Scientists around the world have closely watched Israel to see how vaccinations could affect the pandemic, since the country launched a rapid vaccination campaign in December 2020. This saw more than half of its population fully vaccinated as early as March this year. Yet Israel currently has one of the worst rates of biweekly COVID cases per million people in the world as the country battles the delta variant, according to figures collected by OurWorldInData as of August 24....

After reports Monday of explosions in Syria’s northwest, the Syrian Defense Ministry released a statement in which an official source said that “the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression towards southeast Aleppo, targeting some sites in the Al-Safira area” at around 11:37 p.m. local time." “Our air defenses confronted the aggressor’s missiles and shot down most of them, and the results of the aggression are currently being assessed,” the statement added....

People 60 and older have shown at least four times higher levels of protection against infection 10 days after receiving the booster shot, compared with people who had only two doses, according to the findings. In addition, a third shot for that age group offered five to six times more protection against serious illness and hospitalization after 10 days, the study found. The new data was first presented at a Health Ministry panel on Thursday and uploaded to its website on Sunday, although the study’s full details have not yet been released, Reuters reported....

The Associated Press reported that the strike on Saturday came an hour after the Israeli military ordered people to evacuate the building. The strike demolished the 12-story structure. The Associated Press reported that an on-air anchorwoman on Al Jazeera, speaking after the strike, said: “Al Jazeera will not be silenced. “We can guarantee you that right now.” Al Jazeera shared footage of the building being hit and tweeted: “Israeli air raid flattens building that houses Al Jazeera and other international media outlets in Gaza City....

The new concert album (along with the video version) is Disney’s follow-up to the eclectic and witty first “For Our Children,” released in 1991. That studio album-with Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Barbra Streisand and James Taylor-became the gold standard for a highly successful entertainment trend: pitching music for young children by way of their parents’ favorite performers. Children’s music is a $234 million industry; recent albums include “Shake It All About” by Little Richard, “Country Music for Kids” and “Reggae for Kids....

Minutes before a gunman killed at least 20 people and injured dozens more in a shooting rampage on Saturday at the Cielo Vista mall in El Paso, Texas, a manifesto appeared online that celebrated the deadly attack on Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, and warned of a “Hispanic invasion” of the American Southwest. The document’s author, authorities believe, is the 21-year-old white male suspect they have in custody. The talking points of the manifesto—posted on 8chan, a message board simmering with racism, misogyny and xenophobia—are predictable, if clunkily presented, components of today’s white nationalism....

We’re also fast approaching climate overshoot, beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, by 2030. The Climate Overshoot Commission will meet several times this year to discuss ways to keep that from happening. Meanwhile the World Meteorological Organization calculates a 50 percent chance of touching the 1.5 degree threshold by 2026. Recent intensified storms, fires, floods, and droughts are all symptoms of the fever. The dominoes are falling. Resource consumption drives climate change, and the biggest driver of consumption is population growth....

The Senegal international constantly ruffled Spurs’ rearguard at Anfield on Saturday, scoring both goals to take his league tally for the season to 11. And while the Reds boss saluted his “wonderful performance,” he made a point of also highlighting the efforts of the rest of the team during the authoritative display. When asked about Mane’s influence, Wijnaldum applauded his teammate’s ability to make the difference, but admitted it is unfair for Liverpool’s results to be put solely down to the 24-year-old....

Del Bosque picked the same side throughout this tournament and after wins against Czech Republic and Turkey, Spain lost their third group game to Croatia. And despite that, the veteran coach kept faith in the same XI once again for the second-round meeting with Italy. But even in the warm-up it was all apparent that one team wanted this very much, while the other one barely seemed bothered. The Italian players raced around the pitch, while the Spain stars stood with their hands on their hips....

Those women — one who pulled for Tennessee; the other Seattle — who wrote letters criticizing Newton learned the hard way. Don’t voice your dissent regarding one of the more popular athletes in American sports, let alone football. You know what? I still don’t like him. And that’s OK. Last I checked, it’s within my rights as a fan. PHOTOS: Best of Newton’s dances | MORE: Ranking all 49 Super Bowl winners...

The Frenchman has led the Bernabeu side to successive Champions League titles – a first in the modern era of the competition – but with Paris Saint-Germain looming in the last 16 of this season’s competition, Madrid find themselves fourth in La Liga, 19 points off the pace of Barca, albeit with a game in hand. As such, Zidane has come under pressure, and while a 4-1 win over Valencia last weekend has eased that somewhat, Xavi retains terrific respect for him....

If Pfund is any indication, some of the nation’s wealthiest companies could be about to lose very large sums of money. On Dec. 5, the Federal Communications Commission opens the bidding for new wireless phone systems all across the country. The giants of tele-communications are poised to spend big–some experts estimate the value of New York-area licenses at 81 billion–for the right to spend billions more building networks to compete with cellular and wired phones....

The overall rate of gun violence reached a 28-year high last year with drastic increases in murders among Black men, according to an analysis of federal data conducted by the Wall Street Journal. Some of this is not new; since 1990, rates of gun-related homicide have been highest among Black men in their twenties. And yet, after the highs of the 1990s, homicide rates plummeted, especially for Black men. What we’re seeing now is a reversal of that trend....

Because the flying insects are declining in numbers, the UN has enacted safety measures to protect them. Bees are pollinators who move pollen from one part of the plant to another. Without that pollen, plants would not be able to reproduce and continue making the fruit that we eat. So I leave you with the eloquent words of Belgian poet Maurice Maeterlinck, winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize in Literature....

Players Conventional Wisdom Clinton = Democrats say he’s shameless, reckless and indefensible. Let’s keep him! Monica + No Valley Girl her. Poised, prepped and on point. And great lipstick. Jordan + Breakfast egg on his face but smoothly recovers by wiping up House managers. Managers - Old: We need witnesses to prove the truth! New: These witnesses can’t be believed! DeLay - House impeach zealot reportedly lied under oath. Fortunately, not about sex....

When the Astros traded for Greinke at the closing bell of the July 31 trade deadline, this had to be the dream scenario for them: Game 7 in the World Series, where he got to showcase what makes him still a dominant pitcher in MLB. MORE: Game 7, as it happened Dominate, he did. Greinke finished out his Game 7 performance with 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball, striking out three in the process....

Alessandro Pavanello, who has lived in China since 2016, tested positive for COVID on March 26. Two days later he was sent the “dreaded red health code,” referring to the app that indicates the health status of an individual living in China. Green, in normal circumstances, means you have not been exposed and can travel freely. Yellow and red mean a person’s movements are restricted. On March 29, Pavanello, 31, was visited by a worker in a hazmat suit who sprayed down his home....

The region of Lazio, in central Italy, is giving away cash to couples who wish to get married there this year, and while it’s not a lot of money, it’s definitely a good start. The initiative is part of a drive to revive the local economy, which relies heavily on tourism, an industry hit hard by COVID. To support the most affected businesses, including travel agencies, florists and restaurants, the region is offering a reimbursement of up to €2,000 toward wedding expenses, with a project called “Nel Lazio con amore,” or “In Lazio with love....

Speaking to Zelenksy during a video address with the Italian parliament, Draghi complimented Ukraine’s “heroism” and said that Rome would support Kyiv’s application to join the 27-member bloc. “Today, Ukraine does not just defend itself,” Draghi said, according to the Financial Times. “It defends our peace, our freedom, our security. It defends that multilateral order based on rules and rights that we have painstakingly built up since the war.”...

Roberto Mancini’s men will be determined to get back to winning ways, following a disappointing 3-0 collapse in their Finalissima match against South American champions Argentina earlier in the week at Wembley. For Germany, this is their first game of the summer international calendar, as Hansi Flick prepares his side for the 2022 FIFA World Cup later this year in Qatar. Undoubtedly, this is set to be an entertaining match between two of the world’s footballing heavyweights which could be very tight to call....