ISRAEL - Israelis reacted with anger and dismay Monday at an imminent nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing one of the world's highest novel coronavirus infection rates. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday announced a new countrywide lockdown will be imposed amid a stubborn surge in coronavirus cases, with schools and parts of the economy expected to shut down in a bid to bring down infection rates. The shutdown will be implemented hours before the start of the Jewish New Year and the High Holidays, which also include the Day of Atonement and Sukkot. "Our goal is to stop the increase (in cases) and lower morbidity," Netanyahu said in a nationally broadcast statement. "I know that these steps come at a difficult price for all of us. This is not the holiday we are used to."

UK - Scientists have created gene-edited pigs, goats and cattle to produce sperm with traits such as disease resistance and higher meat quality in what they say is a step towards genetically enhancing livestock to improve food production. The animals, created for the first time by researchers in the United States and Britain using a gene-editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9, could be used as "surrogate sires", essentially sterile blank slates that could then be transplanted with stem cells that produce the desired sperm, the scientists said. The process could help farmers rear healthier, more productive animals using fewer resources such as feed, medicines and water, they said. "With this technology, we can get better dissemination of desirable traits and improve the efficiency of food production," said Jon Oatley, a reproductive biologist at Washington State University in the United States, who co-led the work. The researchers stressed that the gene-editing process they used was designed only to bring about changes within an animal species that could occur naturally.

USA - If you could go back to 1950, would you do it? There would be no Internet, no cellphones and you would only be able to watch television in black and white. But even though they lacked many of our modern conveniences, people genuinely seemed to be much happier back then. Families actually ate dinner together, neighbors knew and cared about one another, and being an “American” truly meant something. Of course there has never been any era in our history when everything has been perfect. But without a doubt, things are vastly different today than they were back in 1950…

USA - A former CIA ops officer who spent decades undercover in the Middle East and South Asia warns that “violence will explode” if Trump wins re-election and will probably continue anyway even if Biden wins. In an op-ed for Revolver News, Sam Faddis characterizes the recent riots, described as “mostly peaceful” by the media, as nothing less than an “insurrection.”

GERMANY - When Berlin broke with its frugal tradition and opened the spending taps this year, a senior official in the German Economy Ministry was flabbergasted that the European Commission griped instead of showing gratitude.

The World Health Organization reported a record one-day increase in global coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the total rising by 307,930 in 24 hours. The biggest increases were from India, the United States and Brazil, according to the agency's website. Deaths rose by 5,537 to a total of 917,417. India reported 94,372 new cases, followed by the United States with 45,523 new infections and Brazil with 43,718. Both the United States and India each reported over 1,000 new deaths and Brazil reported 874 lives lost in the past 24 hours. The previous WHO record for new cases was 306,857 on September 6. The agency reported a record 12,430 deaths on April 17. In some parts of India, medical oxygen is becoming hard to find as total cases exceed 4.75 million.

USA - When disaster strikes, the first instinct that some people have is to go out and loot homes that have been evacuated. I wish that this wasn’t the case, but it seems to happen every time that we see a huge natural disaster. You have to be quite sick to want to take advantage of people that have left their homes during a great tragedy, but we have seen it happen over and over the last several years. Twisted individuals that have had their consciences completely seared think that undefended homes are an easy target, and a lot of times they get away with it.

USA - The Atlantic Ocean has spawned named storms at a blistering pace this year, with Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, and now Vicky being the most recent additions in what is on track to be a historic season. As Paulette recently slammed Bermuda, Sally aims for the Gulf Coast and Rene harmlessly dissipates over the open Atlantic, forecasters are also keeping tabs on the latest additions to the basin - Tropical Storm Teddy and Tropical Storm Vicky. This is the first time that five tropical cyclones could be seen swirling simultaneously in the basin since such a phenomenon occurred back on September 10-12, 1971, the National Hurricane Center confirmed on Monday.

INDIA - India and Pakistan have exchanged heavy fire as global tensions continue to rise. Troops from both sides traded heavy fire on the Line of Control following claims from India that Pakistan fired on Indian positions in J&K’s Poonch district. According to India’s Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Devender Anand Pakistan intimated unprovoked ceasefire violation after firing with small arms and shelling. Mr Anand said: “Indian Army retaliates befittingly.” This year alone around 24 civilians have been killed and more than 100 injured in more than 2,730 ceasefire violations. India is also facing ongoing border conflicts with China following a bloody altercation in the Galwan Valley, in Ladakh. Pakistan recently signed to be part of China’s One Belt, One Road policy, strengthening the relationship between the two countries

SWITZERLAND - Osama bin Laden's niece, Noor bin Ladin (Noor's family has always spelled their name differently than her uncle) wrote an open letter to America, praising our country as "a beacon of democracy and hope for all subjugated peoples" across the world, and warning: "America, you are at the very edge of the precipice. Please wake up! Take hold! Fight for your country, and be proud of your roots! Uphold your values. Stand for your flag and your anthem. Defend your history. Don't relent in the face of those who seek to re-write it to serve their narrative and justify the destruction of your nation. You have much to cherish and protect for your sake, and ours."

MIDDLE EAST – US President Donald Trump’s policy successes in the Middle East consist primarily of opening artificial floodgates and allowing for the passage of political currents already moving. That is not a small thing — Norwegian parliamentarian Christian Tybring-Gjedde agreed, nominating the president for the Nobel Peace Prize for the Israel-UAE normalization deal dubbed the “Abraham Accord.” The accord is a major breakthrough, aided by American leadership and exceptionalism.

JAPAN - Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has taken the Japanese defense policy away from its post-war pacifism to a growing military with an increasingly loose sense of self-defense. A week before stepping down, he’s talking taking it a step farther. Abe now says he wants Japan to have “first-strike” capabilities to attack enemy bases around the area. Abe argued that would increase deterrence, meaning this is the ultimate extension of “self-defense,” where the nation would be flagrantly attacking other countries and claiming defense. Abe suggested intercepting missiles was no longer sufficient, and called for a new revised defense policy. With Japan’s two main rivals being China and North Korea, any Japanese first strikes would likely start a major war. Abe’s call is likely to be supported by his successor, with his party’s leadership largely leaning hawkish, particularly when it comes to China. Given US hostility toward China, it’s likely the US will push them toward this action as well.

ISRAEL - The cabinet has given its approval to a three-week full nationwide closure, beginning Friday [18 Sept 2020] at 2 pm, according to Hebrew media reports. Ministers Amir Peretz, Zeev Elkin, and Asaf Zamir vote against it, while Itzhik Shmuli and Ofir Akunis abstain. The final details are not immediately confirmed by the government, but are reported to include a ban on venturing more than 500 meters from home, except for essential errands.

USA - Clouds of mosquitoes have been so thick in southwest Louisiana since Hurricane Laura that they're killing cattle and horses. Farmers in a five-parish area east and northeast of the parishes where the storm made its landfall August 27 have probably lost 300 to 400 cattle, said Dr Craig Fontenot, a large-animal veterinarian based in Ville Platte. He said the swarms are so thick that the vast number of bites leave horses and cattle anemic and bleeding under their skins. The animals also become exhausted from constantly moving in an attempt to avoid the biting insects, he said in a phone interview Wednesday with The Associated Press.

USA - As wildfires burn throughout Oregon and close in on Portland, a number of arrests and reports suggest that some of these fires may have been started intentionally. The FBI has dismissed reports of arson as “conspiracy theories.” Multiple suspects have been arrested and charged with arson within the city itself, with the arrestees usually linked to the ongoing protests and riots. Previously, Molotov cocktails have been thrown at police officers, buildings set on fire, and powerful fireworks launched at federal agents protecting the city’s Justice Center and courthouse. However, law enforcement officers have caught several arsonists outside Portland too. A man was charged on Friday with multiple counts of arson after allegedly setting a wildfire near Phoenix in southern Oregon on Tuesday. Officers arresting the man found him standing near a large blaze that was threatening several houses, and discovered two ounces of methamphetamine on his person. His political leanings are unknown.