Latest news with #Samson
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Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
What is Samson Option, Israel's nuclear threat that's no longer a theory?
Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated sharply after 'Operation Rising Lion' — Israel's largest strike on Iranian nuclear sites since the 1981 Osirak raid. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks, straining Israeli defence systems and prompting fears of wider conflict. With Hezbollah mobilising in the north, Houthi threats rising in the Red Sea, and the possibility of a multi-front war looming, Israeli security doctrine is under renewed global scrutiny. At the centre of that attention is the Samson Option, Israel's undeclared but long-assumed nuclear last-resort policy. Once regarded as a Cold War-era relic, the Samson Option has re-emerged as a global worry with serious implications for global security, defence markets, and diplomatic stability. What is the Samson Option? The Samson Option is widely understood as Israel's nuclear last-resort strategy: threat of massive retaliation if the country's survival is at stake. The name is derived from a reference of the biblical figure Samson, who brought down a Philistine temple upon himself and his enemies, an allegory for apocalyptic deterrence. Though Israel has never confirmed possessing nuclear weapons, its policy of 'Amimut' (Israel's policy of neither confirming nor denying the possession of nuclear weapons), or deliberate ambiguity, has kept adversaries guessing. However, foreign assessments suggest Israel has 80 to 400 nuclear warheads, with delivery systems spanning land-based missiles, submarines, and aircraft. The doctrine entered public discourse in the 1990s via US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who, in his book The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy, explored Israel's nuclear journey and its relation with the United States. Since then, Israel hardened its 'strategic ambiguity' concept over the possession of a nuclear arsenal. How did Israel build its nuclear arsenal? Israel's nuclear journey began in the 1950s, with the then Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion envisioning a survival insurance policy for the newly-formed Jewish nation. With covert help from France and Norway, Israel established the Dimona nuclear facility, presented publicly as a research centre. By the time of the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel is believed to have constructed its first nuclear weapon. Who is Samson, and why is Israel's nuclear policy named after him? The doctrine's name draws from the Book of Judges, where Samson, betrayed, blinded, and imprisoned, sacrifices himself to destroy his enemies. This story, ingrained in Israeli strategic thinking, underlines the nation's message: if its destruction is imminent, it will not go quietly. Yet unlike the doomed biblical hero, modern Israel is a technologically advanced military power. The Samson Option, therefore, is not desperation, but a calculated deterrent, designed to force potential adversaries to think twice. What nuclear weapons does Israel have? Although never confirmed, Israel is among the nine nuclear-armed nations alongside the United States, Russia, China, the UK, France, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Estimates suggest Israel possesses about 90 warheads, with enough plutonium to build up to 200 more, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Its arsenal is believed to include: > Aircraft: Modified F-15, F-16, and F-35 jets capable of carrying nuclear payloads. > Submarines: Six Dolphin-class submarines, reportedly capable of launching nuclear cruise missiles. > Ballistic missiles: The land-based Jericho missile family, with a range of up to 4,000 km. Around 24 of these missiles are believed to be nuclear-capable. What was the Vela incident? Israel is the only nuclear power which has not openly conducted a nuclear test. The closest indication came in September 1979, when US satellites detected a double flash over the South Atlantic, an event known as the 'Vela Incident'. At the time, US President Jimmy Carter reportedly believed Israel had conducted a nuclear test in collaboration with apartheid-era South Africa. 'We have a growing belief among our scientists that the Israelis did indeed conduct a nuclear test,' Carter later wrote in his diaries, which were made public in 2010. Despite speculation, Israel has never confirmed its involvement in the incident. How was Israel's nuclear arsenal revealed to the world? In October 1986, former nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu exposed Israel's nuclear programme in an explosive interview with the Sunday Times. Having worked at the Dimona plant for nearly a decade, Vanunu revealed that Israel was capable of producing 1.2 kg of plutonium per week, enough for 12 warheads annually. He also disclosed how Israeli officials had deceived US inspectors during visits in the 1960s with false walls and concealed elevators, hiding entire underground levels of the facility. Vanunu was later abducted by Mossad in Rome, tried in Israel, and sentenced to 18 years in prison, spending over half that time in solitary confinement. Even after his release in 2004, he remains under strict surveillance, barred from foreign travel and media engagement. With West Asia at the edge of a potential multi-front war, Israel's Samson Option has moved from the realm of whispered deterrence to an option in real-world decision-making. Its existence, unconfirmed but globally acknowledged, adds a nuclear dimension to an already combustible region.
Perth Now
12 hours ago
- Science
- Perth Now
AI threatens to widen gender gap for regional girls
Artificial intelligence could disrupt more than just technology – it could widen the gender gap between boys and girls studying science, technology, engineering and maths. Women 4 STEM spokeswoman Sharon Samson issued the warning on Friday, while calling for industry, educators and governments to do more to encourage girls to study science and to support women to stay in STEM careers. AI technology has become a major force in Australian business, with the National AI Centre finding 40 per cent of small to medium enterprises use the technology. But its widespread adoption could put girls at a further disadvantage, Ms Samson said, as they were less likely to study technology subjects due to cultural biases, narrow framing, and a lack of role models. "What we're noticing is that AI is (widening) some of the gender gap," she said. "While we're desperately trying to work with the government to put in place measures to ensure we close the gap, it is widening behind us." Only three in five girls were likely to choose a STEM subject in grades six to eight, according to a survey by YouthInsight, compared to four in five boys. Ms Samson said AI could exacerbate the problem for girls as they were increasingly choosing to study in areas "ripe for disruption" by the technology, including accounting, clerical work, bookkeeping and retail jobs. The gap was more stark in regional areas of Australia, she said, where some educational facilities did not have access to generative AI technology or teachers trained to use it. "Some schools are nailing it – they've got a great teacher, they've got a great curriculum, and they're consuming all the wonderful outcomes," Ms Samson said. "Other schools are starved – they don't have the right folks in there leading the technology and STEM fields." A study by the federal Education Department found high school students in remote locations were about 1.5 years behind their city peers in science. Women 4 STEM has invited 250 students from 13 regional schools to participate in its annual Go Girl, Go for IT event, which is expected to host 2000 students at Deakin University on August 13. The event will come months after the federal government announced $45 million to fund 10 projects in the Building Women's Careers Program designed to provide education, partnership and networking opportunities for women in male-dominated industries. The program is also designed to address a skills shortages in STEM-based fields, including engineering where The Insight Centre predicts a shortage of 200,000 roles by 2040.
India.com
3 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
NOT RCB or MI, Sanju Samson is likely to join this new team ahead of IPL 2026, the team is....
Indian cricketer Sanju Samson has been the subject of much discussion in the last few weeks regarding his future in the Indian Premier League (IPL). There were strong rumors that Kerala star and Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson is going to join Chennai Super Kings to play the next IPL season. Now, these speculations have intensified after Samson's manager liked a viral post that read, 'Sanju released and CSK ready.' Under the captaincy of Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals finished the season at ninth place and failed to make the playoffs. An injury kept Samson out of several matches, during which young player Rian Parag took over the captaincy. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who replaced Sanju in the playing XI, gave the team the basis to move forward with a strong performance. Vaibhav Suryavanshi's good performance has given Rajasthan Royals a strong foundation for the upcoming season.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Emerging quantum technologies take the spotlight at Kananaskis G7 summit
OTTAWA – The Liberal government has named quantum technologies as a priority topic for the G7 meeting in Kananaskis — placing the nascent tech centre stage at the summit for the first time. It's a move meant to showcase Canada's strength in the emerging field, which, like artificial intelligence, promises to transform many industries. AI is at a more advanced stage of development than quantum technologies, said Mark Daley, professor and chief AI officer at Western University. 'These are earlier stage investments in a technology that has the potential to be truly transformative. It lets us compute things much faster, using much less energy than classical computers,' he said. 'Including that is sort of our way of hedging our portfolio.' Ahead of the summit, the Prime Minister's Office outlined Canada's priorities for the June 15 to 17 summit. It said in a media release the government would 'seek agreements and co-ordinated action' on a number of topics, including 'using artificial intelligence and quantum to unleash economic growth.' Industry welcomed the move and the consortium Quantum Industry Canada called it a 'major milestone' for the sector. Quantum technologies use the principles of quantum mechanics for applications like computing. Michael Murphy, a post-doctoral fellow and incoming director at the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen's University, said quantum technologies also include 'a range of sensors, communications, protocols, hardware and software.' They are all 'related to the discoveries within quantum science, but apply them in the real world and manipulate systems to let us do things more securely or with greater efficiency or with greater accuracy,' he said. Quantum computers, for example, would allow for a 'rapid increase in processing power,' he said. Paul Samson, president of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, said that while quantum computing hasn't reached the commercialization stage yet, there are types of quantum technology that are 'here and now.' They include quantum sensing technology such as new forms of radar, and post-quantum cryptography — cybersecurity applications to protect data and communications. Samson said that given the military and infrastructure applications and the potential for cyberattacks from adversaries, 'there's a common interest' among G7 members in getting 'this cryptography right.' Florian Martin-Bariteau, research chair in technology and society at the University of Ottawa, said national security of all countries is at risk without investments in both quantum computing capacity and safeguards. 'That includes not just government information,' he said, but systems like banking, telecommunications and power grids that run on algorithms, which quantum computers would be able to break. There's an urgent need 'to make sure that we are ready before' quantum computers hit the market, he said. Canada is a leader in both quantum research and startups, Samson said, noting 'it's kind of where we were on AI maybe 15 years ago.' But Canada didn't 'scale up as much' on AI and ended up losing some commercial opportunities to the U.S. and other countries, he said. 'I think Canada is very focused on not doing that now, making quantum really a priority, because we're well positioned on it,' he said. Martin-Bariteau agreed. 'Let's hope that this ecosystem stays Canadian, because we know that unfortunately a lot of the AI ecosystem got bought up by U.S. big tech,' he said. Samson's organization was in charge of putting together advice from various think tanks ahead of the G7 meeting. The final recommendations included putting a G7 contact group in place to co-ordinate quantum supply chains and launching an observatory focused on quantum safety. Martin-Bariteau, who co-authored a brief that recommended the supply chain contact group, said the computing power of quantum computers 'could break all of the encryption algorithms that we have today.' 'So for the past years, we've seen a lot of national security and defence conversation about quantum and a lot of countries passed import-export regulations,' he said, adding those regulations are now impeding collaboration and putting partnerships at risk. Quantum tech is a new priority but artificial intelligence has been on the G7 agenda at previous summits. Martin-Bariteau noted that when Japan held the presidency, it started the Hiroshima process focusing on generative AI and a code of conduct, while Italy's presidency the following year looked at AI in the public sector. Daley said 'time is not wasted at multilateral meetings of very busy people.' 'So this is the clearest possible indicator you can get that the G7 governments and heads of government are taking these technologies very seriously as agents of significant change in our economies and our societies.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
MLB rumors: Pair of top insiders detail why a 2026 MLB lockout is guaranteed
There have been rumors for months that MLB could be headed to a lockout next year. Well, a pair of notable insiders claimed this week that the scenario is guaranteed. MLB is doing very good business currently. With teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees contending for a World Series title, the league is very healthy financially. Earning a record $12.1 billion in revenue last year. However, there is trouble brewing on the horizon. Advertisement Related: MLB games today – Get a look at tonight's MLB schedule With the wealthiest teams going to absurd lengths to improve their rosters, and the poorest doing next to nothing to upgrade their own, there are many teams in the middle unhappy with the state of the league. It is why there have been rumors that there will be a lockout once the current collective bargaining agreement ends next December. It was a topic of conversation on former MLB executive David Samson's 'Nothing Personal' podcast this week. As he asked The Athletic's MLB insider Ken Rosenthal if he also believes the league is headed toward CBA armageddon next year. 'I am guaranteeing a lockout at the end of '26. But are you as certain as I am about that?' Samson asked Rosenthal. Advertisement 'Pretty much yes. And I'm certain about it because the commissioner has already said in an article that a lockout can be a very useful thing,' Rosenthal said. 'The owners' thirst for a salary cap has never been greater. There is a percentage of owners who are willing to shut down the sport to get what they want.' Samson added that all it takes is eight very unhappy owners to force a lockout. And he believes that it won't be hard to find them when the time comes. However, while the wealthiest teams in the league won't be in favor of a salary cap, Rosenthal believes they could align with the lowest spenders, who don't want a salary floor. MLB players are some of the best-paid in professional sports. However, the Dodgers' use of deferrals and the Mets forking over $765 million to Juan Soto have the league hurdling to insane contract numbers. Furthermore, teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Athletics taking revenue sharing money without investing in their clubs is just as big a problem. The league and its players will have some huge issues to figure out when CBA negotiations begin next year. Advertisement Also Read:: MLB Power Rankings: Detroit Tigers seize top spot as Philadelphia Phillies tumble from first Related Headlines
