USA - The boss of JP Morgan has warned that the world faces its 'most dangerous time' in decades. Jamie Dimon sounded the alarm over the combination of a fragile global economy with war in Ukraine and the Middle East. Speaking as the bank reported a 35 per cent rise in profits, the Wall Street banker said: 'We still do not know the longer-term consequences of quantitative tightening, which reduces liquidity in the system at a time when market-making capabilities are increasingly limited by regulations. Furthermore, the war in Ukraine, compounded by last week's attacks on Israel, may have far-reaching impacts on energy and food markets, global trade, and geopolitical relationships. This may be the most dangerous time the world has seen in decades.'

ISRAEL - "The people of Israel have been — I don't know if sacrificed is too rough of a word — but we have been sold out." Israeli journalist, Efrat Fenigson, who served in Israel's intelligence forces, raises serious doubts about the government's "surprise attack" narrative. "No military involvement, no police, no arms on the ground for hours and hours. This is something that is non-typical and unusual for Israel defence forces." "The fact that the border was breached in 15 places is completely ridiculous because normally with one breach of the fence, the whole army is triggered and things start moving immediately. Things start moving immediately and here there was nothing for hours."

ISRAEL - Have you noticed that Israel is the only country in the world that gets blamed for being attacked? And that there are people who loathe it so much that they are actually prepared to defend or excuse the deliberate mass murder of civilians, including old women and tiny children? There is something deeply wrong with the Western world's view of Israel, and this is not confined to absurd, marginal figures such as Jeremy Corbyn, wandering in the dense jungles of Trotskyism. It is far deeper and broader.

USA - Troubles are coming to the world economy — not as single spies, but as battalions. They are doing so on multiple fronts, in the United States, China and Europe. Coupled with renewed geopolitical strains in the Middle East, those troubles heighten the chances of a full-blown world economic and financial market crisis by the middle of next year. Among the greatest threats to the US and world economic recoveries is the recent spike in US Treasury bond yields, the key interest rate in the world economy. In the short space of two months, the 10-year Treasury bond yield spiked from less than 4 percent to over 4 ¾ percent — a 16-year high.

USA - “Because of the Ukraine war we don’t have the surplus of military supplies that we used to, and we haven’t really ramped up production,” said Gulf Bank and Trust President Guy Williams. “So, in effect, we have two wars going on at once where we’re trying to support people.” That’s because the US is one of Israel’s main allies, and the country was shocked by a large-scale surprise attack from Hamas this weekend. So far, the death toll has far exceeded the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks here in the states, Williams told WWL’s Newell Normand.

ISRAEL - The Palestinian terror group known as Hamas has called on Muslims worldwide to stage a “Day of Jihad,” or holy war, on Friday, October 13th - coincidentally, a date that resonates with horror movies and the upcoming Halloween holiday. “We call upon the free people of the world to mobilize in solidarity with our Palestinian people and in support of their just cause and legitimate rights to freedom, independence, return, and self-determination.” Hamas also called on Palestinians within the West Bank to rise up against Israeli soldiers, and called on Arab citizens of Israel to revolt against the state. In the entertainment industry, Friday the 13th is seen as a major day to launch new releases of horror films, with graphic depictions of imaginary violence. Unfortunately, the horrors of the Hamas terror attack in Israel were all too real.

VATICAN - Pope Francis appealed Wednesday for the immediate release of Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terror group on the Gaza strip, while criticizing Israel’s “total siege” on Palestinians in Gaza. “I continue to follow what is happening in Israel and Palestine with tears and apprehension: many people killed, others injured,” the pontiff stated at the end of his weekly general audience in Saint Peter’s Square. The Pope went on to recognize Israel’s right to self-defense while questioning the extent of the measures employed.

USA - The US is positioning a potent arsenal in the Middle East as Israeli Defense Forces continued to pound targets inside Gaza six days after the Hamas terror attack on its soil. With President Biden and his security team warning Iran and other state and non-state actors not to try to take advantage of the situation, the Pentagon is dispatching air and ground capabilities in addition to the two aircraft carrier groups that will soon be operating together in the eastern Mediterranean.

LEBANON - Armed drones of Hezbollah have reportedly invaded Israel from the north in Lebanon, creating a multi-front war for Israel. According to on-ground reports, numerous alerts have been triggered in the northern regions of Israel. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have yet to confirm the number of infiltrators or the extent of the invasion. Reports have also emerged that, in response to this escalation, the US government announced the immediate evacuation of its embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, but the embassy has rejected those claims. In a statement released moments ago, the US State Department urged all American citizens in Lebanon to remain cautious but indicated that the embassy is not being evacuated.

ISRAEL - The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently released deeply unsettling photos as evidence of the terror inflicted by Hamas on innocent civilians in Israel, including babies. The highly sensitive and disturbing images graphically depict the inhuman brutality that has become synonymous with the militant terrorist group which governs the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Netanyahu made a compelling case for the international community, and particularly the United States, to recognize the barbaric nature of Hamas. Drawing chilling parallels between Hamas and the notorious ISIS terrorist group, Netanyahu said, “Hamas is inhuman. Hamas is ISIS.” By presenting this hard-to-stomach evidence, Netanyahu aimed to underscore not just the existential threat that Hamas poses to Israel but also the broader implications for global security and human decency.

SYRIA - Syrian state media reported that Israeli airstrikes on Thursday hit the international airports of the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, damaging their runways and putting them out of service. The military says it attacks arms shipments believed to be bound for those groups, chief among them Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group. Additionally, airstrikes attributed to Israel have repeatedly targeted Syrian air defense systems. Israel has repeatedly accused the Syrian military of actively assisting the Iran-backed Hezbollah in the area.

UK - Chief Constable Stephen Watson said people these days take pride in not respecting others and when arrested for breaking the law complain to his officers: 'You can't tell me not to do that.' He warned the 'sooner we correct that – however we do that – the better for all of us'. Asked at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference what has made local communities more at risk of crime now, the GMP chief said: 'I do think what has changed in large measure over recent times is we are growing a generation of people who have never had anybody say 'no' to them.'

USA - On Tuesday, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) released its annual “Studio Responsibility Index” which tracks how much LGBTQ content various movie studios are pumping out each year. Of all the studios, in 2022, Disney topped them all. In recent years, Disney has faced criticism for its approach to addressing LGBTQ+ themes in its content for children. Long gone are the days when parents could feel confident that Disney would protect the innocence of children, rather than introduce them to concepts of sexuality under the guise of “inclusivity.” But the problem is apparently much worse than you ever expected.

“In war, truth is the first casualty.”

[Always keep this in mind as we follow news stories about the wars in both Israel and Ukraine!]

ISRAEL - A full invasion, such as Israel's generals are surely discussing today, would be a bloody quagmire. For Jerusalem, it would mean a conveyor belt of tired soldiers fighting day and night, resupplying with food, water and military hardware, rotating and evacuating casualties, for months on end. It would chew up thousands of troops for little or no benefit, and poison the Arab world, and to a certain extent the international community, against the Jewish state. Alas, it looks like Israel is set to take precisely this route.