Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.
Israel ‘expanding’ ground attack in Gaza as Biden urges protection of civilians
Summary: Phone and internet connections were cut across the Gaza Strip over the weekend as Israel’s military kicked-off what it has called the “second stage” of its attack on the occupied region, with the purported aim of destroying Hamas—the militant organization that governs the Strip—for good.
Context: A lot has been happening in this part of the world since Hamas hit Israel with a sneak-attack a few weeks ago, killing and kidnapping many people and triggering this counterattack against Gaza—and to a lesser degree other targets in the region, as well; the big-picture outline of what’s happening, though, is that Israel’s government is seemingly bringing soldiers and military hardware into Gaza, following a period in which they were mostly firing missiles and launching air strikes, its allies are generally supporting their efforts, though are also suggesting they avoid civilian casualties and other potential war-crimes, and while we don’t have terribly accurate numbers on this right now, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has said that more than 8,000 people have been killed by Israel’s attacks since October 7.
—The New York Times
Maine shooter's body was found near a scene that had been searched by police
Summary: The body of the suspect in a mass shooting in Maine last Wednesday has been found by police, not far from where he attacked a bowling alley and bar with an assault rifle, killing 18 people and injuring 13 more.
Context: The suspect’s death is currently being considered a suicide by investigators, and before these attacks, he was reportedly on the radar of local law enforcement for having been acting erratically as an Army Reservist, which led to his being taken to a hospital for medical evaluation; there have been 580 mass shootings in the US in 2023, so far, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.
—NPR News
Kazakhstan mine fire death roll rises to 42
Summary: A fire that broke out at the Kostenko mine in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda region over the weekend has killed at least 42 people of the 252 who were working at the mine at the time.
Context: Another fire broke out at this same mine back in August, killing four people, and five were killed following a methane leak at another mine run by the same company—ArcelorMittal—in November of last year; in the days following this most recent fire, the Kazakhstan government announced that it would be nationalizing ArcelorMittal, a move that was already rumored, as the government was reportedly unhappy with the company’s widespread safety violations at assets it holds across the country.
—The Associated Press
US citizens have been spending progressively more each year on Halloween celebration-related goods over the past several decades, and 2023 looks like it may set a new record, reaching about $12.2 billion in Halloween expenditures (decorations, candy, costumes, etc).
—Chartr
40 million
Increase in estimated age of the Moon according to new analysis of lunar crystals brought back to Earth by Apollo astronaut.
That makes the Moon at least 4.46 billion years old.
—Popular Science
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