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The Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday launched a digital platform centralizing all archaeological information collected and researched in Israel. The database currently contains 3,910,005 records, along with 964,393 objects, 1,223,552 images and 15,164 three-dimensional models.

The National Archaeological Database allows users to browse publications, photos, 3D scans, excavation reports and archival documents through a smart search by site, period, type of find and other categories.

The system includes an interactive geographic search that lets users plot an area of interest on a map and instantly access all relevant archaeological information—from findings to excavation documents, images, models and professional publications.

“In a country with a rich heritage like Israel, a huge collection of archaeological information from all periods has been collected over the years,” said Alby Malka, head of the IAA’s Technologies Division.

“By Israeli law, every archaeological find that is uncovered must be reported, documented and deposited in the National Archives. As a result, data constantly gathers under the aegis of the Israel Antiquities Authority on many archaeological digs, as well as on hundreds of thousands of ancient items—from scrolls and coins to pottery, jewelry and archaic architectural elements,” he continued.

“A national archaeological database, which gathers and makes all this knowledge accessible both to the lay public and to researchers, is a tool of paramount importance for scientific research, for preserving the country’s heritage, and for deepening public knowledge,” added Malka.

IAA chief scientist Débora Sandhaus described the archive as “a treasure” and a “global asset.”

“It gives the international scientific community unique access from any computer in the world to vast knowledge about the history of the Levant, and enables a large-scale comparative study, which was never even possible until now,” she said. JNS

{Matzav.com}

JUST IN: President Trump has ordered all American flags to fly at half-mast until Sunday evening in honor of Charlie Kirk, the slain face of young American conservatism.

Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative commentator and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and tragically killed today during an event at Utah Valley University.

The shooting occurred while Kirk was speaking at the first stop of his “American Comeback Tour,” where he was hosting one of his signature “Prove Me Wrong” sessions under a white tent on campus.

Witnesses reported hearing a single loud crack, after which Kirk collapsed, bleeding from what appeared to be a head or neck wound.

Panic quickly swept through the crowd, with students and attendees rushing to flee as the scene descended into chaos. Emergency responders arrived within moments, and Kirk was transported to a nearby hospital. Despite efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead minutes ago.

The university immediately went into lockdown, canceling classes and instructing students to either evacuate or shelter in place. Federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and ATF, joined local police in the investigation. Authorities initially detained an older male near the scene, but later clarified that he was not the shooter and has since been released. As of now, the perpetrator remains at large.

News of Kirk’s death drew swift and emotional reactions across the political spectrum. President Donald Trump expressed his grief in a statement, calling Kirk “great” and “legendary,” adding, “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

Other leaders also weighed in. Lawmakers from both parties, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Utah Senator Mike Lee, condemned the attack and urged Americans to reject political violence. Vice President JD Vance described Kirk as “a tireless voice for America’s youth” and called the killing “an attack on free speech itself.” California Governor Gavin Newsom and former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords also joined in denouncing the violence.

Kirk rose to prominence in 2012 when, at just 18 years old, he founded Turning Point USA, a conservative youth movement that grew into one of the most influential activist organizations in the country. He became a leading voice for conservative students and young voters, building a powerful online following and becoming a close ally of President Trump. He played a significant role in energizing the youth vote during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika, a podcaster, and their two young children.

The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, with authorities continuing to search for the gunman responsible. Meanwhile, tributes continue to pour in from across the nation, as supporters, colleagues, and political leaders grapple with the sudden and tragic loss of a figure who had become a defining voice for a generation of conservative activists.

{Matzav.com}

BREAKING: President Trump confirms that conservative influencer Charlie Kirk has died at the age of 31 after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University.

Scott Jennings: “I sat in this room… the night they they shot the President, and now they shot Charlie. I’m not sure it’s safe to be an outspoken conservative walking out in America right now.”

Real America’s Voice, the network on which The Charlie Kirk Show airs, is reporting that the conservative influencer has died after being shot in the neck. There has been no official confirmation from authorities yet.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Charlie Kirk: “We ask everyone to pray for him and his family…this is detestable what’s happened. Political violence has become all too common in American society. This is not who we are. It violates the core principles of our country.”

Utah Valley University now says that there is no suspect in custody following the shooting of Charlie Kirk, despite earlier reports and footage appearing to show a detained suspect.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks out on the Charlie Kirk shooting

Kamala Harris contends in her new memoir that President Joe Biden’s top advisers deliberately allowed her to take the blame for the administration’s handling of the border crisis and even undermined her once her popularity began to climb.

In an excerpt from her upcoming book, 107 Days, Harris — who had been assigned responsibility for immigration policy shortly after taking office — wrote that Biden’s aides “added fuel” to the criticism circulating at the time.

“When Republicans mischaracterized my role as ‘border czar,’ no one in the White House comms team helped me to effectively push back and explain what I had really been tasked to do, nor to highlight any of the progress I had achieved,” Harris said in the excerpt, which The Atlantic published Wednesday ahead of the book’s September 23 release.

“Instead, I shouldered the blame for the porous border, an issue that had proved intractable for Democratic and Republican administrations alike,” she continued.

“No one around the president advocated, Give her something she can win with.”

Harris also charged that Biden’s staff didn’t defend her in the press when damaging coverage surfaced.

“They had a huge comms team; they had Karine Jean-Pierre briefing in the pressroom every day. But getting anything positive said about my work or any defense against untrue attacks was almost impossible,” she wrote.

“Worse, I often learned that the president’s staff was adding fuel to negative narratives that sprang up around me,” Harris added.

“And when the stories were unfair or inaccurate, the president’s inner circle seemed fine with it. Indeed, it seemed as if they decided I should be knocked down a little bit more.”

She further suggested that Biden’s advisers grew uneasy as surveys began showing her gaining ground during his floundering 2024 re-election effort.

“Their thinking was zero-sum: If she’s shining, he’s dimmed. None of them grasped that if I did well, he did well. That given the concerns about his age, my visible success as his vice president was vital,” Harris wrote.

“It would serve as a testament to his judgment in choosing me and reassurance that if something happened, the country was in good hands. My success was important for him,” she said. “His team didn’t get it.”

Some former Biden officials dismissed her accusations, arguing they unfairly tarred dozens of staffers.

“Name names if you are going to blame staff,” one ex-official told The Post on Wednesday.

“There were 50 people over the four years that worked in White House comms — and most of them junior — that now are going to be questioning why the VP is mad at them.”

Another aide from that period noted that Harris specifically singled out Karine Jean-Pierre’s press briefings while leaving out Jen Psaki, Biden’s first press secretary, who often pushed back aggressively against tough questions about the vice president.

“The book will give us all little indicators of who [Harris] valued and favored in the West Wing,” the source said.

{Matzav.com}

BREAKING: The man taken into custody by police after the shooting of Charlie Kirk is NOT the shooter, the New York Times reports, citing a university spokesman.

JUST IN: Charlie Kirk is in critical condition and being treated at a nearby hospital. There are conflicting reports over whether his condition is stabilizing.

BREAKING: Two students have been shot at Evergreen High School in Colorado; conditions not immediately known.

Former Congressman Jason Chaffetz on Charlie Kirk: He is one-of-a-kind. I really thought that years from now we would be saying ‘President Charlie Kirk’ because for a generation he – nobody speaks to them like he does…He is a political force who transforms.”

HEARTBREAKING: Charlie Kirk seen being rushed away from scene after attempted assassination.

MSNBC now blaming Charlie Kirk for getting himself shot: “You can’t stop with these awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and then not expect awful actions to take place”

BREAKING: Video shows suspect being arrested after Charlie Kirk shooting.

Larry Ellison has overtaken Elon Musk as the wealthiest individual on the planet for the very first time after Oracle’s stock skyrocketed by 40% on Wednesday.

A staggering single-day windfall of $101 billion pushed Ellison’s net worth to $393 billion, surpassing Musk’s $385 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Ellison, 81, who helped establish Oracle and continues to serve as its chairman, controls around 1.16 billion shares of the company. That holding just delivered the largest one-day gain ever recorded by an individual.

Oracle’s surge came on the back of bold forecasts projecting that the company could eventually generate $500 billion from its rapidly growing AI operations, marking its best market performance since 1999.

In its latest quarterly update, Oracle revealed it had finalized four multibillion-dollar deals with three customers, CEO Safra Catz said in Tuesday’s earnings announcement.

“We have signed significant cloud contracts with the who’s who of AI, including OpenAI, xAI, Meta and many others,” Catz told analysts on a call following the report.

These new contracts catapulted Oracle’s Remaining Performance Obligations — essentially future contracted revenue — up by 359% to $455 billion.

The bulk of that surge stems from OpenAI, which has committed to a massive agreement worth $300 billion for computing resources spread across roughly five years, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Catz added that Oracle expects to finalize more massive cloud deals soon, pushing its RPO beyond $500 billion.

The company’s cloud dominance comes from its aggressive purchase of Nvidia’s AI chips, which it rents out to major firms such as Amazon and Google through its cloud division.

Oracle projects that its cloud revenue will soar to $144 billion by fiscal 2030, a dramatic rise from less than $20 billion projected for the current fiscal year.

“We expect Oracle Cloud Infrastructure revenue to grow 77% to $18 billion this fiscal year – and then increase to $32 billion, $73 billion, $114 billion, and $144 billion over the subsequent four years,” Catz said Tuesday.

Like many peers in the tech world, Oracle has poured billions into artificial intelligence initiatives. At the same time, it has sought to reduce expenses by laying off employees and weighing cuts to raises and bonuses this year.

Despite narrowly missing Wall Street’s earnings expectations, Oracle’s stock surged ahead.

For the first quarter, revenue came in at $14.9 billion, just shy of forecasts for $15 billion, while adjusted earnings of $1.47 per share missed the $1.48 consensus estimate.

The company also said it now anticipates capital expenditures to climb to around $35 billion in 2026, up from earlier projections of about $25 billion.

Back in June, Oracle announced a blockbuster deal expected to generate over $30 billion annually beginning in its 2028 fiscal year. Media outlets identified the client as OpenAI.

Ellison’s company is also a participant in Stargate, a $500 billion AI infrastructure project involving OpenAI and SoftBank that President Trump highlighted at the White House in January.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Stargate — designed to supercharge AI data center construction in the United States — has recently slowed near-term expansion plans as partners have encountered obstacles in securing agreements.

{Matzav.com}