Gaza Aid Boats Intercepted, Manchester Synagogue Attack, Indonesia Rescue Hopes Fade

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Rome-based daily Il Fatto Quotidiano dedicates its front page to the interception of boats carrying aid to Gaza by the Israeli navy and the detention of activists aboard, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said several vessels that are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) had been “safely stopped” and that the detained activists were being taken to Israel before procedures can begin to deport them to Europe. The GSF reported that 39 of their boats were intercepted and that only one managed to sail on but stopped near Gaza’s coast on Thursday morning. Communication with the vessel has since been lost. The news sparked criticism, with Italian unions calling a general strike for Friday in solidarity with the flotilla.

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Israel intercepts most Gaza aid boats, arrests activists. Israeli forces have intercepted 39 boats carrying aid and foreign activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, to Gaza, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) reported on Thursday. According to the GSF, one vessel managed to sail toward the enclave but contact with the boat has since been lost. The flotilla was the largest yet to try and break the Israeli blockade of the enclave. Meanwhile, Israel’s defense minister ordered all remaining Palestinians to leave Gaza City on Wednesday, warning that it was their “last opportunity” to escape Israel’s latest offensive.

• Zelensky to attend European summit in Copenhagen. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the Danish capital city on Thursday to meet European leaders and rally support for Kyiv amid waning U.S. backing. On his way to the summit, Zelensky urged the EU “to keep its promises” to Ukraine on its bid to join the bloc, even as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reaffirmed his opposition on Wednesday, saying it would mean that “war would come into the European Union.” Meanwhile, French military personnel boarded an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” on Wednesday, off the western coast of France. French authorities opened a probe after the crew failed to provide proof of the vessel’s nationality and failed to comply with orders. Read more about Russia’s “shadow fleet” in this Die Zeit piece translated from German by Worldcrunch.

• Four injured in car and stabbing attack at Manchester synagogue. UK police have reported on Thursday morning that four people have been injured after a car was driven at members of the public and a man was stabbed outside a synagogue in the north of Manchester. The suspect is believed to be dead after being shot by the police. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the attack happening on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it “all the more horrific.”

• U.S. government shutdown takes hold, layoffs “imminent” warns White House. The U.S. federal government was thrown into a shutdown on Wednesday after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to agree on a new spending plan before the previous day’s midnight deadline. The White House warned mass layoffs of federal workers are “imminent” and could begin within two days. A new vote to end the shutdown is scheduled for Friday, after a first attempt failed just hours after it began.

• Two killed, hundreds arrested as Morocco protests escalate. Two people were shot dead when police officers opened fire on a group of people attempting to “storm” a police station in southern Morocco on Wednesday, state media reported, as youth-led protests entered their fifth day. More than 400 people were arrested during the demonstrations demanding reforms to the public health and education sectors. The protests were organized online by a loosely formed, anonymous youth group calling itself GenZ 212, using social media and gaming app Discord.

• Renowned conservationist Jane Goodall dies at 91. British animal rights campaigner and primatologist Jane Goodall, who devoted her life to the study and conservation of chimpanzees and the other great apes, has died at the age of 91 of natural causes in California. Through her field studies, Goodall proved that primates display an array of similar behaviors to humans, such as the ability to make and use their own tools.

• News Quiz! Connecticut contestant Christina Derevjanik won $1,035,155 on “Wheel of Fortune” — the highest sum ever won on the iconic U.S. show. Can you solve the puzzle? (The category is: “Living Things.”)

[Answer below]

#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS

$500.1 billion

Tesla boss Elon Musk became the world’s first ever half-trillionaire after his net worth briefly reached $500.1 billion on Wednesday afternoon, before slightly decreasing to just over $499 billion later in the day, the Forbes’ billionaires index reported. Valuations of the tech magnate’s ventures, which also include the artificial intelligence startup xAI and rocket company SpaceX, have reportedly climbed in recent months, while Tesla shares have risen by over 20% this year. Meanwhile, Open AI, the tech company behind ChatGPT, crossed a similar threshold after reaching a valuation of $500 billion, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. This followed a deal in which current and former employees sold roughly $6.6 billion worth of shares.  

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇪🇺 After a series of intrusions by unidentified drones, Denmark is hosting a two-day European summit focused on the Russian threat. The Danish prime minister has denounced Russia’s “hybrid warfare,” saying, “This is only the beginning.” But the EU must be careful not to overreact.
— FRANCE INTER

✊ It’s 122° F at the kebab grill. Berivan Kilic’s mother has been standing there for 35 years, and she’s been joining her there every day now, even though she’s still at university. Because that’s their form of feminist resistance.
— DIE ZEIT

☸️ Tibetan Buddhist nuns are breaking centuries-old barriers, earning the highest degrees in their tradition and taking on leadership roles across monastic and community institutions.
— THE CONVERSATION