Columbus was a Jew – study

On October 14, the US celebrates Columbus Day, honouring the explorer Christopher Columbus who is widely credited as the first European to discover the American continent.

But Spanish scientists added a twist to the story, revealing the explorer's ethnic origins. According to a study that began in 2003, Christopher Columbus was likely a Sephardic Jew from Spain who concealed his heritage to avoid persecution, a new genetic study suggests.

“We have DNA from Christopher Columbus – very partial but sufficient,” said forensic expert and study leader Miguel Lorente in a documentary noscriptd ‘Columbus DNA: The True Origin’, which aired in Spain on Saturday.

“We also have DNA from Hernando Colón, his son. Both the Y [male] chromosome and the mitochondrial DNA [inherited from the mother] of Hernando contain traits compatible with Jewish ancestry,” Lorente explained.

Although researchers are uncertain where Columbus was actually born, they believe it was likely the Spanish city of Valencia.

They suggest that Columbus either hid his Jewish identity or converted to Catholicism to escape religious persecution.

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🇮🇱 Israel announces elimination of head Hamas' aerial unit.

Acting on intelligence from the Israeli Defense Forces and the Shin Bet state security agency, the Israeli Air Force “conducted a strike in September 2024 and eliminated Samer Abu Daqqa, Head of Hamas' Aerial Unit.”

The statement claimed that “Abu Daqqa replaced the previous Head of Hamas' Aerial Unit, who was eliminated in October 2023."

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📹 WATCH: Women dressed as the flags of the nations

Watch as these beautiful women bring the flags to life!

Which one’s your favourite?

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Britain faces trillions in reparations claims: A breakdown of who wants what
 
The Church of England’s announced £1 billion ($1.3 billion) reparations fund, aimed at addressing its historical ties to slavery, has sparked controversy within the Anglican Church – already grappling with declining attendance.
 
While some clergy criticise the prioritisation of reparations over church needs, the fund will ostensibly support black-led businesses focussing on education, economic empowerment, and health. 
 
In total, Britain could owe a staggering £18.6 trillion ($23.4 trillion) in reparations, a report by international economics consulting firm Brattle calculated in 2023. This sum is over five times the country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP).
 
Who is demanding reparations from Britain, and for what?
 
◻️ Caribbean nations of the CARICOM group have been at the forefront, seeking £26.5 trillion ($33 trillion) in reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and colonial exploitation. CARICOM’s 10-point plan highlights the need for financial compensation, apologies, and development initiatives. 

◻️ India has not specified an amount, but scholars estimate that £45 trillion ($58.8 trillion) was taken from the country during British rule, and activists demand compensation for the economic devastation, humanitarian disasters like the Bengal famine, and cultural exploitation. 

◻️ Kenya sought reparations for the torture suffered by survivors of the Mau Mau uprising, and in 2013 the British government paid £19.9 million ($26 million) to over 5,000 claimants. But demands persist for broader reparations for colonial violence. 

◻️ In Nigeria, there is an ongoing push for the return of the looted Benin Bronzes and reparations for colonial exploitation, although no specific figure has been named. 

◻️ Jamaica has demanded £7.6 billion ($10 billion) for the descendants of enslaved Africans, based on Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. Similar demands have come from Barbados, which intensified calls for reparations after becoming a republic in 2021.

◻️ In Australia, Aboriginal groups seek reparations for colonial violence and land dispossession, with estimates reaching $190 million Australian dollars ($128 million). Some activists are calling for Britain to address its historical responsibility for these abuses. 

◻️ The British royal family faces growing demands for reparations due to its involvement in slavery, particularly through the Royal African Company and the wealth gained during the colonial era. Caribbean nations, including Jamaica, have directly demanded apologies and compensation from the monarchy, especially during royal visits. 

◻️ King Charles III and British Labour Party Prime Minister Keir Starmer are expected to be slapped with a £200 billion ($261 billion) demand for reparations at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa on October 21-25.

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◻️ THAAD deployment in Israel risks overwhelming Western hegemon unable to ‘fight on multiple fronts’

◻️ Korean peninsula on edge: The key milestones that led to today’s crisis

◻️ Washington-provoked Korea tensions a ruse to justify US military presence – analyst

◻️ Steadfast Noon or Twilight at Noon: What are the risks of NATO’s ‘nuclear sharing’ drills?

◻️ What is UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping mission attacked by the Israeli troops?

◻️ ‘This is not war, this is genocide’: Sputnik speaks to families seeking shelter in a Lebanese monastery amid Israeli airstrikes

◻️ Federal emergency staff relocated in North Carolina over reports of armed militia ‘hunting FEMA’

◻️ Britain faces trillions in reparations claims: A breakdown of who wants what

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❗️Warning to Israel: Don’t Underestimate Iran

Unlike previous foes that Israel defeated on the battlefield, Iran has a cutting-edge missile and drone arsenal, political commentator Aussie Cossack told Sputnik.

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BlackRock’s blood and tears-fueled rise: how does infamous vulture fund make its money?

BlackRock has set a new record on assets under management, reaching $11.48 trillion in Q3 2024, equivalent to the GDP of Japan, India, and the UK combined, growing by $2.4 trillion since Q3 2023. Critics liken BlackRock to a 'modern-day East India Company' or a ‘vulture fund’, with CEO Larry Fink admitting point blank in a 2022 letter to shareholders that the company “will not support policies that are good for society but bad for BlackRock.”

◻️ Founded by finance execs led by Fink in the late 1980s, BlackRock helped pioneer the mortgage-backed securities market. Offering financial services and proprietary software to banks, the company expanded into mutual and exchange-traded funds in the 1990s.

◻️ After going public in 1999 with $165 billion in assets, BlackRock gained prominence during the 2007-2008 subprime mortgage crisis, growing trillions richer. Its assets surged from $1.31 trillion in 2008 to $3.35 trillion in 2009, a 250%+ increase. By 2014, its wealth surpassed $4 trillion to become the largest asset manager, doubling to $8.68 trillion by 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

BlackRock’s seemingly unstoppable rise and massive market power has been accompanied by an array of unsavory and highly destructive business practices, including:

◻️ Lobbying against regulations limiting profiteering from developing nations trapped in debt, which BlackRock calls "unlocking income potential in high yield bonds." This involves heavy investment into the debt of countries like Ethiopia, Ghana, and Sri Lanka and the rejection debt write-offs, allowing the company to extract billions even after the original debt is repaid.

◻️ Since 2008, BlackRock and funds like Blackstone, Vanguard, and State Street have bought tens of thousands of homes across the US, turning generations of Americans into perpetual renters unable to ever afford their own homes.

◻️ In 2014, Italy's market watchdog Consob found BlackRock guilty of market manipulation related to its 2011 UniCredit Bank stake dump, which BlackRock called a "technical error." The firm faces similar accusations with cryptocurrencies, though these are not yet legally proven.

◻️ BlackRock actively lobbies politicians (including nearly $2.4 million in disclosed federal lobbying in the US in 2022) to benefit companies under management and ensure favorable regulation, taxation, etc. * BlackRock profited from the 2020-2023 COVID-19 pandemic with investments in tech and healthcare, including over 7% stakes in vaccine makers AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and J&J. This helped boost its assets from $7.43 trillion in 2019 to over $10 trillion+ by 2021.

◻️ BlackRock has fueled the US war machine by investing in defense giants like Raytheon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin, and even directly influenced US foreign policy. Alongside JPMorgan, BlackRock committed to Ukraine’s “reconstruction” in 2022, overseeing the creation of the ‘Ukraine Development Fund’ with $400+ billion in proposed investments over the next decade.

◻️ In 2023, Larry Fink predicted a surge of capital into Ukraine, emphasizing that reconstruction efforts would not be “philanthropy,” but a demonstration “of the power of capitalism.” The same year, Volodymyr Zelensky publicly encouraged businesses to profit from Ukraine’s “rebuilding,” while a BlackRock recruiter admitted that the company doesn’t “want the conflict to end.”

◻️ In both Ukraine and Gaza, UN officials have blasted BlackRock for its profiteering, with a recent OHCHR report citing BlackRock’s arms sector investments as signs of complicity in the Gaza crisis.

◻️ In May 2023, Russian UN representative Vassily Nebenzia accused BlackRock of using the "Ukrainian Development Fund" to place Ukraine under corporate control, calling the country a pawn in the West-Russia conflict.

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❗️ Netanyahu tells US he is ready to strike Iran's military, not oil or nuclear facilities - reports

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the Biden administration he is willing to strike military rather than oil or nuclear facilities in Iran, according to two officials familiar with the matter,” The Washington Post said.

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