Hamas launches major attack on Israel Militants have launched rockets from Gaza into southern and central Israel on Saturday morning, the IDF said. At least five people have reportedly been killed.  “Hamas carried out a combined operation involving rocket fire and infiltrations by terrorists into Israeli territory,”  the IDF said in a statement.  At least five people are believed to have been killed by the missiles. Four fatalities were reported in the town of Kuseife, and another one in the Gderot area. Information coming from medical institutions across the country suggests that more than 100 people were wounded. Soroka Hospital in Beersheba said it had been treating 80 patients, some of whom were in a serious condition. According to Israeli media, some projectiles hit Ashkelon and Tel Aviv. Rocket sirens have also been heard in Jerusalem and Beersheba. Hamas has claimed that it fired some 5,000 rockets at Israel in just the first 20 minutes of the attack.   T...

“I look forward to being the first Australian leader to visit China since the onset of the global pandemic – continuing our long-held relationship with China on trade and culture, and further strengthening our deep ties.” The Andrews Labor Government is cementing Victoria’s strong and enduring relationship with China, with Premier Daniel Andrews set to be the first Australian leader to visit the country since the onset of the pandemic. As part of a four-day trip this week, the Premier will meet with senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Beijing Government to discuss our long-held trade and cultural ties, and the return of Chinese students to Victoria – continuing their studies at our world-class higher education institutions. In addition to Beijing, the Premier will travel to Jiangsu and Sichuan, meeting with key senior officials from Victoria’s sister states – deepening our strong relationships with these provinces, and exploring ways to further strengthen partnerships. ...

Russian Su-27 fighter jet The US Department of Defense had previously accused pilots of reckless flying over the Black Sea. The Pentagon released a video on Thursday, which it said was shot from a US MQ-9 Reaper drone – during a close encounter with a Russian Su-27 fighter jet – before the American aircraft plunged into the Black Sea earlier this week. The 50-second clip provided to the media shows an interceptor plane approaching the drone from behind and apparently ejecting fuel as it climbs. The Pentagon claimed that Russian jets made several such maneuvers on Tuesday, including one in which the unmanned aircraft’s tail propeller supposedly got hit and damaged. The footage appears to show two of them, with the camera glitching both times. Source: rt.com

The 2023 Asbury revival Gen Z  The 2023 Asbury revival was a  Christian revival  at  Asbury University  in  Wilmore, Kentucky . The revival was sparked by students spontaneously staying in Hughes Auditorium following a regularly scheduled chapel service on February 8, 2023. Following the gathering, Asbury President Kevin Brown sent out a brief two-sentence email: “There's worship happening in Hughes. You're welcome to join. Bad News for Woke Elites The news of the phenomenon quickly spread through social media and in Christian online publications. The revival has been compared to similar revivals at Asbury, notably one that took place in 1970, which had far-reaching consequences in  Methodism ,  culture of the United States , and the growth of the  Jesus movement . Notably, news of the revival largely spread on social media, as the participants are mainly members of  Generation Z . It has been attended by approximately ...

  Italy Windfarm The so-called Superbonus 110 program for climate-friendly renovations has been threatening public finances, officials say The Italian government has scrapped a climate-friendly tax credit program, claiming it had cost more than €110 billion ($117 billion) and led to widespread fraud. According to Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, the “reckless policy” was a threat to public finances. “We have decided to stop the effects of a wicked policy that has benefited a few citizens but has placed a burden on each of us from the cradle onwards of €2,000 ($2,132) per head,” Giorgetti told reporters on Thursday. The so-called Superbonus 110 initiative, which was one of several programs aimed at reducing the environmental impact of properties, entitled homeowners to a tax credit of up to 110% on the cost of upgrading their home. Introduced after the Covid-19 lockdowns ended, the program has led to a surge in home renovations, boosting Italy’s economic activity...

Austin Butler (ELVIS) Warner Bros. Pictures If you’ve seen any of the videos or interviews with Austin Butler at the recent Golden Globes you may have noticed he still sounds a bit like Elvis. In fact, many people have noted that despite being from California, he still sounds like he’s from the Deep South. For actors, learning a new accent is incredibly demanding. Accent assimilation is a rigorous process that often requires listening deeply to archive material, documentaries, movies and interviews and observing linguistic details. Austin Butler in his role as Elvis shows how an actor must be acutely responsive to the specifics of an accent, role, script style and demands of the film. The actor works with a dialect coach, starting months or years before filming. The coach provides source recordings (a real person, for example, Elvis) and an accent breakdown. The actor will listen to the sound samples at every opportunity for total immersion. Signi...

She died of cardiac arrest at age of only 54. She was at the golden globes not even 5 days ago. We're deeply saddened to learn that Lisa Marie Presley passed away at the age of 54. Our hearts are with her family and loved ones during this difficult time. Lisa Marie Presley was hospitalized on Jan 12 USA Time Jan 13 Asia Pacific Time at the age of 54. Prior to the medical emergency, she suffered the loss of her son Benjamin Keough in 2020 when he was just 27. Access Hollywood is looking back at the years leading up to Lisa’s medical emergency. Priscilla Presley, My beloved daughter Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital. She is now receiving the best care. Please keep her and our family in your prayers. We feel the prayers from around the world and ask for privacy during this time. Lisa Marie Presley was born on February 1, 1968 – January 12, 2023, was an American singer-songwriter. She was the only child of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley...

FTX Scandal Exposed By BitBoy_Crypto and A. Jones BitBoy Crypto joins A. Jones live in the studio to give his expert analysis of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange collapse initiated by Sam Bankman-Fried's shady financial business practices. Ben Armstrong @Bitboy_Crypto Creator of BitBoy Crypto. Author of “Catching Up To Crypto”. Champion of the People. Dad Joke Expert. $XRP $ADA $ETH $ICP $HBAR $ALGO $MATIC $BTC Source: banned.video

  London Bridge is down Operation London Bridge  (also known by its  code phrase  " London Bridge is down ") is the funeral plan for  Queen Elizabeth II . The plan includes the announcement of her death, the period of official  mourning , and the details of her  state funeral . The plan was created as early as the 1960s and revised many times in the years before  her death in 2022 . The phrase " London Bridge  is down" would be used to communicate the death of the Queen to the  prime minister of the United Kingdom  and key personnel, setting the plan into motion. Bodies involved in preparing the plan included various government departments, the  Church of England ,  Metropolitan Police Service , the  British Armed Forces , the media,  the Royal Parks ,  London boroughs , the  Greater London Authority  and  Transport for London . Some critical decisions relating to the plan were made by the Que...

Serbian March The Serbian authorities on Monday received an official request from a civil society group to cancel the ‘EuroPride’ LGBT event scheduled for mid-September, on security grounds. The petition came a day after tens of thousands of people marched through Belgrade carrying Orthodox Christian symbols and signs, such as ones saying “ Hands off our children .” The march was reportedly blessed by a bishop, Nikanor of Banat, who was recorded last week as saying he would cast a curse on anyone involved in the pride event. According to the NGO ‘Upright Serbia’, which filed the petition, the pride parade scheduled for September 17 endangers public morality and elevates the risk of violence, property destruction, and large-scale disorder. The Belgrade authorities have not yet commented on the request.  EuroPride 2022 is scheduled to run September 12-18 and is expected to attract tens of thousands of LGBT activists from all over Europe, ending with a walk from the Serbian parliament...

  Emmanuel Macron has been reelected as President of the Republic of France for a second five-year term. He defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the second round of the presidential election only hours ago, winning about 58.8% of the votes against 41.2% for his opponent. While votes are still being counted, about 30% of the French electorate did not vote. This is perhaps the highest abstention rate at a presidential elections since 1969. While most political watchers were expecting a narrower Macron victory, many in France were genuinely scared by the lack of nationwide mass demonstration against Le Pen and the far right ahead of Sunday’s vote. The possibility of having Le Pen elected was higher than ever before. What are the key consequences of Macron’s reelection for both France and Europe? Continuity amid dissatisfaction Providing Macron’s party La République en Marche! can win the lower house election in June – which it is predicted to do – the first ma...

  French election: as Marine Le Pen makes it to second round, the left-wing vote is what troubles President Emmanuel Macron THE CONVERSATION After the first round of the 2017 presidential election in France, economist Thomas Piketty suggested that while there were four candidates on very close scores at the head of the field (Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen, François Fillon and Jean-Luc Mélenchon), in reality France was divided into three political camps: a socialist and more-or-less eurosceptic left, a pro-European and liberal centre and right, and a nationalist far right. The results of the first round for this year’s presidential election suggest he was right. You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, here . Despite a poor campaign, centrist president Macron has emerged in first place , with 27.8% of the vote – three points up on 2017 and better than final opinion polls predicted. Macron hoped that a late entry into the official...