UK Column News - 31st October 2025

In this deep-dive episode of the Silk and Steel Podcast, host Carl Tsai is joined by Dr. Warwick Powell, an expert on supply chains, digital systems, and political economy. We break down the recent Trump-Xi summit, the second round of the U.S.-China trade war, and the surprising outcomes that signal a major walk-back by the Trump administration. Dr. Powell offers a razor-sharp analysis of why the tariff strategy has failed, the real-world consequences for global supply chains, and the deeper structural problems within the U.S. economy.CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Introduction01:22 - Dr. Warwick Powell's Background: Supply Chains, Digital Systems & Political Economy02:48 - Breaking Down the Trump-Xi Summit & The 12-Month "Ceasefire"06:10 - The Folly of "Trump Economics": Why Tariffs Failed to Reshore Industry09:43 - The Real Trigger: BIS 50% Rule & The Nexperia Seizure13:18 - Incoherent U.S. Policy: Lack of Strategic Coordination in the Trump Administration17:00 - Will the Ceasefire Hold? The High Probability of Future Flare-ups21:15 - A Full Walk-Back: Assessing the Damage and Trump's "Victory" Claim25:45 - The Dutch Government's Blunder: A Cautionary Tale of Geopolitical Loyalty30:30 - The Madness of Supply Chain Disruption: Real Impacts on Jobs and Livelihoods33:50 - Why Was Trump Allowed to Wreak Havoc? The Role of Finance & Tech Capital40:20 - The AI Bubble: Parallels to the Dot-Com Bust and Physical Constraints45:35 - America's Energy Crisis: The Unsolvable Bottleneck for AI and Industry52:10 - Can the U.S. Reindustrialize? The Systemic Barriers of Skills, Education, and Infrastructure01:01:45 - Where to Find Dr. Warwick Powell's WorkThe UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/

Mike Robinson, Patrick Henningsen and Mark Anderson with today's UK Column News. 00:00 Welcome00:40 Andrew: The Grand Old Duke of York is no more.08:03 Trump Venezuela: Analysis of Trump’s South America strategy13:17 CIA: Drug trafficking in South America22:02 Trump Xi: Takeaways from China meeting31:30 EU Nukes: UK weapons could be given to Europe 35:04 Pentagon Press Control: New reporting rules cause fury among journalists38:27 Check out UKC’s website and support our work42:14 Oil Sanctions: Trump’s measures against Russia examined51:02 UK Online Safety Act: Two years of censorship57:21 UK-Israeli Censorship: Dr Rahmeh Aladwan’s treatment1:00:28 Trump Gaza ‘ceasefire’: UpdateThe UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/

In this chat, Jerm and Todd Hayen, a psychotherapist and author who's peeled back the layers of societal manipulation and engineered conformity, expose the hive-mind grip on society and the hidden agendas rigging our systems from the shadows. Todd points out that if folks snapped out of their programmed uniformity, the elite's manufactured crises would crumble, yet he notes even those with good intentions get ensnared in the web of errors. The discussion drives home how the current setup serves dark purposes far from benefiting the masses, pushing everyone to wake up, spot the deceptions, and challenge the puppet masters pulling the strings.Todd's Substack: https://www.shrewviews.comThe UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/

Mike Robinson speaks to José Biomorgi, the Venezuelan ambassador to Lebanon and Syria. They discuss the increasing tensions between Venezuela and the United States, highlighting US interests in Venezuelan resources, and the role of Britain in shaping narratives against the current Venezuelan Government. He reflects on his role as Ambassador to Syria and the regime change operation there, and discusses the future challenges facing Syria and Lebanon. The UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/

In this conversation, Jerm and Shannon Joy, a no-holds-barred radio host who's relentlessly exposed the deep state's Covid deceptions and the rigged political theatre that keeps the masses compliant, dissect the post-COVID landscape where so-called governance changes are nothing but smoke and mirrors crafted by elite psyops to manipulate perceptions through controlled media. They rip into the pitfalls of political sell-outs that pave the way for technocratic overlords, championing raw individual choice as the ultimate weapon against creeping tyranny, while sharing tales of personal awakenings that shatter illusions, the grit of local resistance to counter globalist overreach, and the unstoppable force of mass refusal to bow to invasive tech agendas, all underpinned by a fierce insistence on clinging to hope and faith to cut through the engineered chaos of this manipulated world. Shannon's website: https://theshannonjoy.comThe UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/

Join us for an incredible conversation with legendary journalist Pepe Escobar, fresh off the road from a groundbreaking trip across China's Xinjiang region. We traveled the modern Silk Road, from the high-tech capital of Urumqi to the ancient oasis of Kashgar, and what we witnessed completely shatters the Western media narrative.In this episode, Pepe contrasts his travels in Xinjiang from 25 years ago with the reality on the ground today. We discuss the mind-boggling modernization, the seamless integration of ethnic groups, the truth behind the "redevelopment" of Kashgar's old city, and the shocking scale of the Belt and Road Initiative's infrastructure. This is a firsthand, on-the-ground account you won't get anywhere else.TIMESTAMPS: Key Topics Discussed(00:00) - Introduction to Pepe Escobar, the "OG" Foreign Correspondent(01:45) - Pepe's Career: From Asia Times to Being Smeared as a "CCP Agent"(06:50) - The Mission: Documenting the New Silk Road in Xinjiang(08:45) - First Impressions: The "Enormous Shock" of Modern Xinjiang(11:30) - The Karakoram Highway & China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)(13:45) - Crossing the Taklamakan Desert: A Modern Engineering Marvel(16:10) - The Reality of Kashgar: From Segregated City to Integrated Hub(19:30) - An Emotional Moment: Showing Locals Footage of Their City from 1998(22:45) - People-to-People Exchange: Han Chinese, Uyghurs, and Others Living & Working Together(25:15) - The Tourism Boom: Driven Domestically, Missing Westerners Due to "Demonization"(29:00) - On the Ground Security: Facial Recognition, Polite Police, and the Real Story(33:45) - The Upcoming Documentary: A "Multipolar" BRICS Production(37:20) - Plans for Part 2: Focusing on Northern Xinjiang and Central Asian Borders(41:50) - Xinjiang as a High-Tech & Green Energy Hub(47:10) - The Power of Long-Term Planning: 5-Year Plans vs. Western Short-Termism(52:30) - The "Asian Century" is Already Here: The Vibe of Development vs. Western Decline(58:00) - China's Offer to the Global South vs. The Washington Consensus(01:01:30) - How to Follow Pepe Escobar's WorkRESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONEDFollow Pepe Escobar on Telegram: @rockandrollgeopolitics (His primary channel for all his latest columns and analysis)Pepe's Columns Can Be Found At: Sputnik International, Strategic Culture, and The Cradle.CONNECT WITH USFollow Carl Zha: Twitter @CarlZhaFollow Pepe Escobar: On Telegram @rockandrollgeopolitics💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATIONWhat was the most surprising thing you learned from this conversation?Given the stark contrast between this account and Western media reports, what questions do you still have about Xinjiang?Let us know in the comments below!#Xinjiang #SilkRoad #PepeEscobar #China #BeltAndRoad #BRI #Geopolitics #Travel #Documentary #Uyghur #Kashgar #Propaganda #JournalismThe UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/

Charles Malet, Mike Robinson and Vanessa Beeley with today's UK Column News. 00:00 Welcome00:42 Gaza: The so-called ceasefire hasn’t lasted09:47 Venezuela: New regime is well on the way20:57 Digital: UK Veterans’ IDs going online ‘to make life easier’32:06 Check out UKC’s website and support our work34:17 Assisted Dying Bill: UKC’s latest analysis40:11 HTS De-Proscribed: Terrorist organisation taken off UK list – why?49:27 Lebanon: Trump’s tactics continue57:18 Mosquito Panic: The new fear narrativeThe UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/

Jerm and Hrvoje Morić, a geopolitical analyst who's exposed the undercurrents of globalist agendas through his Geopolitics & Empire podcast, unpack Hrvoje's recent trek to Croatia, the ironic isolation bred by hyper-connected tech traps, and the creeping claws of technocracy that throttle true human bonds in today's rigged society. They dissect the illusion of freedom under overreaching governments, pitting raw individualism against forced collectivism engineered by elite puppeteers, while ripping into media's cultural psyops—especially the fabricated Covid tales designed to herd the masses into compliance.The chat probes the tangled mess of steering through this chaotic era, stressing the hunt for real purpose amid the deliberate disorder sown by hidden powers to keep folks off-balance and divided.Geopolitics & Empire: https://geopoliticsandempire.comThe UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/

Well before the dangling threat of compulsory mRNA ‘vaccines’, Shaz Khan dug into the extremely dubious history of vaccination and, in particular, she interrogated the suggestion that vaccines make people ‘healthy’. Symptoms exhibited by her father before his death were concurrent with known neurological side effects of the flu jab; something not pointed out by medical professionals. At a time when vaccines are receiving unparalleled media promotion and investment, Shaz’s research brings historical context to one of the greatest propaganda exercises in history. The Ultimate Vaccine Timeline was published by Skyhorse in 2025 and there is a website to accompany the book. It can be ordered in to your local bookshop or purchased on Amazon. Shaz writes on Substack.The UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/

In this conversation, Jerm and Quintin Jonck, a guy who's defied the HIV/AIDS dogma by rejecting the pharmaceutical stranglehold and mainstream myths, recount his raw journey through diagnosis and its life-altering grip, underscoring how solid support networks and bold defiance of corrupt medical gatekeepers opened doors to suppressed alternative health paths. In short, he was told he was HIV-positive and that he would be dead within four years. That was 20 years ago.He spotlights the game-changing power of diet and lifestyle tweaks in flipping health scripts, the vital glue of community and faith against isolation tactics, and the urgent call for unfiltered talks that expose industry deceptions, all boiling down to a fierce testament of unbreakable spirit, self-empowerment, and putting human bonds above the elite's adversity machine.He now believes HIV/AIDS is a scam.The UK Column is an independent media organisation and receives no corporate or foundation funding. We rely on the generosity of individual readers, viewers and listeners, so if you enjoy our quality reporting, please consider supporting us.🌐 Explore all our written and video content on the UK Column website https://www.ukcolumn.org/ 💪 Support our independent journalism here https://support.ukcolumn.org/ 🛍️ Check out our shop here https://shop.ukcolumn.org/