A new variant of COVID-19 has been found in Israel! This variant is called BA.2.86, and it's the first time it has been identified in Israel. It has also been found in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Denmark.

What is BA.2.86?
BA.2.86 is a new version of the COVID-19 virus. It has some changes in its genetic makeup, which makes it different from the original virus. These changes are called mutations. BA.2.86 has a lot of mutations, which is why it's getting a lot of attention.

Why is it a Concern?
One big worry about BA.2.86 is that it might make the vaccines we have less effective. Vaccines are like superheroes that help our bodies fight off the virus. But if the virus changes too much, the vaccines might not recognize it anymore. That's why the World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about this new variant.

What Does "Variant Under Monitoring" Mean?
When the WHO says a variant is "under monitoring," it means they are keeping a close watch on it. They want to learn more about the variant and see if it causes any big changes in how the virus spreads or how sick people get. It's like detectives investigating a new clue to solve a mystery!
Scientists and health experts are studying this variant to understand it better and make sure our vaccines can still protect us.

On Sunday morning, a terrible incident occurred in Seattle's Mount Baker neighborhood. Three people lost their lives, and six others were injured in a mass shooting. It is a heartbreaking event that has left the community in shock.

Immediate Response and Victims

When the police arrived at the scene, they found three individuals who had been shot. Despite their efforts to provide aid, two victims were pronounced dead right there, while the third victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Unfortunately, the third victim also succumbed to their injuries later on.

As the police were still at the scene, more victims arrived at the hospital seeking medical help. Currently, six people are being treated, with one person in critical condition. We hope and pray for their speedy recovery.

Details of the Incident

The victims of this tragic event include a 22-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman, and a 33-year-old man who lost their lives. The person in critical condition is a 23-year-old man. The victims in stable condition range in age from 21 to 38 years old.

The shooting took place inside a hookah lounge, and the police have recovered five guns. They are still investigating the circumstances that led to this horrifying incident and are searching for the suspects involved.

Seattle Police Chief's Concerns

During a media briefing, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz expressed his concerns about the increasing number of shootings in the city. While there has been a reduction in daily occurrences, the number of rounds being fired has risen. Chief Diaz emphasized the need to address this issue and make the community safer.

He mentioned that it seems like everyone is carrying a gun these days, whether it's related to drugs, conflicts, drive-by incidents, road rage, or domestic violence. This alarming trend needs to be addressed urgently.

Chief Diaz also shared that the police have seized 869 guns so far this year, the highest number in 13 years. This highlights the gravity of the situation and the need for immediate action.

Seeking Information

The police are urging anyone with information about this incident to come forward and contact the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000. Cooperation from the community is crucial in solving this case and preventing future tragedies.

Mass Shooting in Milwaukee

In another unfortunate incident, a mass shooting occurred in Milwaukee, injuring nine people. However, there is some relief as all the victims are expected to survive.

According to witnesses, there was a large gathering the night before the shooting, leading up to the Puerto Rican Family Festival. Unfortunately, a fight broke out, and someone resorted to using a gun to resolve the conflict.

Common Council President Jose Perez, who represents the district where the shooting took place, expressed his frustration and called for an end to such violence. He emphasized the importance of obtaining permits for gatherings to ensure security and a safer environment for everyone.

Arrest Made in Milwaukee

The Milwaukee police have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with the shooting. They have also recovered a firearm. The investigation is ongoing, and charges are pending review by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.

 Far-right extremists have torn up a copy of the Quran in a new Islamophobic act in the Netherlands.

Reports said the far-right extremists carried out the heinous act in a demonstration outside the Turkish embassy in the Hague.

The Dutch branch of the far-right group Pegida led the Islamophobic act on Friday under Edwin Wagensveld’s leadership. Only a few people accompanied the extremist leader.

The act took place under police protection, with security services intervening when counter-protesters tried to chase Wagensveld.

Many also threw stones at the extremist when he started tearing up pages from the Quran.

The Islamophobic act was accompanied by many counter-protesters who condemned it, TRT World reported.

Many states and organizations worldwide have also voiced condemnation of the act that comes amid an escalating wave of Islamophobia in Europe.

“Pakistan believes that freedom of expression comes with responsibilities,” the Pakistani Foreign Office said, responding to the protest. 
“It is the responsibility of national governments and the international community at large to prevent racist, xenophobic, and Islamophobic acts. That was the spirit behind the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2022 to mark March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.”

A series of Islamophobic acts took place in several European countries recently, with authorities prefering to strengthen their border control instead of tackling the root issues of the situation.

Sweden and Denmark also witnessed Islamophobic acts, with far-right extremists either tearing up Quran pages or setting them alight under police protection.

The repeated acts come despite international community concern, stressing that similar actions could lead to dangerous consequences.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in July that the UN is committed to continue “countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.”

He also condemned the acts, describing them as intolerant actions that could contribute to discrimination and radicalization.

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A wildfire that ignited within a mountainous national park on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Wednesday has rapidly expanded, officials said.

Hundreds firefighters are trying to bring the major blaze under control on the largest of Spain's Canary Islands.

How big is the blaze?

The fire grew to cover an area of 1,800 hectares (4,450 acres) within a span of 24 hours.

The fire has now extended across 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) of dry woodland, engulfing both sides of Mount Teide, Spain's tallest peak. Access to this region has now been affected.

Fernando Clavijo, the regional leader, said during an evening press briefing in the island's capital, Santa Cruz, that the wildfire is spiraling "out of control," and the situation is dangerous.

"Our goal is for it to stop gaining ground," he said, adding that the immediate objective was to employ defensive measures for Wednesday night.

"I am confident that the more than 200 ground forces that will be active tonight will be able to contain the two most worrying fronts," he said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

What is the latest?

Efforts to combat the wildfire involve the deployment of 14 aircraft and a combined contingent of 250 firefighters and military personnel.

A water-dropping seaplane arrived on Wednesday afternoon from mainland Spain, with two additional seaplanes expected to arrive on Thursday morning.

Vicky Palma, an adviser on wildfires to the Tenerife council, said on Canarias Radio that the anticipated drop in nighttime temperatures to around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) might intensify wind patterns in the region.

Pedro Martinez, the chief of the island's emergency services said, "We don't rule out that tomorrow we'll again see intense fire activity."

Rosa Davila, who leads the Tenerife council, said all mountain access points on the island, including the popular tourist attraction, Mount Teide, had been closed off.

Evacuations underway

Canarias Radio reported that about 150 individuals have been evacuated so far from several villages situated in the northeast area of the island, which mainly comprises of farms and vacation homes.

A shelter for dogs took precautionary measures by evacuating some of its most vulnerable canines and those with respiratory issues to shield them from the smoke.

The two airports on Tenerife are operating normally, according to Spain's airport operator Aena.

A heat wave struck the Canary Islands in recent weeks, leaving numerous regions of the already desert-like archipelago extremely dry and heightening the wildfire risk.

Throughout this summer, firefighting teams have successfully extinguished a series of forest fires on the islands of Gran Canaria and La Palma.

Europe has been grappling with waves of extreme weather over the summer, a situation further exacerbated by the impact of climate change.

  Poland's Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, believes that Russia and Belarus are working together to create chaos on the border between Poland and Belarus. They want to make things difficult for Poland and the European Union (EU).

Attacks on the Border

According to Morawiecki, Poland has been dealing with attacks on its eastern border for more than two years now. To make matters worse, the number of these attacks has been increasing. Poland is worried about the safety of its people, so they are sending 10,000 troops to the border area to protect it.

Using Migrants as Weapons

Here's where things get really concerning. The Prime Minister believes that Russia and Belarus are using migrants as a way to harm Poland. They are manipulating these people and making them cross the border illegally. In fact, there have been 16,000 attempts to do so in 2023 alone!

Accusations and Denials

Poland has been dealing with waves of migrants coming from Belarus since the summer of 2021. The Polish government says that Belarus is organizing these illegal crossings, but Belarus denies it.

The Threat of Wagner

Morawiecki also mentioned a group called Wagner, which is a Russian mercenary group. He believes that over a hundred of these mercenaries are heading towards the Polish border. This is really concerning because they could pretend to be Belarusian border guards and help illegal migrants enter Poland. They could even train these migrants to cause trouble and attack Polish services.

A Call for Unity

The Prime Minister wants everyone to know that this situation is a threat to Poland and the unity of European countries. He believes that Russia and Belarus are trying to destabilize Poland and cause problems. It's important for Poland and its allies to stay strong and work together to overcome this challenge.

Libya has for the first time in the country's history given domestic private companies the opportunity to invest in the field of oil production, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said Sunday.

NOC’s Board of Directors called on private Libyan companies to invest in the field as part of the strategy of "increasing oil production and developing small oil fields,” according to the statement.

A tender will be opened for the receipt of investment proposals, and after the technical evaluation of the proposals, they will be sent to the NOC for approval, NOC said.

Libyan economist Ali ez-Zilitni told Anadolu that previously, domestic private companies were involved only in drilling, transportation and other logistics fields, but with this decision they can also participate in oil production, and this is “a major transformation” for the Libyan oil sector.

He said this field will emerge from the monopoly of international energy giants with the involvement of domestic private companies in oil and gas production.

Libya was exempted from the decision of OPEC+ countries to reduce oil production.

Israel's people still protest against the government's plan to change the judicial system. This has been going on for 32 weeks now! Can you believe it?
Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people came together in cities like Tel Aviv, West Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba, Herzliya, and Rehovot to show their opposition to the government's plans.

Biggest Protest in Tel Aviv
As always, the biggest protest happened in Tel Aviv. People gathered in front of the Government Complex on Kaplan Street and made speeches to express their concerns about the changes.

The protest leaders accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to weaken the rule of law and maybe even causing a constitutional crisis. They really want to protect democracy!

During the demonstrations, people waved Israeli flags, chanted slogans supporting democracy, and used drums, whistles, and air horns to make some noise and create a rhythm.

What's This Judicial Reform About?
The Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, announced a plan to change the judicial system on January 5th. This plan included things like reducing the Supreme Court's powers and giving the government more control over who becomes a judge.

Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, said in March that he would delay the reform because of all the protests and strikes happening. But he also mentioned that the government would bring it back after the budget was approved in late May.

Since the government couldn't reach an agreement with the opposition, they recently started the reform process again. As part of this, they want to pass a bill in parliament to remove the Supreme Court's oversight of the government.

Opposition from Various Groups
Many people are not happy with these plans. In fact, thousands of Israelis, including war pilots, submarine officers, and other elite units, have decided to resign from their voluntary reserve service in protest.

Even Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is working to postpone the bill because of the reactions from these reserve soldiers. Lots of important people from politics, the military, security, economy, and the judiciary have also spoken out against the reform plans.