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A new peer-reviewed study is challenging one of the cornerstones of modern climate science, claiming there is no evidence that global sea levels are rising at the rates long predicted — or that climate change has caused any measurable acceleration. The research, published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, analyzed long-term tide-gauge data from 200 locations worldwide and concluded that average sea level rise in 2020 amounted to just 1.5 millimeters per year — roughly six inches per century. That is less than half the 3 to 4 millimeters per year figure frequently cited by the United Nations and climate scientists. The study’s authors — Dutch hydraulic engineer Hessel Voortman and independent researcher Rob de Vos — said their findings undercut decades of dire projections. “This is significantly lower than the 3 to 4 mm/year often reported in scientific literature and the media,” Voortman told journalist Michael Shellenberger. He added that he was “shocked” no researcher had previously compared long-term projections against local observational data. The research, funded by neither governments nor industry, represents a sharp break from the mainstream view that sea levels have accelerated dramatically since the early 1990s with the advent of satellite imagery. According to Voortman, much of the supposed acceleration reflects natural variability rather than carbon-driven climate change. He pointed out that 1993 coincided with a “trough” in sea levels while 2020 represented a “peak,” exaggerating the appearance of rapid rise. “For the vast majority of the stations, the differences between the two curves were not significant,” Voortman said. Of the few sites showing higher rates of rise, he noted most were located near others showing negligible change, suggesting that local factors — such as earthquakes, heavy construction, or land rebound from past ice ages — were more likely culprits than a global climate phenomenon. The study explicitly contends that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has “significantly overestimated” sea level rise, with projections running well ahead of what tide-gauge data shows. That discrepancy, Voortman argues, has consequences for public policy, coastal planning, and public trust. “When designing coastal infrastructure, engineers have long accounted for sea level rise,” Voortman said. “Both measurements and projections are important sources of information. Understanding the differences between them is crucial for practical applications.” Voortman, who has worked for three decades on global flood-protection and coastal projects, rejected any suggestion that he is “denying” climate change. Instead, he urged a recalibration of the debate to focus on measured realities. “It is important to stress that there are good reasons to have models,” he said. “If we design something in the coastal zone, we try to achieve a technical lifetime of 50 to 100 years, and that means we need to look into the future. But we must be realistic about what the data shows.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Naftali Bennett, who once served as Israel’s prime minister, lashed out at the current government in recordings released Sunday by Hebrew media. He charged that the cabinet is packed with “stupid” ministers and revealed his intention to merge opposition figures and parties into a “big party” aimed at defeating Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s coalition in the upcoming election.

At a conference held Thursday in Kfar Saba, Bennett criticized the government’s direction and laid out his vision for uniting the opposition. In the recordings, first reported by Walla, he also detailed his priorities on domestic and foreign policy if he were to regain leadership. “Today the government is made up of stupid ministers,” said Bennett, who is widely believed to be positioning himself for a run in the 2026 election.

“Simply stupid, I have no other word for it,” he continued. “When a minister says, ‘We should drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza.’ Great, you said it — now you’ve gathered 17 votes — from lunatics. Will we drop a bomb on Gaza? No, but we’re the ones paying the price.”

Bennett was referring to Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu’s controversial remark in November 2023 suggesting a nuclear strike on Gaza was “an option,” a comment Netanyahu himself dismissed as “detached from reality.” South Africa later used Eliyahu’s words in its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which Eliyahu boasted about, saying “even in The Hague they know my position.”

According to Bennett, he frequently faces questions in foreign media interviews about such remarks from Eliyahu and other right-wing ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. “So our soldiers are paying real prices by having their hands tied because of political stupidity done purely for political purposes,” he said.

“It’s a sin to just call it stupidity. It is worse. It’s evil, because they’re scraping together political votes here at the expense of our soldiers, some of whom won’t be able to travel abroad for the rest of their lives because of this madness,” Bennett added.

The recordings showed that Bennett was not only attacking the government but also sketching out his strategy for the next elections. “We need to form a national Zionist unity government based on the ‘alliance of service’: those who serve and who accept the government’s guiding principles,” he said.

“I have a role, and that is to unite the various centrist parties. We’ll talk to [Yisrael Beytenu party chairman Avigdor] Liberman, to [former Knesset member Gadi] Eisenkot, and get everyone into one big party,” Bennett explained. He told the conference their mission would be to “convince everyone to vote for this party and win a clear and decisive majority.”

If successful, Bennett said this bloc would work to “lay down a constitutional foundation” and “pass a constitution for Israel,” something he had previously dismissed as unnecessary. “I changed my position in light of recent years,” he noted, pointing to Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul. “We must establish how a law is enacted, how a law is repealed, who repeals a law, with what majority, how judges are appointed.”

Bennett added that he would also push to “pass a law within the constitutional process to limit the prime minister’s term to eight years.”

He pledged to initiate a state commission of inquiry into the failures leading up to the October 7 Hamas assault, declaring it a “moral sin” that such a probe has not yet been created. Netanyahu has refused to open any investigation until the war ends, arguing that the public would not trust the findings because of distrust in the judiciary that would appoint the panel.

Another priority Bennett addressed was the integration of the chareidi community into both the military and workforce. “We have no choice,” he said. While he did not outline specific steps for a conscription law, he acknowledged that October 7 reshaped his priorities. Before the war, he saw military service for the chareidim as less urgent than employment and education, but the shortage of combat troops, he said, has altered his view.

He went further, stating that chareidi schools outside the state system that refuse to teach core subjects should not be eligible for government funding.

Turning to diplomacy, Bennett emphasized that “no drastic steps will be taken” on Palestinian statehood under his leadership, though he insisted the issue is not “binary.” “My views are hawkish-liberal. I oppose a Palestinian state, I oppose giving up land. I support maximum security and minimum friction with the Palestinians,” he said.

“I support autonomy for the Palestinians, that they manage themselves — but they cannot receive sovereignty over the borders,” Bennett declared, signaling support for maintaining the Palestinian Authority despite calls from some in the coalition to weaken or dismantle it.

He also denounced violence by extremist settler youth who attack Palestinians in the West Bank, while adding, “crime exists in cities across Israel as well.”

Responding to the leak, Bennett reiterated that Israel “have a terrible leadership and we will replace it as soon as possible.”

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who was not referenced in the leaked excerpts, commented afterward that he “will talk to [Bennett] again.” Lapid added, “We need to do everything to bring down the government, to gather forces,” signaling openness to a future partnership.

{Matzav.com}

Florida’s plan to drop school vaccine mandates likely won’t take effect for 90 days and would include only chickenpox and a few other illnesses unless lawmakers decide to extend it to other diseases, like polio and measles, the health department said Sunday. The department responded to a request for details, four days after Florida’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, said the state would become the first to make vaccinations voluntary and let families decide whether to inoculate their children. It’s a retreat from decades of public policy and research that has shown vaccines to be safe and the most effective way to stop the spread of communicable diseases, especially among children. Despite that evidence, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed deep skepticism about vaccines. Florida’s plan would lift mandates on school vaccines for hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib influenza and pneumococcal diseases, such as meningitis, the health department said. “The Department initiated the rule change on September 3, 2025, and anticipates the rule change will not be effective for approximately 90 days,” the state told The Associated Press in an email. The public school year in Florida started in August. All other vaccinations required under Florida law to attend school “remain in place, unless updated through legislation,” including vaccines for measles, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, mumps and tetanus, the department said. Lawmakers don’t meet again until January 2026, although committee meetings begin in October. Ladapo, appearing Sunday on CNN, repeated his message of free choice for childhood vaccines. “If you want them, God bless, you can have as many as you want,” he said. “And if you don’t want them, parents should have the ability and the power to decide what goes into their children’s bodies. It’s that simple.” Florida currently has a religious exemption for vaccine requirements. Vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives globally over the past 50 years, the World Health Organization reported in 2024. The majority of those were infants and children. Dr. Rana Alissa, chair of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said making vaccines voluntary puts students and school staff at risk. This is the worst year for measles in the U.S. in more than three decades, with more than 1,400 cases confirmed nationwide, most of them in Texas, and three deaths. Whooping cough has killed at least two babies in Louisiana and a 5-year-old in Washington state since winter, as it too spreads rapidly. There have been more than 19,000 cases as of Aug. 23, nearly 2,000 more than this time last year, according to preliminary CDC data. (AP)

President Trump says he is ready for the second phase of sanctions against Russia.

Asked earlier if he was considering attacking the cartels inside of Venezuela, President Trump responded with: “Well, you’re gonna find out.”

A moving scene unfolded this past week as distinguished avreichim of Gur, together with their children, went to the home of HaGaon Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein for a comprehensive test on Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat and on dapim of Gemara learned over the summer.

For over an hour, Rav Zilberstein tested the avreichim, posing sharp halachic questions in the intricate areas of Choshen Mishpat. The participants displayed remarkable knowledge, fluency, and mastery of the subject matter. Rav Zilberstein was visibly impressed by the young talmidei chachomim‘s grasp of halacha.

As the session extended beyond its scheduled time, Rav Zilberstein was reminded by his aide, Rav Yisroel Leizerson, that the children were eagerly waiting for their turn. Smiling, Rav Zilberstein remarked, “Meanwhile, they see what it means to speak in learning—that itself is worth something.”

The children then stepped forward, each reciting and analyzing pages of Gemara they had reviewed and memorized during the summer. When one young boy appeared nervous before the revered rav, Rav Zilberstein gently stroked his face and reassured him: “Don’t be afraid. I can see from your expression that you know it. Excellent—you’re sweet as honey. That’s enough for me; I can tell from your style that you understand.”

At the conclusion, every child received a personal brocha from Rav Zilberstein along with a gift of his sefer Achas Sha’alti. But before distributing the sefarim, the Rav spoke with great emotion: “Look at these questions with illustrations—questions for young and old alike. In no other nation is there anything like this. Here, in the Jewish home, parents and children discuss halacha together. Fathers and mothers yearn for their children’s success in Torah and rejoice when they know how to answer. In other nations, people sit and waste their time with scoffing, but here, children sit and delve into Torah. This alone can save the Jewish people.”

Tears filled his eyes as he added, “Master of the world, show me in any nation such a sight. It does not exist. Only among Klal Yisrael.”

When asked what message should be conveyed to the Rebbe of Gur, Rav Zilberstein replied: “Tell him that all of them are candidates to become morei horaah in Klal Yisroel. That is the goal—that they grow into people who sanctify the Name of Heaven.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

PHOTOS: The Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCC) celebrated the grand opening of its new Community Center on Sunday morning at 13th Avenue and 51st Street with a buffet reception, tours of the facility, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by honorees President of Metropolitan Commercial Bank Mark R. DeFazio, Congressman Dan Goldman, NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and Assemblyman Kalman Yeger, along with community leaders, law enforcement officials, and local organizations.  

The number of first responders and others diagnosed with 9/11-linked cancers has ballooned to 48,579 — a staggering 143% increase in five years, the latest data from the World Trade Center Health Program show. Skin, prostate and breast cancer top the list, along with melanoma, lymphoma, luekemia and cancers of the thyroid, kidney, lung and bladder — believed to have been triggered by toxins at Ground Zero and the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island.

Retired senior police officer Yoram Halevi has been appointed as Israel’s next Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced. Halevi, chosen after interviews with several candidates, will replace Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, who held the position for the past four years.  

The IDF confirmed it targeted the Ru’ya building in central Gaza City, stating that Hamas used the high-rise for intelligence operations, including observation posts to track IDF troop movements.

The IDF reported demolishing a Hamas tunnel in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, discovered during Nahal Brigade operations. The tunnel, which stretched hundreds of meters, included a room used by Hamas forces to coordinate attacks, and the military shared a video of its destruction.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at today’s government meeting, outlined Israel’s intensified operations in Gaza, targeting Nukhba terrorists involved in the October 7 attacks and destroying terrorist infrastructure. He highlighted humanitarian corridors allowing civilians to leave, while condemning Hamas for using them as human shields and committing attacks on innocents. Netanyahu framed the operations as part of a broader effort to dismantle the Iranian axis and secure Israel from existential threats. He stressed that achieving victory—including eliminating Hamas, rescuing hostages, and neutralizing Gaza threats—takes priority over international criticism. “If I need to choose between victory over our enemies and malicious propaganda against us, I choose victory,” he said.

UAE President bin Zayed and Jordan’s King Abdullah II reaffirmed their countries’ strong support for Palestinian rights, emphasized the need for a just peace through a two-state solution, and opposed any Israeli attempts to annex the West Bank.  

The IDF repeats an evacuation warning for Palestinians residing in the vicinity of a high-rise building in Gaza City ahead of an airstrike.

One year ago today (on the Jewish calendar), Hezbollah pagers exploded simultaneously, killing and injuring thousands of terrorists, in what has already become one of the most legendary Mossad operations ever.

AFP report describes how Iranian businesses are being crushed by rolling blackouts in the country, as the regime struggles to maintain its hold on an increasingly discontent citizenry.

Early Sunday morning, a man armed with a knife slashed an NYPD officer near East New York Ave & Amboy St. in Brooklyn. Officers opened fire after he lunged at them, police say. Three officers were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect later died at the hospital.

Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba resigns after facing massive backlash over a plan to import thousands of African men to help with a labor shortage in the country.

US envoy Morgan Ortagus and CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper toured southern Lebanon aboard a Lebanese Army helicopter.

In Hamilton, Canada, city officials ordered a resident to remove security cameras from his home, despite the cameras only covering his property and not capturing anything beyond it.