term repercussions of deceit and resist being swept away by constant duplicity.
