News of the World

[kyonides]

US NEWS

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NYPD: Israeli Student Attacked by Woman with Weapon Outside Columbia University Library

According to the New York Police Department, a woman beat an Israeli student with a stick outside Columbia University’s main library on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions on the Ivy League campus over the Palestinian terrorist attack against Israel.

A 19-year-old female suspect allegedly assaulted a 24-year-old Israeli School of General Studies student with a stick in front of Columbia University Library on Wednesday, a New York Police Department spokesperson told the Columbia Daily Spectator.

The suspect was taken into custody and charged with one count of assault, while the Israeli student suffered minor injuries, including a laceration to his hand, the NYPD spokesperson added.

A friend of the Israeli student who was assaulted — also an Israeli General Studies student and spoke to Spectator on the condition of anonymity, citing fears for his safety — said the suspect had approached them earlier in the day when he and other students were in putting up posters with the names and photos of Israelis that Hamas took as hostages.

The friend said that the suspect asked to join them, and told the students she was Jewish. The suspect then stayed with the Israeli students throughout the morning, only to be seen later that evening clad in a bandana covering her face, tearing the flyers off the wall.

The Israeli students approached the suspect, who responded by screaming obscenities and attacking one of them with a stick.

Europe Let in Too Many Foreigners, Says Henry Kissinger in Wake of Pro-Hamas Demonstrations Across Continent

Europe is subject to internal pressure by groups of people “of totally different culture and religion” because of the “grave mistake” of admitting too many foreigners, Henry Kissinger said of the phenomenon of demonstrations across Europe in support of Hamas terrorists this week.

Speaking to Politico in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on Saturday, longtime kingpin of the globalist movement Henry Kissinger walked back his previous position on the importance of keeping Western nations open to refugee flows and said the events of recent days showed nations had gone too far. He told the publication observing celebrations in German cities in support of Hamas is “painful” to watch.

Kissinger said: “It was a grave mistake to let in so many people of totally different culture and religion and concepts, because it creates a pressure group inside each country that does that”.

Europe should give “unconditional political support for Israeli action” now the terrorist attack has happened, Kissinger continued, and not least because in his view European states have a vested interest in making sure no precedent is set for raids and mass taking of hostages from Western nations is set. He concluded: “Israel must vindicate its sovereignty in that area, and that it cannot permit Gaza to return to a state where it could emerge, take thousands or a large number hostage, kill thousands, and then live in that condition side-by-side with Israel.

“I would say every European nation has the same interest because the same attitude might erupt in the direction of Europe.”

While hostage-taking raids on Europe may seem far-fetched, they are not without ample historical precedent and match other warnings about the very high-consequence risk of the tactic coming to Europe’s shores.

Pompeo: ‘If You Want to Stop the Carnage, the Answer is to Eliminate Hamas, to Go at the Iranian Regime’

Friday on FNC’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed his concern about how the Biden administration was handling a threat potentially triggered by the Israel-Hamas war.

Pompeo suggested the solution to pursue involved going at the “source of the problem,” which he said was the Iranians.

“Are you concerned with this blowing up into some global pro-Palestinian — we’ve already seen attacks around the world,” host Jesse Watters said. “Do you think that the Biden administration has a handle on how big this could blow?”

“You know, I’m worried that they don’t. I must say, I worry that they are actually worrying about that too much,” Pompeo replied. “They’ve already started to try and limit the capacity of Israelis to do what they need to do. If you want to stop the carnage of what took place on October 7, if you want to stop the carnage, the answer is to eliminate Hamas, to go at the Iranian regime in a way that it can no longer do this, whether it’s the Shia militias in Iraq or the Houthis in Yemen, or the Hezbollah folks in Lebanon.”

“You have to go at the source of the problem, which is the Iranians,” he continued. “And, you know, I am convinced that if we do that, and we do that with seriousness, we can convince large parts of the Muslim world that is in their best interest, too.

2 Articles on Guns and Magazines

Ninth Circuit Stays Lower Court Ruling, Allows California Magazine Ban to Stand

On September 22, 2023, Breitbart News reported that Benitez blocked the magazine ban for a second time. He first blocked it on June 29, 2017, when he noted that the ban had to be blocked to prevent “otherwise law-abiding” citizens from being criminalized.

Since that first decision against the ban, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its Bruen (2022) decision, and Benitez cited that decision when blocking the ban in 2023.

Bruen ruled that New York’s proper cause requirement for concealed carry permit issuance was unconstitutional.

Benitez focused on Bruen’s requirement that gun control have a clear line of historical precedence in order to stand, then decided against the ban, as he could not find historical support.

KQED quoted Benitez, noting, “There is no American tradition of limiting ammunition capacity.”

He noted that historically speaking, detachable magazines “solved a problem with historic firearms: running out of ammunition and having to slowly reload a gun.”

He added, “There have been, and there will be, times where many more than 10 rounds are needed to stop attackers,” Benitez wrote. “Yet, under this statute, the State says ‘too bad.’”

Benitez’s ruling was appealed to the Ninth Circuit, and on October 10, 2023, the Ninth Circuit stayed Benitez’s decision.

NM Sheriff: We Won’t Enforce Governor’s Amended Concealed Carry Ban

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen, who refused to enforce New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) original order banning concealed carry, has made it clear his office will not enforce her amended order either.
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Judge Urias agreed to allow the ban to stand after Grisham amended it, but Sheriff Allen is making clear he and his deputies will still not enforce it.

KUNM pointed out that Sheriff Allen was asked if the amended ban is enforceable and if it would reduce gun violence. His response was, “No and no.”

Allen added, “It wouldn’t make a difference because, again, you’re just going after law-abiding citizens with firearms. And it does nothing to drive down gun crime or any other crime — whether it’s at a playground or somewhere else. It’s not common sense to me at all.”

EUROPEAN NEWS

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France Mobilizes 7,000 Soldiers Following Suspected Islamist Stabbing Attack

France will mobilize up to 7,000 soldiers to increase security around the country after a teacher was fatally stabbed and three other people wounded in a school attack by a former student suspected of Islamic radicalization, the president’s office said Saturday.

Some schoolchildren, parents and personnel returned to the Gambetta-Carnot school in the northern city of Arras as it reopened Saturday morning to reconnect and seek support, after the attack Friday that rattled France in a context of global tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.

Counterterrorism authorities are investigating the stabbing, and the suspected assailant and several others are in custody, prosecutors said. The suspect had been under recent surveillance by intelligence services for radicalization. Court documents viewed by The Associated Press show he is from the Ingushetia region in Russia’s Caucasus Mountains, which neighbors Chechnya. Authorities had initially identified him as Chechen.

The French government heightened the national threat alert, and President Emmanuel Macron ordered up to 7,000 soldiers deployed by Monday night and until further notice to bolster security and vigilance around France, his office said. The “attack emergency” threat posture allows the government to temporarily mobilize the military to protect public places among other measures.

The attacker’s exact motive remains unclear, and he is reportedly refusing to speak to investigators.

Louvre Museum in Paris Evacuated, Shut Down Following Reported Bomb Threat in Wake of Suspected Islamist Attack

Following the evacuation and closure of the Louvre Museum in Paris on Saturday, the Palace of Versailles — the former residence of the French Royal Family — was also evacuated after reportedly receiving a bomb threat of its own, Le Parisien reports. The Palace said it will remain closed for the rest of the day.

In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), the Louvre Museum in Paris wrote on Saturday: “Dear visitors, For security reasons, the Musée du Louvre is closing its doors today, Saturday, October 14. Those who have booked a visit during the day will be reimbursed. Thank you for your understanding.”

The decision to shut down the world’s largest museum came as around 3,000 people were inside the building, forcing an evacuation.

According to the Le Parisien newspaper, citing a Paris police source, the evacuation and decision to shut down the museum was prompted by a written message threatening to bomb the Louvre.
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The alleged [Chechen] attacker, identified as Mohamed Mogouchkov, alongside his family was reportedly subject to a deportation order in 2014. However, pro-migrant groups successfully blocked their removal, allowing him to remain in the country.
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The suspected Islamist assassination came on the same day that the Palestinian terror group Hamas called for a global “Day of Jihad” and an “Al-Aqsa Flood”, referring to the series of terror attacks that killed at least 1,300 people in Israel after Hamas launched an invasion last Saturday.

Ukraine Reports Heavy Assault from Russian Forces in Donetsk Region

Ukrainian officials reported intense combat as Russian forces relentlessly assaulted the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka for a fifth consecutive day Saturday.

City leader Vitalii Barabash reported that Moscow was deploying additional forces to encircle the strategically important city in the eastern Donetsk region, situated just north of the Russian-held regional capital, also called Donetsk.

“The enemy hasn’t stopped either assaulting or shelling positions” around Avdiivka, Barabash said on Ukrainian television.

Around 1,600 civilians remain within the city, a stark contrast to its prewar population of about 31,000. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his war against Ukraine in February 2022.

Barabash’s comments came after Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told a U.N. Security Council meeting on Friday that the intensified attacks in the east amounted to a new stage in Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine.

“Russian troops have, for several days now, switched over to active combat action practically throughout the entire front line. … The so-called Ukrainian counteroffensive can therefore be considered finished,” he said.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that Ukrainian forces were keeping Russian troops at bay and “holding our ground.”

MIDDLE EASTERN NEWS

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Israel Conducts ‘Localized Raids’ in Gaza, Strikes Hezbollah Sites in Lebanon

Israel has reportedly conducted “localized raids” in Gaza against Palestinian terrorists and launched strikes against Hezbollah sites in Lebanon as part of the Jewish state’s ongoing response to Hamas’s terror attack that claimed the lives of 1,300 people and wounded 3,000 more.

“We’re just learning this right now, breaking. The IDF tells Fox News that Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip today, both infantry forces and tanks, to conduct localized raids,” Fox News’s foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reported. “This was not the full-scale invasion that everyone is still anticipating, but it was an effort, according to the Israeli military, to eliminate militants along the border and also to gather information on those held hostage inside the Gaza Strip.”

“It appears those raids were successful,” he added.

Additionally, Israeli forces are said to be conducting fresh drone strikes against Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, according to the Times of Israel. There are very few details about the development that are known at this time.

On Thursday, the IDF urged one million residents of northern Gaza to leave their homes and evacuate southward within 24 hours for the remainder of the war as forces prepare for a mass ground invasion to destroy Hamas.

Egypt is refusing to allow a large number of Gaza residents to depart. The Rafah border crossing is the sole corridor between Egypt and Gaza.

Israeli Forces Kill Hamas Commander Behind Terror Attack; Freed in 2011 Prisoner Exchange

Israel Defense Forces killed Ali Qadi, the Hamas commander behind the Palestinian terror group’s attack on Israel, which left at least 1,300 dead and more than 3,000 wounded.

IDF aircraft, with the intelligence guidance of the Shin Bet and AMAN (Military Intelligence Directorate), targeted the terrorist. In 2005, Qadi was arrested following the kidnapping and murder of Israelis and was later released as part of the Gilad Shalit exchange deal.

The Shalit prisoner exchange occurred in 2011. Israel exchanged 1,027 terrorists for the Israeli soldier.

“In addition, the IDF assassinated Merad Abu Merad, who was the head of the Hamas aerial system, it said Saturday morning. He was primarily responsible for directing terrorists during the massacre,” the Jerusalem Post added.

“Ali Qadi led the inhumane, barbaric October 7 massacre of civilians in Israel. We just eliminated him. All Hamas terrorists will meet the same fate,” the IDF wrote on social media after killing Qadi.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to destory Hamas in Gaza and has told residents to evacuate to the southern area of the strip ahead of a possible ground invasion.

IDF: ‘Active Effort’ by Hamas to Block Gazans from Evacuating South

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claims the Palestinian terror group Hamas is engaged in an “active effort” to prevent Gaza’s population from evacuating to the southern area of the strip.

“We see an active effort by Hamas to block and prevent the population from going south. Hamas wants to show the world that it has casualties and dead,” IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said, the Times of Israel reported.

“We continue to urge the residents of Gaza City, go south… Hamas wants you as human shields… This is for your personal safety,” the spokesperson added, according to the outlet. “We are going to attack very widely in Gaza City in the near future.”
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Israel estimates that 150 people are being held hostage in Gaza.
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The IDF is said to have deemed the raids successful and is in the process of finalizing plans for a “significant ground operation” in Gaza, which it said will include a “joint and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”

Lebanese Economy Minister Warns Entering War with Israel Would Send Lebanon into the ‘Dark Ages’

In a Friday interview with the Abu-Dhabi-based National, Lebanon’s caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam expressed grave concerns about the potential implications for Lebanon in light of the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas, insisting that even a minimal escalation with Israel would “plunge [Lebanon] into the dark ages.”

Salam appeared to be referencing the heavy toll from past conflicts as well as the country’s ongoing severe economic crisis.
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While noting that Lebanon’s government, which includes Hezbollah members, agrees on avoiding war, Salam stressed that the country will defend its borders against any full-scale Israeli attack.
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However, he reiterated that Lebanon is “already very vulnerable,” and the country “cannot afford a war.”

“We have bad infrastructure, no national reserves of food and medication,” he explained, noting, “We will pay a very heavy price, even with a small escalation in the south of the country.”

Salam pointed to today’s geopolitical climate, noting that the current situation is “very different from 2006, with different challenges and stakes.”

In July 2006, the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah attacked Israel in what launched the Second Lebanon War, which resulted in hundreds of casualties, infrastructural damages, and further economic troubles for the Levantine country.
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“The country is at an existential intersection,” he said. “We don’t want, as a small state, to be a bargaining chip in a larger geopolitical game. The only way forward is to stand up and declare that we will not be a weak link.”

On the actions of Hamas, an ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, the minister declined to comment.

OCEANIC NEWS

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2 Articles

Australian Voters Reject Referendum to Enshrine ‘Indigenous Voice’ in Constitution

Australians voted in a referendum Saturday against enshrining in the nation’s constitution a mechanism for Indigenous people to advise Parliament on policies that affect their lives.

Proponents said creating an Indigenous Voice via the constitution would recognize the special place that Indigenous people have in Australian history while giving them input in government policies.

Opponents argued it would divide Australians along racial lines without reducing Indigenous disadvantages.

Bipartisan support regarded as essential in Australia for successfully changing the constitution never emerged, and Indigenous leaders were divided on the idea.

The Aboriginal people of Australia’s mainland are culturally distinct from Torres Strait Islanders who come from an archipelago off the northeast coast. So Australia’s Indigenous population is known collectively as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

They accounted for 3.8% of Australia´s population in 2021, a 23.2% increase in five years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
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If the “yes” vote had won, the constitution would have been rewritten to say the Voice “may make representations” to Parliament and government “on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” Parliament would “have power to make laws with respect to the composition, functions, powers and procedures” of the Voice.

It’s not clear who would have been part of the Voice and how they would have get there. Proponents said the Voice would have included Indigenous Australians from all eight states and mainland territories, the Torres Strait Islands and remote and regional communities. Members would have been chosen by local Indigenous people and serve for a fixed period.

You know, it's always been a good decision to NEVER approve a blank-paper-type of law where you don't know what the actual conditions and requirements will be.  It could have included clauses like letting that "voice" members become dictators for life.

Conservatives Sweep to Victory in New Zealand, Ousting Lockdown Queen Ardern’s Party

New Zealanders resoundingly elected a new conservative government Saturday, with incumbent Prime Minister Chris Hipkins conceding his centre-left Labour party’s six years in power were over.

Hipkins, who replaced charismatic two-term leader Jacinda Ardern in January, said he was “not in a position to form a government” and had already congratulated premier-in-waiting Christopher Luxon.

“The result tonight is not one that any of us wanted, but I want you to be proud of what we achieved over the last six years,” Hipkins told Labour supporters in Wellington.

The National Party and its coalition partner ACT were projected to win 62 seats with 85 percent of the vote tallied — enough to secure a majority in New Zealand’s 120-seat parliament.

Luxon, a former airline executive, said New Zealanders had “reached for hope and voted for change”.

The election campaign had been dominated by an increasingly difficult economic situation and a spike in the cost of living that had hit New Zealanders hard.